Message board topic:

For whatever reason, we've been overwhelmed with flies all winter.  I've found that they love hot coffee and often get stuck in it so, I try to keep my coffee cup covered.  I'm not using insecticide, especially with the animals around.  Swatting them is not a viable option as they love to land on the television and my computer, probably because it puts out heat.  So I resorted to glue traps.  They're maybe 5 or 6 inches square and if a fly lands on it, that's where he stays.  I feel sorry for the little buggers but I can't just let them go.  The cat, after a couple of bad experiences, has learned to leave them alone.

Lately, she's been getting a little careless, sniffing at them and sitting next to one.  Last night she got too careless.  She sat next to it and lay her tail right on one.  Everybody in the house was asleep except me, until that moment.  The screams were ear-splitting and she went racing through the house, back and forth, screaming the whole time.  When she finally settled down, I put on a pair of leather gloves to protect me from slashing claws and slowly got close enough to grab it, and quickly rip it off.  There was a strip of gray hair right across it.  I haven't put out another one but I'm sure I'll have to.  Hope she remembers this time.

Once I got it off, she settled back down and later slept next to me as usual.  John

Odd you have bugs out in the winter? Does that usually happen?

Glue traps.... ick. I know people use tose for mice too. :( Sad way to die. But, then again it is you or the bugs!

 

David and the CoolCyberCats

Forever in my heart





Cats Nap. Only Humans Put Them "To Sleep": Sterilize, Don't Euthanize!

 

Flies can come out in the house any time but it is rare to have so many at once.  All this year we've had way more than usual.  I can't figure out where they're coming from.  We don't leave food laying around.  They don't hang around the litter box or Piggy's cage.  Flies only live a few weeks and every time we think they're mostly gone, a new batch comes out.  I haven't seen any now for 2 days.  I wish I could just shew them outside but they refuse to go.

If you live in Missouri you're just going to have bugs, but there are limits.  Glue traps are good for hiding under beds or in secluded corners where we do catch a few year round.  We did twice catch mice on them.  I found that you can get mice off with cooking oil but it's a long, difficult, tedious and involved process.  You can't just pull them off as it would result on a horrible death for the mouse but they can be worked loose with the cooking oil which may leave the mouse oily and a little traumatized but still on one piece.  We've only had 3 mice in the house in the last 13 years.  We tried a live trap but he'd just go in, eat my peanut butter, and walk away.  Thankfully, mice are not a big problem here, unlike flies.  John

Good thing the mice don't fly too!

 

David and the CoolCyberCats

Forever in my heart





Cats Nap. Only Humans Put Them "To Sleep": Sterilize, Don't Euthanize!

 

No flies for 2 or 3 days then last night I take a sip of coffee and...a stupid fly in it!  Spit it back out, dump the coffee, and lose just a tiny bit of sympathy for those stuck on the glue trap.

I've been seeing Perseus on the couch more often lately.  This morning he was there about 11:00 Montana time.

I'm thinking Peggy might be jumping up and down today as the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last night.  I didn't watch it but channel surfing, I happened to catch it at half time when it looked like the Chiefs would lose, then I happened to catch the last 8 seconds.  Seconds later I could hear cannons going off nearby.  John

Perseus was having fun this weekend with a new leather string toy.

 

David and the CoolCyberCats

Forever in my heart





Cats Nap. Only Humans Put Them "To Sleep": Sterilize, Don't Euthanize!