I actually worked today! For like an hour and a half. Oh well, better than nothing. As I was blogging and researching and cleaning out my bookmarks the furries were lounging about. Actually they were sleeping together for a little while. I got a cute picture of their sweet faces.

I love my pets, my babies. They bring me such fulfillment. Just looking at them gives me warm fuzzy feelings in my belly. Milo seems to just understand and gives the impression that everything outside the apartment doesn’t matter to him, so it shouldn’t matter to me. He’ll head butt me for food or attention, or bite gently if I ignore him too many times, loves sleeping on the back of the couch and now on the pet bed we originally picked up for Xiann. She doesn’t really use it. She is way more willing to sit in our laps or on our feet.

Oh yes I think I am becoming one of those annoying people whom buys silly things for their pets. I had to talk myself out of buying Xiann a cute little doggie bathrobe made with recycled fibers. I put it back because, well, I wouldn’t have her wear it to “gramma’s house”, on a cold winter day. Before you poke fun, she is a little dog a Chinese Crested Powder Puff, very susceptible to cold. She grew out of her red sweater last year, it won’t cover her pore little bum anymore. It took so much to put back the little bathrobe. Perhaps a doggie sweater should be an Etsy buy.
Anyway, my babies have been so cute lately. Xiann has had some busy weekends, playing with Mercury and getting to know some more of our family that she doesn’t see often. She slept most of yesterday and today. She was pooped. Milo, however, spent most of the day chasing a fly around the apartment and thinking about attacking a spider on the ceiling. He did realize he couldn’t get it and eventually gave up. So cute, he makes little mini-meows and slinks around.

Update on the flea war. And yes it is a war. I started using apple cider vinegar on my furries three days ago. I pour it on a pet rag and rub them down. They hate it. Already I have noticed a difference. Xiann, my little Chinese Crested Powder Puff,(though right now she isn’t so puffy, I gave her a summer hair cut), has been itching less, doing less flea searching as I call it. She is still scratchy and wakes up at night, I know because wake up when she is itching while leaning up against me. But it is no longer as insistent. Right now it seems to just be itching because she’ll get a bite on occasion and the old bites are still itching. If this works maybe her hair will grow back a little more evenly.
Milo, my fat cat rescue kitty, is still itching a little. I haven’t noticed him biting himself as much since I got home though. Thank goodness. Fleas have never bothered him before this summer. Poor baby.
So far, while sitting here on the couch no fleas have jumped on me or bit me. Rick thought he had one in his hair. Yes, they were getting in our hair, not often and they haven’t bit us on our heads, still it’s gross.
I worked longer than I had thought I was going to today so I didn’t get the chance to treat the living room carpet. I swear when we have a house I do not want carpet! It holds too much nasty stuff. As I don’t have a choice now I’ll just learn to live with it and win the flea war!

Below, Milo is giving Xiann a bath. I know it looks like he is eating doggy!

Bathing pets

We have a flea infestation. It’s way worse than ever before. I don’t like the idea of using chemicals. I do use Advantage. However, I just did a treatment on Xiann our little dog and it seemed to last only a week. It’s supposed to last a month.

I’ve used borax on the carpets. The fleas seemed to have become more frantic so I think it’s doing something. I keep getting bit and they have moved on to our cat Milo. Not so good.

My new thing is apple cider vinegar, neat to apply to their coats. I put it on a washcloth and rubbed them both down. Xiann is sleeping now and Milo is bathing himself. Both of them were rather angry with me but it’s okay they will forgive. I’m supposed to give it time, keep doing it for a few weeks. Eventually, if I keep up with everything I’ll kill them with the borax and deter the living ones with apple cider vinegar. I have heard that brewer’s yeast is also a good deterrent. I might as well try that too.

I really hope something works. Milo was itching his ear yesterday and he itched off a flea on to me. They are turning up everywhere, it’s so gross. My only consolation is it isn’t just us having trouble, Mom-in-law has fleas. I think it might have to do with the fact that we are on the bottom floor, so the fleas don’t have far to go to get inside. They jump on Xi and get a ride to our humble little apartment. Yuck. I’m going to have to call our place a flea motel if something doesn’t change soon.

Below is a cute picture of Milo massaging Xiann’s back. They are just awesome!