Ok, on to today!
Star was starting to have her season change itchies and rash. But it was getting worse fast. And then Leo started getting itchy. They were leaving lots of crud on our bed too. I got suspicious... A closer inspection made me think it was flea debris! Fleas!?!? We haven't had fleas in YEARS! Ages! Not since we got Star eleven years ago! Maybe once after that... but still, more than 8 to 10 years..
Where did the little buggers come from??? We haven't had any contact with any other animals and we've never had issues with sand fleas coming through the windows like my parents have. Well, through the windows on on their indoor/outdoor pets.. But we'd heard that they can come through screens.
I didn't find any on the kitties, but it's hard to tell with all that fur! But the fur was thinning, mostly on Star, as she itched it off. Something had to be done! With both of them.. I am not fond of the stuff you put on their backs, but we may use that too. What we needed to do, and were dreading... was flea baths!
Poor Star! It hasn't been that long since her last bath.. I looked, I wrote about it on August 7th, so it happened on the 6th. At least this wasn't as disgusting, and gaggy, as that time!
The big problem, as we both saw it, was one hiding after the other started freaking in the bath... We knew we'd never catch the second one once we started. Star was on the bed upstairs, Leo was downstairs. I went to get the bathroom ready and Leo bounded in. Should I, I thought. I should.. I closed the door and kept him in.
Greg carried in Star. We had both cats, cats who hate each other, trapped in the same tiny room! Are we insane?? Probably, but that's beside the point..
Star had to be first because she was already in Greg's arms and I was sure she'd get behind the toilet if we let her go. We prepared for her to scream and carry on. But she was a different cat! Oh how she hates the itchies, she must have known this would help. She sat there, almost without holding, and let both of us lather her up with the flea shampoo. She didn't make one sound. Well, aside from a little pitiful mew once in a while when we were trying to change her position to get another area.
Leo was fascinated! He has never stayed in the bathroom when either of us shower, so having to be there when all this water was running was just so intriguing to him. (He loves to have the sink run when he's sitting on it, not that he drinks while it runs, but just to see it, then lick the basin after the water is off.)
Greg was in the tub with Star and I was outside, and Leo kept poking around from one side of me to the other trying to see what the heck we were doing! Were we drowning his enemy?? What the heck! He put his nose over the edge once and looked directly at Star. She looked back at him, but didn't hiss or anything. She just gave him a baleful look like she didn't want him watching her humiliation, then she turned away so I could get under her chin.
Drying her cost me a few scratches, but otherwise, she did pretty well through two washings, one with the flea shampoo the other with her itchy soothing shampoo. I cuddled her and tried to dry her as best as I could, then Greg gathered her up and snuck out of the room to take her to the bedroom. He stayed with her long enough to show her that everything was fine, and she could sit on a fresh towel and get some pets.
Meanwhile Leo was even more curious in the bathroom, he wanted to get up on the side of the tub so bad, but it was all wet and he wouldn't do more than put his front paws up and peer in at the dripping water. He was curious, but not worried. I don't recall having given him a bath since he's been here, and I don't know if he had any baths when he was with Chrystal. Either way, he had no bad memories of that tub.
Soon, Greg was back and Leo went to greet him, but didn't really try to get out. Greg was able to scoop him up and get back into the tub before Leo figured something not so fun was going to happen here. Could have been the wet paws.. Leo's a big boy, and we were expecting a fight.
You recall me talking about Calvin, a before kitty? He was big, but not near as long as Leo, and he was a powerful kitty. But we could bath him because he understood that Greg was the boss. He'd meow a little, but he'd put up with it.
We had no idea how giant Leo would react. I turned on the water and he reared up in Greg's hands! A long way up! Greg said, "Wow, he's strong!" as he tried to contain him. I kept the water averted while we calmed the big boy. I pet him with one hand and held the hand-held shower head in the other. Then I started spraying him on the back.
He did not care for that... I hurried, because he was not an easy guy to hold, but he also never made a sound. He did try to grab things, including me, with his giant paws, but he didn't scratch. Which is a good thing because we still haven't gotten around to trimming either of their claws! Even after last time when I swore I'd trim first, bathe second! I was proud of my baby for not scratching me to death.
I used a little of the soothing shampoo because he'd obviously been scratching a few spot, especially his chin, and had a little rash/scabby bit. As I rinsed him, I did see one dead flea go down the drain. Confirmation! The baths were not in vain.
As with Star, I tried to cuddle Leo close while I dried him. He was not appreciative of this either. But I persisted and got him pretty dry. Then we moved into the bedroom. Where Star was still sitting on her towel, licking her fur. She did not appreciate Leo being put on the bed with her, even though it was on the other side, and on his own towel. He did not appreciate being put on the bed by her either.
Star left and went to sit on the chair that gives them access to the top of my jewelry chest where she continued her licking. Leo barely let me rub him down a little more before he took off. He didn't go far, just to the doorway where he sat and licked himself for a long time.
Whew! We were done! And ready for naps ourselves! Yeesh, one is bad enough, but bathing two cats in one night is a workout!
Busy...
Lots of furs to get back into place and dry...
This gonna take a while...
Do I look like I want that camera in my face?
If I ignore you, will you go away?
I'm having homicidal thoughts...... Perhaps you should go now.
You probably know that it's Mo Cat's Day, right?
Because of that, I'm posting this picture of MORE cats!
And don't forget! The FUN FUN FUNdraiser is still going strong! Five great toys for a minimum donation of $15 to Winnie's Wish, a private rescue. The very same one that my Leo came from! Check it out here!
Have a great MO CATS DAY!!
