Bed bugs make really large bloody spots and you would know that you have a problem. I don't think you have those. They are not like fleas they are much worse!!! Fleas can bite humans but they prefer not too. I am not sure if they die or not when they do. Regardless, they can live in rugs and fabric items for a very long time without a feeding therefore you could have brought them in a while ago and you never noticed them maybe. My sister had this same problem and by the time she noticed her neighbors cat had fleas and decided that she wouldn't allow it inside anymore her apartment was so infested that it took her a very, very long time to get rid of the fleas. Now she will never allow a stray or someone else's cat into her house. I think that if your cat is being treated and you do not see the fleas on the cat then vacuuming and cleaning really well very often should help reduce the population and then hopefully they will all go away in time. They don't like humans and if they can't feed and multiply on your cat then they will diminish in number. -renee

Just to echo Peppi and David, training with small (or any) treats is very effective, since dogs will DO almost anything for them, once they get the ''message'' of what you want from them. (Especially if it's something they really love.) Training will be easier and go faster if you make your dog do something for every treat. It also reinforces the idea that you're the pack leader, since you control the treats. It's always a good idea to have your dog sit, stay, lie down, go in the crate, come, watch, wait. It's your best tool for whatever you're trying to teach/reinforce before you give them anything, whether it's food, praise or play. It teaches them to watch you, if you have them wait for their reward. I did this every time with my dog, even after she was mature. If I didn't, she thought she could go her own way, and didn't choose to listen anymore. It's better for everyone to get into the habit early on, for their own safety (and yours!) and rewarding for both of you. It's lovely to have a well-behaved dog to take places, and live with. Just to figure out what food reward will make him respond best, put several (small) different treats in a line, give him a command, then release him to go get his treat. The first one will be the one he likes most, and you'll know the best effective training tool for the most difficult commands. Save those for the ones he's having the most trouble with and you'll have the advantage. I also taught sign language with every command (hand gestures). It was lovely to be able to communicate silently with my dog without having to issue a voice command, except for initially saying their name to get their attention. It's actually pretty easy to train a dog. That book you have checked out at the library will tell you everything you need to know, and you'll both get the hang of it quickly. Try one new thing every few days, once you feel he's learned the last thing you taught him. It's fun!

I am excited as this will fix the problems we have with our house. When we bought, we thought we would move in 5-7 years, but that's not going to happen now. I don't see us moving for 15 years, until DS goes to college. If we could increase size of kitchen and 2nd bathroom, and give us a 3rd bedroom, we'll have plenty of space AND increase value of house for when we do ever sell. We won't be able to renovate for a while...still need to keep saving, but I would like to talk things out with DH's uncle, so we have an idea of what will be involved time and cost wise.

My cats just crack me up every day! Glenda, I looked it up too! It looks really good. :)