Pets Avoiding Flea and Tick Treatment

Both my husband Marty and I are native New Yorkers. We lived in a small but picturesque house in Westchester County. But after several brutal back-to-back winters with horrendous snow storms and ice, climbing three flights just to dig our cars out was certainly not something which we looked forward to.

So when a charming gal I met online (whom I had become close friends with) invited us to Florida for a visit, we jumped at the opportunity.

We arrived in Florida in early April. Daytime was balmy with soft breezes carrying the ocean scent. The nights were pleasantly cool without any worries concerning the dreaded freezing white stuff. Marty and I started seriously considering moving to Florida as soon as possible.

Our friends gave us a guided tour which included visiting some model homes. Compared to our tiny dwelling, the houses were palatial, and a real bang for the buck. Upon our return home, I called our local real estate agent to get the process of selling our house going and locating a suitable dig in the Sunshine State. The rest, of course, is history.

In New York, our cats got their exercise by chasing each other up and down the carpeted stairs. But once in Florida they quickly adjusted to an area almost three times the size of their former residence, tearing around the house at breakneck speed.

Unfortunately, the warm Florida weather is highly attractive to a variety of pesky insects. Most prevalent are fleas and ticks, but since they never caused our cats a problem in New York, we never treated them proactively. But as the Florida summer approached, our veterinarian suggested we start routinely using a flea control product to prevent any nasty infestations. Subsequently, once a month the cats were anointed with a tiny tube of a not-so-pleasant smelling flea control fluid. 

For two years, Marty and I consistently dabbed the necks of our kitties with the stinky stuff, who in return protested vehemently. Our thoughtful veterinarian also gave us a fancy doo-dad to stick on our refrigerator door to remind us. The darned thing blinked like a 42nd Street marquee when treatment time approached.

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but eventually we became complacent and stopped these monthly rituals. Of course, the cats were still regularly checked, with the result of there not being a flea in sight (with nary a speck of the little buggers in action). As they are strictly indoor cats that live in central air conditioning, all our windows are tightly shut. Sadly we were lulled into a false sense of security. That is...until late the other night...as I was petting Sir Pinkerton. To my shock, I spied one of those alien creatures burrowing into the fur of his lovely white tail.

It’s an advantage to live close to a nationally famous pet store chain (pun intended)! You can bet your bottom dollar we were out the door early the next morning, purchasing a six pack of our “favorite” flea control product.  

I must tell you, cats have long memories. It has been three years since they have been treated, and they still seem to remember it like yesterday. To my amazement, the instant Hush Puppy caught a glimpse of a tube, all I saw was a lilac point blur as he flew out of the room (he ended up hiding under the bed). I am sure he must have been thinking: “treated but traumatized.”  Sir Pinkerton could have cared less.

Do your pets have “memories like an elephant’s”? Leave a comment and share.