Of all the icky things, I discovered my cat has fleas.

My life here in LA has been accompanied with a precipitation of insects. First, before I even moved into my apartment, I got bit by some mosquito-like creature that made my face and finger (doggone thing bit on on the KNUCKLE) swell to unattractive and painful proportions.

Then there were the ants, in the hot weather. Ants were getting into EVERYTHING.

The sugar bowl!

And then the day came when Skellig stared at me with intense aggrieved accusation.

The ants were eating HIS food.

And now fleas. I have no idea where the fleas came from. The house has new carpet, so I don’t think they were lurking there. Skellig lives inside, only making dashes for freedom every once in a while across my concrete patio.

Nevertheless, Fleas are here.

I discovered one while petting my cat. It was very very icky. Especially when I realized that those bites on my legs were not mosquito bites, but had crawled on me in the night.

I was so grossed out, I didn’t want to go to bed. But it was late, and there was nothing I could do.

I had to wait until the next day.

So, I bought TWO rolls of quarters in anticipation of all the laundry I would have to do. I washed all my bedding and sprayed the bed.

I sprayed the couch.

See, I went to the hoity toity pet shop around the corner after I voted last night.

I would rather have gone to a plain jane pet store, but I don’t know where one is…This one is called Catts and Doggs.

They have health food and holistic solutions for animals.

They also have Advantage, that flea neck poison stuff. Which I bought. And they had natural oils flea shampoo. Which I bought. And they had natural holistic carpet spray. Which I bought.

I also bought catnip, since I felt sorry for my pathetic cat. And they had soap bubbles which were non-toxic and SMELLED like catnip. Those will probably be quite a hit. I’ll have to get back to that after I try them.

So I walk out of the store 80 bucks poorer.

And I go home to spray and wash everything.

I sprayed the bed before I put the clean sheets on it again.

And I sprayed the couch.

And then I bathed the cat.

Let me tell you, bathing a cat is WAY easier when you have those solid slidey doors on your bathtub. Unlike the bathrubs that have curtains, he had no hope of escape. He just gave up struggling and yowled.

He was trying to have as little to do with the water as possible, by kind of standing up against the door. This made it easier to wash his tummy. I have not usually been able to do that.

But the essential oil flea shampoo worked really good. He is a shiny shiny cat, now.

After he finished licking himself, I decided to apply the flea poison on the designated spot, behind his head. I didn’t want it bleeding into the wet fur and getting licked. It was enough to have to launder everything because of fleas, I didn’t want to launder everything because of cat barf, too.

Fleas are such a nuisance. They are so annoying and insignificant. That makes them even more annoying. They are not WORTH all this hassle.

I hope that we will soon see the end of them.