HOW HOT IS IT?

So hot that the cat has been sleeping in the bathtub for the last 2 days.

And speaking of cats, how does it happen that a cat who has never left the house except once in its carrier three years ago can acquire fleas? We have not had fleas in the house since 20 years and 3 cat-lives ago. And getting rid of them is not as simple as one would think. It seems nobody wants to give a cat a flea bath. The groomer girl in Schaghticoke said she needs special equipment and it's very expensive; cat handling gloves cost $100 each. It would be worth it though because last year when our cat got dirty, we tried to give it a bath. Dave donned a heavy sweatshirt and a big old ski glove. He was to hold the cat while I washed it. But the cat writhed around and grabbed a hold between the sweatshirt and the glove, and totally lacerated Dave's arm. And that was to have been a simple dip in the bucket, not a thorough flea bath. So off to the vet's. They prescribed a pill that is supposed to kill the fleas in an hour or so after the cat ingests it. We think we got a pill down its throat, after it spit it out several times. Thing is, Dave was holding the cat while I pried its mouth open and pushed the pill back on its tongue. But Dave's idea of holding the cat frimly is the same as squeezing it, so that may have triggered the reflux. Shades of Lenny in Of Mice and Men. The cat may well resent us anyhow, because obviously we must have brought the fleas into the house. The vet also ordered a house spray to prevent re-infestation, but we're waiting to see if any mortality results from the pill first.