Conference misery::feline_v1

    Nancy, if you can't get any kitty or flea shampoo, use your own
    shampoo not DIAL or bar soap.  Look around - I put in a bath
    note a while back - don't remember where it is - your bath tub
    would be the best bet - you can close the bathroom door and
    confine the mess to one room (water).  If you have a large
    round dishpan that the cats will fit in - fill it with water
    and put the cat in that after you also fill the tub - that
    gives you wash water (in the dishpan) and rinse water in the
    bath tub.  Then you can let all the water out and use a large
    cup to finish rinsing - make sure you get ALL the soap out. 
    After you bathe both of them, leave them in the bathroom with
    dry towels on the floor - then VACUUM thoroughly everywhere.
    Maybe spray the carpets before you let the cats out into the
    house.  If you have questions, give me a call. 264-8298.
    
    Elaine

       
     >WHAT DO I DO?   
     
     In order to bathe a cat properly, the internal organs must be
     properly lubricated. I find the 2-3 Mai-Tais usually allows me
     to rise to this occasion. (Aja reacts to water the same way a duck
     reacts to a bottle of orange sauce...).
    
     If cats were meant to get baths they'd be born with little shower
     caps...
    
     Edd
    
     

    I've never actually done it, but everything I've read says things
    like:
    
    	Put cotton in their ears.
    	Put a couple of drops of mineral oil in their eyes.  (Sounds
    risky to me, but it's in several books, so it mut be right, right?)
    	Put a towel on the bottom of the tub, so they have something
    to grab.
    
    You may wish to try a spray or powder first.  It will be much, much
    easier on you.  Personally, though, I avoid them.  They all say
    give warnings about injesting, and we all know that the first thing
    the cat will do is try to lick the stuff off.
    
    I have a bottle of Hills flea shampoo that I've never gotten around to
    using (always managed to schedule the groomer to do it).  Hills uses
    d-limonene in many, but not all of their flea products.  My
    understanding is that it is one of the safest products around, but it
    also probably hasn't gone through as much testing as the older
    chemicals.  The problem with the Hills flea products is that they're
    very hard to find.
    
    Finally, remember that if you really want to get rid of them, you
    need to treat the house.  I bet it's more effective to bomb the
    house, and just use a flea comb on the cats, than to treat the cats
    and do nothing to the house.
    
       Gary

    Re.3
    
    Don't put the mineral oil in they're eyes, put it just barely in
    the corner and let it run underneath (like a football player). 
    Right in the eyes isn't good.  I don't really bother because I don't
    wash Corkie's head.  When the fleas run up there to get away from
    her soapy body, I pick off as many as I can then put a little flea
    spray on a cotton ball and wipe her face (staying away from eyes,
    nose and mouth).
    
    Best thing to have is one of those spray things like we used to
    use to wash our hair in the sink with (oh, those old apartments without
    showers).  They're available everywhere and real cheap.  This is
    easier than trying to dump water on them and you can get them wetter
    this way.  You can drown most of the fleas if you really soak the
    fur well.
    
    Keep the water out of the ears!
    
    Corkie will sit in the sink and loves to be soaped, it's the rinsing
    she hates.  Use an organic flea shampoo and you won't have any
    ingestion problems. Outright makes a good mild flea soap that I
    use on the cat and the dog and makes them smell real good and it
    shines them up well too.
    
    Corkie gets her nails clipped short short short before a bath too!
    
    Good luck!!
    
    Pat

    I just had to share this with you folks, I'm sure that you multiple
    cat families can relate.
    
    About 2 weeks ago my husband found a flea while watching T.V.  This
    isn't really shocking since we have 3 cats, 2 dogs and 4 horses
    and with this menagerie its extremely hard to avoid fleas. I normally
    flea bomb twice a year but the house didn't seem to need it so I
    kept putting it off, not only the house but the cats weren't scratching
    and they had relatively new collars on.
    
    Anyway, I took one whole saturday and flea bombed the house and
    aired out the house and washed everything that they could near that
    might have possibly been touched by the flea bomb (God, forbid the
    cats get the sudden desire to lick the refrigerator or something
    else that I probably didn't wash off). I should add that the "kids"
    where up at Grandma's for the day and I had to flea bomb her house
    after I got done with mine...
    
    This is where the fun started, I then had to go get my little darlings
    from Grandma's house and proceed to lock them in the bathroom where
    the washings began one at a time. Well, we have 3 little darlings
    and each and every one of them are different VERY different.  First
    on the agenda was Bunnie (a little fisty black Manx), who hates
    to get wet and makes noises like someone is killing her. I wet their
    heads first with a face cloth (damp, not soaked) to help get those
    little varmits down to the body where they can be successfully washed
    and killed.  After about 15 minutes of howling and screaming Bunnie
    was done and towelled off. (My husband thinks that cat washing is
    definately a one person job, so he usually sits and watches what
    ever sport is one T.V. at the time.  If he only knew what type of
    sport was going on in the bathroom!)
 
