I noticed Q*Bert had some scabs on the back of his neck, and some bald patches on one of his legs, so I took him to the vet. Much to my surprise, the vet said he has fleas. Fleas! Q*Bert and Max are indoor cats. However, Q*Bert has managed to escape a few times and did have a visit with the neighbor cat a few months ago, so maybe that's where it came from.

The vet said we had to shampoo Q*Bert twice, wash everything, and vacuum every other day for two weeks. Have you ever tried to give a cat a bath? We took Q*Bert into the bathroom and shut the door so he couldn't escape. Max was outside the door, wondering how we were torturing his poor brother. Q*Bert held up fairly well, except for the rinsing part. Chris held him over the sink and I dumped warm water all over him with a measuring cup. That's when the yowling really went full blast.

He was so miserable sitting there with shampoo on he didn't even want any cat treats. But he forgave us pretty quickly afterwards.