Mice and Fleas in the House

Fleas and mice dislike cold New Hampshire winters. It may only be fall now but they are planning their winter homes.

I live in an old house with an attached barn. Last week, much to my utter disdain, I found that I was the most popular person on the street. I was not only popular, I was probably worshipped. This only applied if you were a mouse or a flea.

There are plenty of cracks and crevices around the house that apparently became busy rodent interstates to get to the NH equivalent of Florida. Hey, free food, heat, and rent all winter the mice and their tiny pals were thinking. And if you are a flea, just catch a ride on a mouse. There aren't even any tolls to pay!

You don't have to have a pet to get nasty fleas in your house. You can visit someone who does and transport them home on your clothing. And those cute little mice attract them too.

Cute mice, I beg to differ. They carry disease and think nothing of walking across kitchen surfaces and perhaps even you when you are asleep. And they certainly are not shy when it comes to proper potty etiquette, they go wherever they please.

Two days I was so horrified I could not even begin to find the words to describe my thoughts. I now have a hospital clean home and plenty of traps, poison, and a flea free kitty. The three month old kitten caught two mice in three days alone so use your imagination for how many there were that ran outside after ingesting Deacon. Naturally, the poison and traps are not anywhere the cat can get at them.

I was ready to burn the house down when I noticed the fleas. I immediately went to the local Blue Seals store and purchased a flea bomber, a chemical aerosol that kills them and their eggs. You and all pets must leave the premises for a few hours while it executes the lethal magic.

From Blue Seal I went to Petco and bought a powder and sprinkled it under the couch cushions to kill fleas. From there I went to the vet's office and bought a flea comb for the cat and a can of instant flea kill that I used to spray the insides of shoes. The kitten had already had a preventative flea treatment as well. From there I went to Home Depot and bought some foam insulation (the type that comes in spray can).

Zealous overkill you might say. Short of hiring an exterminator I did everything I could think of.

This experience has been a nightmare and a daymare. You don't have be a hoarder or even have a messy house to get these unwanted visitors.

What you need to do is be proactive and preventative at the same time. Make sure all outside cracks and crevices are filled and keep some traps on hand just in case. Remember to check corner boards on your house and oil tank spigots. For small cracks don't be afraid to use the spray foam insulation. Do a walk around both in the cellar and the outside of your house. And a good female cat never hurts. Girl cats seem to be better mousers than their counterparts.

The mice and fleas are going to have to find somewhere else to hold their parties now.