Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-29
This and That


The problem of feas is one which
touches every household where there
is a pet cat or dog. Especially at this
time of year is the small. winglesS.
jumping insect a bane. It may infeSt
house at any season. but makes
particularly fine Job Of 1t in Summer.
No one who has gone through
scourge of fleas will be inclined to
laugh at it, as many wight viii VINO
has had no personal experience with
the matter. 1t is nothing to laugh at.
FlsaS In rugs and furniture shortly
turn home into a sort Of perpetual
misery" 10 use the old negro EXPIRES
sion. The first Trims he family knows
every one is scratching The worst Of 1t
is that the fun has i,lst begun.
Fleas breed with such marvellous
rapidity that pretty soon successive
generations are battling for their lives
with the best insect sprays and powders
on the market And it is just at this
point that the battle must be continued.
To spray once. and then believe the
work is done. is to court failure. To
spray once is merely TO kill the large
ones The little ones, and the ones yet
TO hatch out, must be killed, too.
The worst sufferer. of course. is the
dog or cat friend Of the family. bit this
does not mean that the human men,
berS cannot suffer They do, usually
one In q family more than the others.
Fleas do not Seem TO bite every one.
but take out their thirst for blood upon
some one particular person, just whv
this is, it is difficult 10 say. but The fact
remains that usually one member OF
family win have ten bites 70 one for
the others
And flea bite On such person is
far from a small matter II must not
be forgotten that the prevalent nca IN
the United States Is not the European
flea. but the variety known rs the dog
and cat flea" This insect prefers
dogs and cats, whence its name but
viii readily make itself at home upon
q human being.
It's natural habitat is the soft fur of
one of these two animals. There 1t will
hide and live. and make frantic the
beast which is It's host. II you see your
dog or cat suddenly make diving bites
at itself. or scratching furiouSly, know
that ii has fleaS.
y y
When YOU first discover the sad fact
is the time to act. Temporixing Is
worse than useless A dog should be
hathed at once with one Of the flea
soaps on the market, taking care to
begin at the neck and wash to the end
of the tail. DO not get either water
or lather In eyes, nose. mouth or ears,
Flea powders may be used on cog or
cat, but the various insect sprays should
never be used under any circumstances.
They are for Kidding the house OF fieaS.
Their use on pets would lead to injured
skin and other maladieS.
The cat, with It's longer and softer
fur offers more pf p DrOhlpnN Tina
average eat may be bathed easily
enough, however, IL care is taken not
to brighten the animal Usually two
persons are required one 20 hold the
cat and the other TO wash It. The
actual lathering Is best done out "
the tub Then the animal Is stood in
one of the two laundry tubs, say, which
has been filled with slightly warm water
10 the height OF the creatures stomach.
From this tub he Is transferred 10
the second, this tub being necessary 20
set all the soap of him, After this
Einsing the pet Is carefully dried. after
which he viii give himself a personally
bath by licking himself care
fully IN the standard feline manner.
Let us assert again that fieas In
are no Joke. and every neces~
Sary step should be taken to rid the
pet and the home OF them. Often q
real battle ensiles. but science win WIN.
II the householder sticks TO it The
necessity for the determination of these
obnoxious peSts Is 50 paramount from
every standpoint that Ii needs no els
cussion. What Is necessary Is that every
home with cat or dog in II should be
prepared to recognize the afSt signs
Of fieaS and willing 60 work 10 end
their pestiferous reign