    Anyway Bunnie lived and it was 2 days before she would get near
    me.  Then came Roo, she is considerable more tolerant and doesn't
    cry but does try to turn your arms into shreaded hamburger, this
    is the only cat I know that doesn't dry herself.  I try and towel
    them as dry as I can but for the most part they dry they parts that
    I miss.  Not Roo, she would rather make you feel extremely guilty
    for giving her a bath and not getting every spot purrfectly dry.
    Roo is much more forgiving than Bunnie though!
    
    Now came Whiskers (Remember him, he was adopted from this note file!),
    I truly didn't know what I was in for with him since this was his
    first bath since, he moved in and should I add took over... He was
    the best of all, he seems to have a thick white coat so after I
    soaped him up and started to rinse him with the bath cup, I didn't
    seem to getting anywhere and I didn't want to have any dry on him
    so I decided that maybe I could rinse him off with the faucet, mind
    you the whole time he is getting a bath he is PURRING!  I made sure
    that the water was just the right temp and proceded to run his body
    under the tap gently rubbing his coat to get all the soap out, he
    came out the best! And he loved it!! Stange cat!
    
    Well, I sorry that I rambled on so much but had to share this. The
    previous replies are correct when they say that you should try to
    treat the house also, even if all you can do is vacuum for tonight.
    Just remember to throw the vacuum cleaner bag out after your done,
    those little devils will hope right out of the bag and back into
    your carpet and cats.  Good Luck!
    
    Lorna
       

    Thanks for all the input so far.  I was already planning on fleabombing
    teh apartment.  I've done that plenty of times before making the
    bombing the easy chore.  I really doubt that the houe is infested
    anyway since I bomb every 2 or 3 months, and I only found the one
    flea.  It's that I have never seen a flea on one of my cats before.
    
    Now for the next important question.  After I shampoo, should I
    also use conditioner?  and, should I use a blow dryer to help dry
    them off?
    
    Thanx.
    
    	-Nancy

    Conditioner is a good idea, but if the cat will only stand
    the bath then skip the conditioner.  Sounds like you've got
    it under control!  Enjoy!  Next weekend, I have to start the
    bath routine - I can hardly wait!!
    
    E.T.

    Well, I lived through the baths.  It's definitely a 2 person chore
    -- 1 to hold the cat in the sink screaming "Would you please quicken
    the pace. I'm getting scratched", and the other to wash away saying
    "Could you please move your hands a little so I can wash the whole
    cat".
    
    We washed in the kitchen sink since we have one of those squirter
    hoses there.  I couldn't find any KittyCat shampoo, so the big debate
    was which of my own shampoos to use.  I though Head & Shoulders
    would be too harsh, yet my Henna is for blonde hair, and neither
    of the cats is a blond.  We decided on Henna anyway.
    
    Both cats were wonderful.  We only washed up to the neck, yet we
    SOAKED them and scrubbed them good.  Since Oscar is shorthaired,
    we decided against using teh conditioner on him.  We plugged in
    our electric blanket and placed it next to the oven which we had
    set on about 200, so that both cats could stay warm after the bath.
    Oscar looked so pathetic when he was soaking wet.  He looked so
    skinnt.
    
    Portia put up q pretty good fight in the beginning.  I decided against
    conditioner on her since she looked twice as pathetic as Oscar.
    I had to spend more time washing Portia, since the vet has had her
    on laxatives since Friday for hairballs, and the laxatives finally
    did their job yesterday -- her hind end was quite the mess!
    
    On the positive side, I did not see any fleas during the baths.
    The apartment was fleabombed this mroning, and I made grooming
    appointemnts for next week, in case that stupid flea that bit me
    decided to lay eggs somewhere.
    
    I, on the other hand, have 2 extremely swollen wrists from that
    awful flea.  I get to see my doctor today.
    
    	-Nancy

    Well, sounds like home to me Nancy!!!!!!  I agree about it being
    a 2-person job if you are lucky enough to have the second person.
    When I'm getting the kids (or kid) ready for show, I am lucky
    enough to have the second person - only thing is that I'm the
    second person for her show kids !!  Friday nights at my house
    are a zoo! If ya do it often enough, you  "sort of" develop
    a routine that works for the three of you - the cat, and the
    two folk doing the bathing.  After the cat dries off, and they
    look so nice and clean, you have to say that it was worth it!!
    I try and give them some femalt or other hairball stuff before
    and after the bath so they won't get hairballs from all the
    licking to dry themselves.       
    
    I can just hear me saying to my friend, "Could you please move
    your paws so I can wash the front legs & chest!"  
    That did make me chuckle.. Then after I rinse everything, I say
    WINGS - and she stands the cat up on its hind legs, andl lifts
    its arms up so I can rinse under the arms  and stomach! Talk 
    about being creatures of habit!  I can hardly wait for the 
    Framingham Cat Show on 9-25 - between my friend and I on
    the 24th (Saturday night) we will have to bathe 3 kittens,
    and 3 adults...sigh! I can hardly wait!
    
    E.T.
    
