From Patricia H. via Yahoo

"Recently, I had occasion to cat-sit a friend's long-haired cat over a four-day weekend. Now, normally Tasha stays at a local cattery but this time, as the plans were made at the last minute, there wasn't room. However, for the first part of the weekend I didn't see anything of her. After looking all over the house I finally found her, sleeping in her litterbox. And she was actually in pretty poor shape, with mats in her fur that needed to be shaved and a rather severe flea infestation. Now, of course, I've never had fleas in my house so I'm at a loss as to where she could have acquired them. Could she have acquired them by sleeping in the litter? She had come with her "own" box, litter, food, bottled water, scratching post, and cedar bed. Where did I go wrong?"

Rather than asking where you went wrong, ask where Tasha's owner went wrong. The condition of poor Tasha wasn't one that she could have arrived at in such a short period of time as she was staying with you. It's likely that she already had the fleas and mats in her fur when she arrived and you simply hadn't noticed them. This isn't to say that Tasha's owner is negligent. Cats can get fleas anywhere, even from one or two you bring into the house on your pants cuff or shoe, so even indoor cats can get quite the infestation!

As to why Tasha was sleeping in her litterbox, this is very commonplace behavior for cats who are sick or traumatized. Simply being taken out of her normal household and placed in an unfamiliar one such as yours was probably enough to make her very nervous, so she went someplace where she felt comfortable -- her litterbox. It's doubtful that there were fleas living in there as it's not their favorite sort of enviroment. Rather, I'd suspect that her cedar bed is a spot that needs to be dealt with, as places where cats tend to bed down will often get infested. Indeed, she may have been sleeping in the litterbox as it was the only place where she could pass a flea-free night!

Treatment for fleas is very simple these days. A dose of Frontline on your cat will typically knock them right out. Getting rid on them in your carpets or bedding can be considerably trickier although it's extremely important all the same. The biggest problem is that flea eggs aren't killed by any of the flea sprays. Consequently, it's often necessary to treat your household more than once. Some tips can be found here.

I can only hope that your friend didn't blame you for Tasha's condition when she came to pick her up. Next time she drops her off, I highly recommend that you give her the once over to ensure that she's a happy, healthy kitty when she arrives, so that you can give her back the same way!

========

Cat fancier Rob "Power of the Meow" Stanson has been an observer and studied cats for over twenty years. Visit him at "The Cat's Meow" where you can view the archives or ask him your own question which he will answer in a future column!