Even before I’ve had a chance to recover from my third week at school, week four begins amid rashes and strange rumblings. Wednesday of last week marked the beginning of an infestation of filthily insects out for my blood. I felt sorry for Honey, my landlady’s cat, that day because she looked miserable, scabby and anemic. I can safely say I now know how she felt. A brief encounter with Honey a week earlier had netted me a rather nasty “rash” on both my forearms which I chalked up to cat dander allergies having never suffered flea bites before.
Itchy but determined I continued about my routine until my basement suite became ground zero for a serious flea invasion. The final straw came as I removed my boots after a long day of classes on Thursday, my ankles were covered in bites identical to the irritation on my forearms. The next morning I was swarmed while I was trying to enjoy my morning coffee, the area rug in my den was full of fleas so it had to go. Friday was awkward, itchy and all through class I was petrified I was going to give everyone fleas.
My week was a total write off and I knew the weekend would be more of the same but I knew I had get rid of the fleas. Not wanting to resort to fumigating the place (especially after I failed to find any flea bombs) I had to find alternative methods and since my Landlady had disappeared I was on my own. Using a pie plate with soapy water and a candle in it I placed several ‘flea traps’ in the various rooms of my suite, turned out all the lights and hoped for the best. In theory the light attracts the fleas and they drown in the water because of the soap in it… in theory. I caught maybe half a dozen in three traps and considering a female can produce 20 eggs a day I was loosing the battle. In the nick of time my landlady arrived with several cans of flea spray and thus began the onslaught of a chemical warfare fueled genocide. In a frenzy of vacuuming, sweeping and toxic clouds the vicious brutes met their tortured ends.
I tend to hold life in high regard but when it comes to dealing with vermin I do what needs to be done. Sunday came and I had no fresh bites, the weekend was nearly over and apart from playing exterminator very little got done. It all did not matter in the slightest because the fleas were gone and everyone was better for it, even the cat. After seeding my suite with enough fleas to make my life miserable for several days Honey was quarantined and has since received many flea baths and is now her regular feline self.
