A Word About Fleas, Flea Collars and Flea Treatments (1 of 3 in a series)

     Lest you think it's all lollypops and roses living with all these adorable faces, let me take a moment to tackle one very serious, could be fatal topic. One cannot live with outside critters without encountering the bloodsucking parasite otherwise known as: the flea.  Everybody I know has his/her own approach to the topic. (Farmers in particular, but even my city-dwelling friends seek answers.) Some swear by certain flea dips. Others swear by certain collars (as I once did). I even have one neighbor who Seven Dusts his dog. (Not uncommon in the country though I personally don't recommend it...Then again, I don't recommend anything I am about to tell you here...) I simply feel it a topic worthy of a blog, that's how significant it is to me, and to those who (like me)  love so deeply it hurts.
     For starters, fleas are not only a nuisance, they can be downright deadly. While spending an inordinate amount of time researching the subject this weekend, I ran across this -- (as if I weren't scared enough already).
Fleas are notorious for having carried the bubonic plague that wiped out a substantial portion of Europe's population during the Middle Ages. Although we like to think that the plague is ancient history, the truth is that fleas, particularly in the southwestern United States, still carry the bacteria that causes it. Cats are as susceptible to this disease as humans, and if not treated, it can be fatal.
     I share this bit of news to say, fleas are serious business and left untreated, can be deadly. But what can also be deadly are the products we use to treat fleas...a subject I now feel led to write about. As a journalist, I can only pray you know how much I weigh these sorts of things before I write, particularly as it pertains to name brands and incidents (which I feel led to share here)...More particularly yet, as it pertains to babies I've known and loved.  That said, owing to two heartbreaking incidents I have lived all too recently, I feel this is something I need not gloss over with fun, furry, happy faces, but something I should offer up as I share my due diligence. Sadly, some of the sweet faces I have posted,  didn't make it...Those that did, I feel would want me to share this information  for the pain they endured.
     One such event happened just this weekend and involved one of my newly acquired "feral" cats; the other involved my beloved Minka.
     As I debate the pictures...I struggle with a starting point...
     But the story, journalistically
     I feel, I must share. . .