After all the worry, money spent at the vet, an aggravation for Squeaky, I figured out the problem. We have FLEAS! We hadn't had any flea issues for so long that I never even gave it a thought. At the vet's office, they did mention that Squeaky had some fleas. I couldn't figure out where she would have gotten them, but then remembered the cats and dogs running around the campground at Keaton Beach. That has to be where we picked them up because no other animals have been around and the kitties do not go outside. Al figures one or two came in with us and quickly started to multiply.
We found an old flea comb (it's a good thing I never throw any thing away) and I started to comb and I started combing up fleas! We must have gotten 30 fleas off the poor thing. I have also been using the flea comb on the other cats and have been finding them there as well. They seem to prefer Squeaky though...all that pretty long thick fur! I then figured out the issue she had been having with her tail. Fleas like to hang around near the back end and on the underside of the tail. I think they were biting her and she was doing the tail flick thing because of that. She would also put her tail down between her legs...fleas again I think. I had seen her fall though, and had worried that she fractured her tail, or even her hip. She's doing better though, less tail flicking but she's a little mad at me because I've been giving her medicine twice a day. She did have an ear infection so she's getting ear drops. She's getting anti inflammatory meds for some arthritis and an antibiotic as well. I don't know how much she needed them, but I am going to finish them out.
In the meantime, I am washing all the bedding every day. We have no carpet except in the two extra bedrooms so there is no carpet to vacuum. Al is going to spray around the furniture with a growth regulator that has something to also kill them. It will stop the life cycle of the fleas..no reproducing. We just haven't quite gotten it done yet. I am continuing to use the flea comb on them and am getting a lot of fleas that way. I'm sure we'll have to be on the look out for tapeworms next.
Anyway, that's the story on Squeaky. I am glad she didn't have anything serious..I had started to get worried and my imagination was going wild.
Tomorrow Squeaky will have her debut in the newspaper and she will be famous.
3 comments:
I'm glad that there is nothing seriously wrong with Squeaky, although fleas are such a pain to get rid of.
We had problems with Whiskey with fleas and then ticks back to fleas and then ticks again. We finally got it all sorted out but what a lot of work. We have carpeting and when visiting my Dad we brought the fleas into his place. I had to vacuum his downstairs everyday. We used a flea powder on the carpets in the motorhome let sit for a few hours then gave a good vacuum. Also the washing of two dogs, my Dad's and Whiskey. We haven't had problems since and as soon as we start travelling south we will be using Frontline on Whiskey, it seems to work well and doesn't irritate her.
Lucky you don't have carpets!
Give Squeaky and stroke for us.
Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
She is such a lovely lady!
I really miss my cats, but am determined to stay pet free until we are established full timers!
Give her a pet for me.
I'm glad you figured out what the problem was...can't do much if you don't know what to do.
I think its the extreme heat that just breeds the fleas. You would think last winter was cold enough to kill off a few but perhaps not.
Our dogs are beginning to scratch more lately and it is time for their Confortis pill (hope I spelled that right). I also worry about the campground and all the dogs that come camping with their owners.
Good luck and we'll look for Squeaky's famous pic real soon.
Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com
Post a Comment