To shoot at the fly.
At least, that's what it feels like.
The Hazelnut has fleas. Thus the cats have fleas. Thus we have fleas.
These are barking mad rabid fleas. They tenaciously take hold of you as if they are never going to let go, leaving behind welts that itch with fury.
Frontline is not touching these things. The animals have been practically bathing in it, since that's what i had in the house already. Cheapskate that i am, i didn't want to have to go out and buy another brand of flea treatment.
Cheap is not working out for us right now. So i will be purchasing Revolution, since i've also used Advantage before, and the fleas are probably immune to that, too.
When these products first came out, the companies that make them said there was no way fleas could develop immunity.
These flea products affect the central nervous systems of insects, making them unable to feed, mate, or even stop moving, so they die. Thus, they should not be able to be immune and pass that immunity on to future generations.
You can't fool Mother Nature or the Creator. The fleas are becoming immune to these products.
We are hoping Revolution, which my vet keeps talking me out of trying, works. The other choice is whole house flea bombs, which don't work long term. After all, as soon as the dog goes back outside, we have another infestation.
Because scratching all of the time may be cheap, but it is a lousy long term strategy.
Today is:
Bridge Public Holiday -- Russia
Baron Bliss Day -- Belize
Day to Mourn Slavery -- Native Americans (commemorates the day it was outlawed worldwide in 1927, and to mourn that it still exists)
Eid Al Moalim -- Lebanon (Teacher's Day)
Get Over It Day -- halfway between Valentines and April Fools, a day to just get over something or someone that is bugging you
Hola Mohalla -- Sikh
Joe Franklin Day
Middle Name Pride Day -- established by Jerry Hall as a day in which to tell at least 3 people who don't know it what your middle name is, and be proud of it
National Crabmeat Day
Panic Day -- a day in which to run around in a panic and tell everyone you can't take it any more; get it all out of your system, i guess
Saitousai -- Kashima-shi, Ibaraki-ken, Japan (festival to pray for good harvest that dates back to the Nara period of 710-794, and still includes traditional dress)
Second Day of No Interest to Fairies -- Fairy Calendar
St. Catherine of Bologna's Day (Patron of art, artists, Bologna Academy of Art, liberal arts, painters; against temptation)
St. Frances of Rome's Day (Patron of motorists)
Strinennia -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (festival to call birds and spring to come back)
Takaosan Hiwatari Matsuri -- Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan (fire walking festival, usually on this date but can vary)
Anniversaries Today:
Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, 1796
Gustav Mahler marries Alma Schindler in Vienna, 1902
Birthdays Today:
Emmanuel Lewis, 1971
Juliette Binoche, 1964
Bobby Fischer, 1943
Raul Julia, 1940
Mickey Gilley, 1936
Yuri Gagarin, 1934
Keely Smith, 1932
Ornette Coleman, 1930
Wally Bronner, 1927
Irene Papas, 1926
Mickey Spillane, 1918
Samuel Barber, 1910
Will Greer, 1902
Amerigo Vespucci, 1454
Today in History:
Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han Dynasty of China, BC141
First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg, 1009
Jews are expelled from Carintha Austria, 1496
Nicolaus Copernicus makes his first recorded astronomical observation, 1497
Marten Luther preaches his first Invocavit sermon, 1522
Kissing in public is banned in Naples, punishable by death, 1562
Publication of the economics book The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, 1776
Prussian government limits work week for children to 51 hours, 1839
The Amistad Ruling: The US Supreme Court rules that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally, and were to be set free, 1841
The first documented discovery of gold in California occurred at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush, 1842
Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the street mailbox, 1858
The Westmoreland County Coal Strike, involving 15,000 coal miners
represented by the United Mine Workers, begins, 1910
Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico, 1916
Pink's War: The first Royal Air Force operation conducted independently of the British Army or Royal Navy begins, 1925
President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to the Congress, the first of his New Deal policies, 1932
CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy", produced by Fred Friendly, in which Edward R. Murrow criticizes the senator, 1954
The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York, 1959
Dr. Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and Hispanic American to serve in that position, 1990
Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Comet Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day, 1997
Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights, 2011
Friendly Fill-Ins Week 443
9 hours ago
Yay! Middle Name Pride Day. There's a day I can get behind.
ReplyDeleteIn keeping with the spirit of the day: Jocelyn.
I knew there was a reason I was craving crab meat today!
ReplyDeleteOdd suggestion, but possibly helpful (and I'm not joking.) Have you tried vacuuming your pets? If you have a gentle sort of attachment, such as an upholstery brush, and they wouldn't be freaked by it, you might give it a try and see if it helps. If you do, be sure to dispose of the bag inside the vacuum ASAP after doing it, so the fleas don't escape the cannister.
ReplyDeleteAny kind of infestation is totally revolting, but I think you need to use the heavy duty stuff and make sure every single one is gone. And Suldog's suggestion of vacuuming is a good one, in my experience.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the itchies, calamine lotion? It worked for me. (As long as you don't mind pink polka dots all over yourself).
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope they die, fleas are an unmitigated bane. I (frantically knocking wood), have been able to keep them from our animals. But it's not hard to have one little blood sucker show up, and they tell family and friends! Yikes!!!
Cat
Thank you for sharing your Middle Name Pride, Leah Jocelyn. That's a lovely name, by the way. And my middle name is Anne.
ReplyDeleteStephen i hope you get some crab meat today.
Suldog, my cats would totally flip out if i vacuumed them, but the Hazelnut would love it. thanks for the suggestions.
Jenny, revolting is right. Makes me want to have a revolution. It's going to take a lot to control the buggers this year, the mild winter makes them worse.
Cat, calamine is a good product, thanks for the suggestion, and i'm glad you've been mostly able to avoid them.