Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Tabby Tattletale Tuesday

::lap lap lap::

Huh?  Oh sorry, I didn't see you!

I've been feeling much better this past week after having a bunch of health issues...won't go into the details here because it's the week before Christmas and I don't want to gross out Santa.  I want him to visit me.  Just know that I'm doing ok.

It's been a really wild week here at Casa de Cory Ginger.   Some of you may know that we've been having a heck of a time with fleas.  They have been hard to control.  Mom gives us all Frontline and most recently mom got rid of all dog and cat beds that can't easily go in the washing machine.  In the process of trying to rid the house and us kitties of fleas, mom and dad got an information sheet from a holistic vet.  One of the suggestions was a good old fashioned flea comb. 

Mom had used these in the past, before Frontline and other things were available...back in the dark ages when our guardian angel Morgan was around.   I mean, it sounded archaic, but mom was willing to try anything.  Both Jonesie and I are allergic to flea bites and all it takes is one flea and we are miserable. 

So mom went to work.  First Grete...nothing.
Ellie, nothing
me, nothing
Cory, nothing
Bennette, nothing
Figaro, nothing
Jonesie...1 very fat flea (now a very dead flea)
So mom takes a look for the last kitty in the house, Nigel.  (Cecilia and Madison live in our workshop)

He never goes outside.  Never scratches.  Coat is gorgeous.

One swipe of the comb.  1 flea.  Another swipe of the comb.  2 more fleas.

I think you get the picture.  Nigel is a regular flea farm.  By the time mom was done, she combed 20 fleas off Nigel.

Nigel got re-treated with Frontline and mom sprayed his favorite cat tree sleeping spot.  She will keep combing him every day.

So now we can tell Santa who's been the source of it all...

And then...if that is not enough drama...I mean you know how I hate drama...

Dad was working in our backyard on Saturday morning.  Normally Figgy and Jonesie would go outside first thing on the weekend morning...but because of the flea situation, mom and dad have been keeping everyone inside until it's under control.

Well...dad goes out to the way back and he sees a coyote!!!!  In our yard!  Our safe haven!!!

Mom and dad have lived here like...since the dark ages and there has never been a coyote in our yard.

::shudders::

Well, as I think about it...if it weren't for the fleas and stuff, Jonesie and Figaro would have been outside in the yard.  And Nigel is the flea farm...so...maybe the fleas and Nigel are heroes because if Jonesie and Figaro had been let outside...::shudders::

Santa, leave an extra treat for Nigel, ok?

28 comments:

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Wow! All of that stuff going on. I am glad you are feeling better.

Angel Prancer Pie said...

The best flea is a deaded one. That's one reason we don't go outside. Anudder reason is coyotes. We has em. Lots. Things always haf a way of workin out fur the best. We hopes you are feelin better and are goin be ok. Purrs to efurrybody. xoxo

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

A coyote! That is scary - it is one of the main reasons we are not allowed outside (them and cars, even though we live on a quiet street). It sounds like you guys had the flea problem at just the right time. The coyotes out here are aggressive - one snatched a little dog right in front of its elderly owner not too far from here.

Funny enough, my human is working on a magazine article about kitten grooming (it was due today and is still not done yet - don't tell!), and one of the tools she recommends is a flea comb!

Gigi said...

What a terrifying story! I'm a citykitty but even *I* know what a coyote is! ::shudder x 1000::

CORY! You are my Secret Paws! You are my Secret Paws! You are my Secret Paws!!!!!! I am soooo a-cited! The Human says we can open my Secret Paws package tomorrow and blog about it Wednesday. I can't WAIT. I've been sniffin' at the box already !!!

dArtagnan Rumblepurr/Diego Hamlet Moonfur said...

Sending you lots of healing purrs, my handsome friend.

Motor Home Cats said...

We can't believe you had a coyote in your yard. You all need to be very careful if you go outside. We don't want to lose any of our friends.

As for the flea problem, if you can find a vet who carries <a href="http://fleabusters.com (or order it online, Mom swears by it. When her grandma moved her from Florida with her dog, he brought lots and lots of fleas with them. That was the only thing they found to get rid of them, and Mom hasn't had a flea since (about 25 years).

Cody and Gracie

Princess Jasmine said...