     

    I had to bathe 3 kittens and 2 adults in the motel bathroom in 
    Medina last weekend.  I had the foresight to bring my own towels
    and also had bought a spray nozzle at the hardware store in Medina.
    
    Had to use duct tape to secure the nozzle to the tub faucet.
    Everything was going great!  I had the first cat almost done.
    Suddenly, the shower head above me started to drip.  Then within
    seconds the shower was spraying me and the cat full blast.  The
    pressure from the backup of water in the nozzle was just too much.
    I ended up just taking off my clothes and jumping in with the cats.
    I was soaking wet anyway, why not?
    
    I eventually did get all 5 cats done and they looked great, but
    it took me hours to clean up the mess in the bathroom.
    
    Jo

    Now for the latest development.  I found another flea this morning.
    Where the !@#$%^&*() thing came from is beyond me.  Both cats were
    just bathed 4 days ago and the apartment was flea bombed just 3
    days ago.
    Obvioulsy the )(*&^%$#@! thing was on the carpet since it bit my
    feet.  So, my question is, does anyone know of some type of carpet
    shampoo that will kill fleas?  I don't think this flea came from
    the cats since both cats slept in our bed last night and I didn't
    get bit until after breakfast.
    
    	Thanks
    
    	-Nancy
    
    

    Are you sure you're not getting bit outside?  Are you petting the
    neighbor cats, for example?
    

    Both times I was bitten in the morning and hadn't been outside yet.
    
    

    You can bring fleas in from outside.  This is usually more of a
    problem with dogs, since they're frequently kept outside for long
    periods, but it can still be a problem with cats.  There isn't any
    permanent solution to this, but you might try a yard fogger that
    works on fleas.
    
    Fleas in the pupal stage, between larval and adult, are pretty immune
    to most insecticides.  If you really want to achieve ZFP (zero flea
    population -- an ambitious goal), you have to use a house bomb that is
    designed for residual effects.  That way the adult fleas will be killed
    after they complete their metamorphosis.  Some of the newer bombs
    contain hormones or other chemicals that prevent the flea from reaching
    the adult stage.  Also make sure you calculate the volume of your rooms
    accurately and that you use the bombs correctly.  I personally feel it
    is more effective to use two small bombs to cover two adjacent rooms
    than one large bomb to try to reach both rooms, even if the large bomb
    is capable of handling that volume. 
    
    There are some places a bomb won't reach, such as under or in
    furniture.  Get a non-staining spray for spot treatments.  I also
    suspect that bombs don't work well on thick carpets.  You may want
    to spray the carpet before bombing the house.
    
    With all of this, please make very sure you don't overexpose your
    cats to chemicals.  Some insecticides increase each other's potency,
    so that while either alone may be safe, the combination may be
    hazardous to your cats.  I'd wait at least a week before bombing
    the house or treating the cats again.  I'd also try to use products
    all made by the same manufacturer, since they'd be intended to be
    used together.
    
    You must be one of those unfortunate people who is very sensitive
    to flea bites.  I get bit by fleas and find they don't drink much
    blood, I scratch a little, the cats scratch a little (it's been
    a very good year), the fleas live a little, and we avoid potential
    dangerous chemicals as much as possible.  When the flea population
    gets too high, we use the safest, most conservative treatment possible.
    I'm fond of flea traps (dishes of soapy water with lamps shining
    on them) and flea combs (comb the fleas out of the cat's fur and
    drown the fleas immediately).
    
       Gary

    Nancy:
    Did you get rid of your vacuum bag?  My vet told me that that is
    one place where the fleas can survive after a "bombing".
    
    A.

    Yes.  I got rid of my vacuum cleaner bag.
    
    If this flea situation continues, I am going to keep my vacuum cleaner
    bags and get rid of my cats.
    
    
    Re -2?
    I am quite allergic to fleas.  Right now, my ankles are swollen
    to close to twice their normal size.  Last week my right thumb was
    so swollen that I couldn't move it
    
    
    And to top my misery off, my new Elmo arrived with fleas Friday
    night.
    
    

    re:10  Oh lawdy, Jo, I can't stop howling - does that bring
    back memories of last season!!!!!!!  Katenka is mostly white -
    a Calico Tabby - I try and bathe her 5 minutes before we leave
    for the show hall!!  Just kidding, BUT, if we leave Friday night
    and stay over I bathe her in the hotel - Yes, we bring our own
    towels & have a bath bag that goes into the hotel (shampoo,
    conditioner, tub, ETC, ETC, ETC).  I had the same problem in
    Torrington CT last April - the damn shower head leaked - boy,
    did I get wet after doing 5 cats (2 were mine - 3 belonged to
    my friend) - what a mess!  I stopped using the spray nozzle in
    the hotel and now use the old large 20 oz. cup trick - then with
    the little kids, I hold them under the faucet like chickens!  If
    there is good water pressure, they get rinsed real well.
    What a mess!!!  Every time I reserve a hotel room, I make certain
    sure that it has a bathtub (a functioning tub!!).
    
    E.T.