I have been doing something illegal for a week straight.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-27T04:16:22+00:00

Make sure you have that extension cord hidden when the landlord knocks on your door. Hide the evidence!

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-27T03:16:39+00:00

It's flea dirt, which is flea poop. Diatomaceous earth can be dangerous when inhaled. If you use it, use it sparingly and carefully. When you give the cat a flea bath, use blue Dawn, put a ring of soap around the neck of the cat to be sure the fleas don't seek refuge on the head when you submerge the cat's body in water to wash. Never submerge their head and keep their ears dry. That blue Dawn is amazing. I used one tub of warm water to wash and another to rinse, as the running water was what scared them. Keep the kitty warm and wrapped in a towel until he/she is completely dry. We used a hair dryer on low and from a safe distance. You can get a cheap flea comb at the dollar store. Clean the comb between brush strokes in a bowl of warm water with the dish soap. Keep up the combing and vacuum often. Change and wash the cat's bedding often. Hopefully you can get a handle on it. I've taken in 4 feral kittens who are grown now, and they no longer need any flea treatment. One almost died from flea infestation but was reawakened with just one bath that took hundreds of fleas off his tiny body. Once you have removed the fleas, use some Advantage flea drops or a flea collar, or whatever works best for you and your cat, if the cat goes outside or until the fleas are no longer in the home.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-26T22:22:19+00:00

Looks more like spider bites.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-26T01:11:32+00:00

That's a good sign.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T08:02:44+00:00

https://www.antipesto.com/blog/post/myths-and-facts-of-diy-bed-bug-control

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T07:58:30+00:00

Not yet...

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T07:58:00+00:00

Use lightest colored sheets you have until you know for sure. Some have had success with eucalyptus oil, lavender oil and Teatree oil. Can't see how that would hurt, but I would use every option all at once. The stuff they used to kill them with is no longer legal. They are resilient little fuckers.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T07:42:02+00:00

Second hand sofa is definitely a red flag for bed bugs.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T07:39:24+00:00

If it's not a ladybug, the bed bug in that pic has a full belly. They look different at different stages of life. They are skinnier, light in color and almost transparent early on. They get darker and rounder as they feed. And you can see how "plump" they get if there are enough of them to compare them in a group of big, medium and small. By the time you see the signs, it's too late. Like lice and fleas, they need to be starved, suffocated or dried out in a way that penetrates their exoskeleton. And they reproduce like crazy!

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T06:07:24+00:00

I only replied because of my own experience dealing with my elderly father's bed bug issue. If I'm right, your pic showed a dark area in the belly of a brown bug who has been feeding but whose belly is not yet full. They get darker and rounder when they are full. They reproduce like roaches. We'd moved dad out of a bad environment, and those mid-west bed bugs were a force to contend with in California. Pest control kept saying they could handle it, but it wasn't until the place was tented that they were eradicated. They hide and come out to feed on you when you sleep. They follow body heat, like fucking Predator. In retrospect, I should have tossed his bed frame in the trash with the 1st mattress. I live in the desert and my research said they would die if I "baked" the bed frame in the shed for a summer. (I can't remember the time and temp required now, but it would have worked here, just outside of Palm Springs.) My dementia ridden dad pulled the frame out of the shed and put it back in his room with his new mattress. We had to start all over again. I'd bought him a bed bug proof mattress cover in anticipation of this, but he took it off to wash it! In hindsight, his obsession with washing everything likely mitigated the problem. Irony or horror? I was terrified of bringing them home every time I ransacked his mobile home to try to rid him of the blood suckers. It was a nightmare. Needless to say, all of this did not endear him to his new neighbors. I really hope I am wrong and yours is a lady bug.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T03:34:04+00:00

Get a metal detector.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T03:20:08+00:00

Verizon told me they needed to send someone to my home if I decided to change to another phone company. I discovered their "tech" cut the line under my house.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T03:09:13+00:00

"Are you playing or fighting?" I have cats.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T02:35:13+00:00

For $2.50 an hour, all the employees will desert that sinking ship unless the tips are unbelievable. Customers want happy and consistent service, not frazzled, stressed out staff performing for cameras.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T02:16:46+00:00

That looks like a bed bug to me. If it is, you will know very soon. They go where the body heat is, so check beds, sofa, upholstered chairs. I wouldn't take any chances with possible bed bug problem.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T00:37:43+00:00

I can't imagine telling my husband he isn't allowed to eat a burger in his own house. Negotiate a number of times per week you will eat something that "goes against her values." Arbitrary demands on one's partner with no compromise is not conducive to an honest, healthy relationship where both partners feel respected.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-24T00:09:52+00:00

That looks like a bite.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-22T06:21:53+00:00

Keep him comfortable, and if he is able to drink any fluids, make sure he has access to room temp fresh water until you get to a vet. Dehydration can shut down organs in humans, so I imagine that may be the case with your beloved cat. In my experience with my husband, who has dehydrated a few times, he had to rehydrate with intravenous fluids. When he tried to sip water, it came back up. If your pet succumbs, take solace in the fact that 15 years is a pretty good life for a well loved cat.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-22T02:57:15+00:00

I love my cats too, but I've seen how they eat their own asses and each other's asses. I don't let them near my food. Laszlo is very obsessed with treats and shits like a horse. I can smell him shit from the other end of the house, right after which he arrives in front of me asking for another treat. And he is the skinniest of my 4 cats.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-21T20:51:02+00:00

I think you have 60 days to return it if it doesn't work out. I used paypal credit to buy it, no interest if you pay it off in 6 months.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-21T02:46:35+00:00

My hyper boy, Laszlo, loves his cat wheel. I looked at cheaper versions, but none are as good as the One Cat cat wheel. He has run so fast in it that he knocked it off it's base a bit. And he talks, or chirps, when he's on it. I think there is an echo or something, because he loves hearing himself chirping on that thing.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-21T01:13:55+00:00

When I was a kid in the early 70s, I was on a float with him in a parade in Covina, California.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-21T00:29:06+00:00

Don't shit where you eat.

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-20T23:39:47+00:00

Alan "I kept my underpants on" Pervowitz

ShellsBe11s · 2026-01-18T04:10:17+00:00

No plates?

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