Number 1 "hit" this week.... & Tailsday

House Hunter ATTACKATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now which one is my tail and which one is the wet/dry sucking machine??

Usually I don't pay all that much attention to the links that bring people to my blog. Today I was checking and found that as of now we should declare official "Camel Cricket Season". They are also known as "Cave Crickets". Many of you will remember my escapades into the munching of these large ugly bugs more roachy than crickety but since people are searching for the creatures and finding me, I figured I'd let people know the "pet friendly" way to rid your home of these creatures.

****Please be advised that this is just an account of things that worked for us. I will not be held liable for any adverse advise. I'm just a cat."****

Lets start with a story....A long, long time ago....(say a year ago) the Chip Man walked down to the basement to discover an odd looking creature. He didn't think too much of the bug but within a few days our basement was FULL of these disgusting (yet mildly tasty) bugs. The Chip Man toiled for 2 hours every single night with these creatures and finally was able to rid our happy home.

As house hunter you will recall I did eat one. It ventured into the kitchen and Meowmy and the Chip Man came home from Trader Joe's just as I cornered the creature. They waited on the deck while I finished. And yes, I yakked ONE leg back up but it was tickling my throat.

The Chip Man says that these creatures LOVE piles of wood and other dark damp spots (like under our deck). If you have anything you can remove, start there. Next you should make sure that your house is SEALED tight like a drum. We live in a 80 year old house and there were cracks at the foundation where these creatures happily hopped in. He used that "Stuff" stuff that is expanding foam insulation.

Next, you must use Seven. Yes its a nasty chemical and that's why you only use it Out of Doors and you should make sure that all cats (and other pets) are indoors. Not a problem for us, we're always inside. Spray the Seven with one of those canisters that attaches to a hose for fertilizer and stuff. That properly mixes the stuff. Spray liberally. The Chip Man used A LOT. That will keep the camel crickets away from your house.

Next is the real battle. The crickets in your house. Use "spot killer" on them such as RAID which is a nerve agent and NOT a poison. After you have spot killed the beasties (which actually have backward messed up eyes so if they are looking at you and try to hop away, they actually hop towards you!!). You'll get used to their antics.....

After crickets have been killed, suck them up with a shop-vac. Do not make the woman in your house do this if at all possible. She will hate the man at all costs. They're icky alive, they're ickier dead.

You may have to work at this for about a week which is why its important to seal the house and spray Out of Doors. Do not let cats into the treated area!!! We aren't allowed in our Dungeon Room anyway so we were safe.

There you have it! Stay Safe and Camel Cricket/Cave Cricket free!!

*****This has been a PSA for Cats and those who hate Camel/Cave Crickets*****


I have removed the image due to WAY too much traffic and hot linking. BOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Meezer Monday

You'll never believe it but the BED MONSTERS are back!! I tried to pounce on them and kill them but they kept coming back in a stronger force! There don't seem to be any Couch Monsters this year but I guess maybe they just come out later in the year? I keep looking on the couch but then a sun spot comes and I have to take a break. My house hunting duties have been very needed as we've had all sorts of bugs out on the front porch. I had Meowmy lift me up so I could hunt better.

Oh, and apparently I was a very very bad meezer and hunted an elastic chord. Well I ate it and then I yakked it back up. Meomwy said I was a lucky meezer that it didn't pass the other way and get stuck or something.

Schwag

Remember when I said Meowmy brought us home some fun stuff from her trade show last month? This is a froggy and as you can tell, I'm fairly sure he's alive. As the House Hunter, I had to investigate. Stupid Kaze tagged along of course.

First I went up and introduced myself.

"Hello, I am Latte and I'm going to sniff you now, OK?"

No response.

"Well, you smell interesting so now we are going to touch you gently."



Maybe from another angle...



"Well that was rude! You don't have to stick your tongue out at me, you could just tell me you don't like to be touched."

Now, I think he's a frog but he might be a toad. I think if he's a toad we shouldn't have touched him as we might get warts! Oh well, Kaze touched him more so she'll probably get them first. It is hard being the house hunter!

Odd smells

Since I'm the House Hunter I have to make sure I investgate every interesting smell in the house. If I catch a scent of something I walk back and forth and all over until I figure out what it is. The red boxes smell crazy! I've been sniffing them like crazy and they smell like a mixture of another cat, other people, and some stinky strange stuff that I can't really describe. I've walked around all of the sides, jumped on top, sniffed around the seams and the wheels, and tried to push them over. I've decided they don't pose an immediate threat to any cat or human in the house, but I'm still not sure if they may cause some other damage. I'll keep you posted! I'm off to sniff some more.