We have two cats.  Actually, these cats belong to our adult children.

Both of our children had a cat and planned moves across the country.  They were unable to take their cats with them and asked if we would take care of them.  If we were unable/unwilling to do this, the kitties would have to go to the pound.

We did not want to see the cats end up at the pound so we took them in.  I mean, we live in the country and all, so what’s a few more cats roaming the countryside.  Right!?!

Most of you know that we also have one dog, Paxton, the pudgy puppy (a Boxer), one Bunny named Loki, 10 chickens and 5 honey bee hives.  It’s a good thing we live in the country.  Nobody else would put up with us as neighbors!

Living in the country does have its drawbacks.  This Summer in particular there has been one pretty awful drawback.  Flies.  Ugh!  The flies are awful this year!!!  I can hardly stand it!

One of the ways I have combated the flies is fly traps.  These can only be used outdoors.  They work like a charm but fill up fast.  Not a problem.  They are inexpensive and easy to purchase.

Indoors is another problem, though.  What to do?  We of course have fly swatters and somebody generally goes on a fly patrol during the course of the day, but that is most definitely GROSS!

The other thing I have is ugly.  That is the fly strips.  You know, those long sticky things you hang from someplace high that is in the flies general traffic path.  These things work great, but like I said, are ugly.

I have an open “window” that goes from my kitchen into the solarium.  I hang two fly strips there.

Castro, my son’s cat likes to hop from room to room using that “window.”

Last night, around midnight, Castro was on the prowl.  He made a flying leap through that opening and Oops!  He got tangled up in one of those fly strips.

He was not a happy kitty!

#1 Daughter is visiting with us right now and is sleeping on a sofa in the solarium right underneath that “window.”

She woke up to Castro having a kitty fit!  He was meowing and yeowling.  He was very upset!

#1 Daughter saw right away what the problem was and tried to help the poor cat.  She tried ripping the fly strip off like a band-aid.  She would get maybe and inch off and Castro would have no part of that.  He would fight and bite and hiss…this was bad.

Needless to say, it took #1 Daughter close to a half an hour to get poor Castro untangled from the fly strip.  The cat took off like a shot.  That is when she discovered that she was all tangled up in the thing and covered in sticky stuff!  Ick!

She headed on off to the shower and said it took quite a while to get all the sticky stuff off of her and out of her hair.  Poor kid.

Fortunately, I slept through all of this.  The first I learned of this was when I tried to throw away a coffee filter and discover a cat hair covered fly strip in the trash can.  I knew there was a story behind that and this was that story.

Whew!  Glad I am a heavy sleeper!  Poor Castro and poor #1 Daughter, huh?