In a perfect world, fleas would not exist. But in our world, they do. In a next-to-perfect world, my cats would line up and not struggle while I applied their flea treatment, but this world isn’t next-to-perfect either.
Sasha and Bagheera, photo by Lisa Binion
Fleas love my cats. Fleas also love me. Any of these vermin that happen to be close to me will jump on me and chomp until I have more flea bites than my cats.
No intelligent person wants fleas on their cats or in their home. For many years, I used Frontline, but now these spawn of Satan laugh at those drops. It doesn’t cut down on their biting or reproduction at all. I’ve also tried Advantage; it worked, but a few of my cats had a reaction to it that made me uncomfortable. I want to kill the fleas, not my cats.
My flea killer of choice to use on my cats during flea season is now Catego.
Catego did the trick. My cats are once again flea free, and none of them had a bad reaction to it. According to the directions on the box, I am not applying it exactly the right way, so fleas must loathe this stuff.
Each dose is enclosed in plastic packaging that you must cut the corners off of with scissors. Then you must peel the plastic back to get the dose out. Sounds easy, right? Well, sometimes it does peel right back. Other times, it gets stuck in one spot and you must apply force to get the plastic apart. That is so much fun to do first thing in the morning. Next time I need to treat each of them with Catego, I’m going to get their doses ready the evening before. Oh, did I mention that I have eight cats?
Catego packaging, photo by Lisa Binion
The childproof, pet-proof, adult-proof packaging probably discourages shoplifting of individual doses of the flea medication by individuals who don’t want to pay to keep fleas off their cats, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me to open. Once the doses are released from their plastic prisons, it is time to dose my cats.
How many of you have cats? Do your cats stand still and allow you do exactly as the directions say while you apply their flea treatment? Mine do not. Okay, two out of my eight cats behave like angels and are perfectly still for me. The rest struggle to keep me from putting it on them.
Loki and Katie, photo by Lisa Binion
You apply Catego at the base of the head, but first, you are supposed to part the hair until the skin is visible at the spot where you are going to apply it. The people who make Catego have never met my cats.
Thor and Loki, photo by Lisa Binion
My cats—Tigger, Casper, Sasha, Bagheera, Thor, Loki, Katie, and Denise—are friendly and love to be petted and paid attention to. But when they know—and somehow they do—that it is time for their flea treatment, they watch every move you make. When you reach for them or walk toward them, even if your hands are empty, they dash away and hide. If they only realized how much more comfortable Catego makes them.
That one day a month, it is time to take them by surprise. I don’t know. Maybe it is a game to them. But when a cat is hissing at me and doing its damnedest to get away, it doesn’t feel much like a game.
Casper and Katie, photo by Lisa Binion
So, am I able to part their hair and reveal the skin before applying? Only two out of my eight cats will stand still and allow me to do that. Do I manage to put Catego on all of them? Yes, but they do not like it. The tip of the applicator is rounded with no sharp edges, so I don’t understand why they run. Now, if I manage to hide the dose behind my back and apply it while I’m petting them, they don’t even notice. I’ve managed to do that a few times. Sometimes though, the unexpected happens. You know that sound that a container makes as you squeeze the last of its contents out? Use your imagination for what happens then.
If you are having trouble finding a flea treatment that actually does what it says it will do, might I suggest giving Catego a try? There is an Amazon link below so you can check out this flea medication that really works.
Amazon Link: Catego
cat writing, pixabay
Writing Prompts
What if we did live in a flea-free world? Would some other biting pest come along to traumatize us and our cats? If so, describe this pest and how hard or easy it is to control.
Remember Chicken Run, the movie where a brood of chickens on a farm plans their escape? What if a pounce of cats tried to plan their escape the next day it was time to apply flea medications? What would their plan be like? Would they succeed? If not, how would their plan be foiled? Would the dogs—I have three of them—stop the cats from escaping?
cat reading, pixabay
By the way, I don’t see my cats trying to plan an escape. They are far too spoiled.
Recommended Articles:
Cats – Egyptians, a Pope, and the Middle Ages
Cat in Front of Fireplace Picture Writing Prompts
Cat on Tarpaulin Picture Writing Prompts
If Your Character Believes She is a Cat
Hi Lisa, I’m about to put Catego on my 2 year old, very healthy, male kitty. I’m nervous. He had a very bad reaction to the Soresto collar (I believe). Did you have any bad reactions on your kitties once you put the Catego on?
My youngest cats are about two years old, and my oldest cat is sixteen. None of them had any bad reactions to Catego. My only problem is getting some of them to stay still long enough for me to apply it. 🙂
I understand being nervous. When I tried Advantage, two of my kitties drooled for what seemed like forever. That wasn’t a harmful reaction, but it still made me uncomfortable.