Poor Dixie Chicky… she’s having a rough time right now.

She’s highly allergic to flea bites and she is slightly neurotic anyway, and is licking too much at hot spots as well as scratching too much and has a bunch of little boo boos around her head and shoulders and ears. We had to get some anti-itch spray and one of those plastic colors to try and break the cycle. She’s flea free, and the house is definately better, since we used that Diatomaceous Earth on the carpets and such, and it’s getting a little colder out as well. But she thinks that she’s not and so she’s just a mess.

Luna sympathizes with her. I’ve noticed that she’s been sitting with Dixie and just basically following her around and looking out for her. I took Dixie outside for a little bit to sit in the sunshine and get a little break from being in the house and all. Luna came right over and sat with her and just hung out. It was cute to watch.

I sat in the hammock for awhile with Dixie on me, just petting and rubbing her all over. She is pretty miserable, but at least the booboos are starting to heal and dry up. If we can get her clean from the scabs and all, and then give her a good cleaning up as well, she might start to relax some. I think though that we might have to take her to the vets for an anti-itch shot or some sort of meds to get her little kitty brain from fixating on the slightish little irritation and thinking it’s a flea and starting the whole cycle over again. Jack and Luna are fine. They have all their hair and are flea free and all that.

It’s been a rough summer! Everyone I know is having a hard time with fleas this year. Next year I am definately springing for the expensive flea control drops and all that stuff. Just as soon as the snow melts! I’m not going through this again. We have never had a problem with fleas! What a learning curve this has been. Even the ferrets got them! The ferrets have learned to enjoy hot sudsy baths every day or two… and that keeps them clean. I read that the cycle of a flea life is only like 20 days. So if you can break the cycle for 20 days, you’re home free. And apparently, there was a study at the University of Ohio and it said the very best thing you can do is to vacuum every day. We’ve been doing that as well as the diatomaceous earth powder. Seems to be working.

Now if we can only get Dixie to stop scratching!!! Poor conehead kitty. We call that plastic collar the “cone of humiliation” because the kitty looks pretty pathetic wearing it!!! Hopefully she’ll only have to wear it for a few more days…