What a busy time you have had. Saved by a flea though, that sounds good to me. Maybe the coyote left the fleas in the first place? Yeah, kitties aren't to blame at all :)xx

Angel Simba said...

Ginger, we are very glad you are doing better with your "issues". What a hassley nuisance about the fleas, and very good they were tracked down. As far as the coyote goes, Mom is SO glad (us too!) none of you were outside. The humans are pretty certain it was a coyote that took away our Rusty 5 years ago. ::Quadruple shudder::

Fuzzy Tales said...

Okay, things need to settle down at your house and be calm! Health issues, fleas, coyotes....too much stress!

Sending you all healing, peaceful vibes!

Andrea and the Celestial Kitties said...

Scary! Both fleas and coyotes! We had luck with brewers yeast sprinkled on food, for the fleas, not the coyots.
My mother has coyote trouble, and lost several kitties over a few years before they figured it out. Their current kitty has been safe because he is not allowed out after dark. Try going to a barber shop, asking for their cut off hair and spread it around the edges of your yard, they stay away from human smell as much as possible. My mother also once made a scare-coyote, like a scare crow, but stuffed with more human hair.
Stay safe and flea free!!

The Whiskeratti said...

FlEAS! How we hate fleas. We finally conquered ours, mostly with Advantage, but also with a month's worth of vaccuming every. single. day.

Cat with a Garden said...

That's a very disturbing story, Ginger. A Coyote? Wow! I guess those fleas are something good after all. Kinda. Well, we hope you get rid of the fleas AND the coyote. Stay safe, furriends!

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

Wow! Flees fighting coyotes! You sure have interesting lives!

We're so glad you're better, Ginger!

Purrs,
The Chans

Cat said...

Well I don't even want to think what might have happened...a coyote is pretty scary indeed!!! I guess in this instance it is YAY for fleas :-)

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

Wow!!! We are very glad for the flea farm, errr.....we mean Nigel. Thank goodness all of you were inside and safe!!!!

Brian's Home Blog said...

Just make sure you whap those fleas right outta da house!

Callie (a.k.a. Trouble) said...

How many cats can say that they were saved by a flea?

Whisppy said...

OMC. A coyote in your safe haven. Thank goodness for Nigel and his flea friends!
We recently had a flea outbreak and we traced the source to a cat that came for grooming. Mummy has flea allergy so one bite and SHE was miserable. Truly and really miserable. We were frontlined, then the house was sprayed and the beddings washed and put under the sun...and the nightmare is finally over.
We're glad you're feeling better too, Ginger.

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

with all the fostering we do, I see fleas from time to time. Most of the cats respond just fine to the frontline, but Jack doesn't. Either his fur is too fine, or his body just doesn't like it, I really don't know. But he gets advantage and it kills the fleas dead.

btw, both frontline plus and plain advantage can be purchased in the large dog size and split among multiple cats. http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/advantage.html

Gigi said...

Hi Cory! Okay, I'm getting more and more a-cited! The Human is going out this afturnoon but when she comes back? SECRET PAWS TIME! Purrs and nosetaps all around!

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

*whew*
We are so glad that the flea situation is now under control.But we are also glad that they came to visit so that NO one was harmed in the garden. Coyotes are not friendly to kitties.
purrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥

Ellen Whyte said...

Oh you poor things! We used Revolution this time round. Good stuff. But Frontline is our regular stuff. Fleas are just so gross! Hope you are flea-free by Christmas.

The Island Cats said...

Ginger, that's the first time we've ever heard a flea called a hero...but you probably are right! We hope that coyote doesn't show up again! And we're glad you are doing better, Ginger!

Milo and Alfie Marshall said...

Phew! Thank goodness for fleas for once ~ otherwise ... well we dread to think. Nigel and his fleas are heroes ... well OK just Nigel (fleas are a pest)! xx

Milo and Alfie Marshall said...

PS: Is Santa bringing Jonesie a harness for Christmas?

Quill and Greyson said...

Quiet Nigel, who would have thought. Be careful!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

Wow! The fleas are bad enough (its never who ya expect, is it?), but COYOTES? Yikes!

Alasandra, The Cats and Dogs said...

Our vet says Frontline doesn't work on fleas anymore. She switched us to Advantage Multi.