so, i get up this morning pet my cat eat some food and take my dogs to the dog park. i come home and sit in bed. the cat jumps in my lap and i instantly find one flea. i panic. a flea? where could this have come from? both of my dogs receive flea medication and the cat has already been treated for fleas last month. and then i remember. our next door neighbors have about four-five cats. all of whom live outside basically without shelter all year round even in the winter. i take pity on them most of the time because i see what their owners leave outside for them to eat. usually left over take out and scraps of food. they're thin and not starving but obviously will eventually die of a clogged artier or something. i will occasionally give them a bit of real cat food and reach down to pet them since all they ever do is beg for anyone's attention. big mistake. now i have to deal with fleas who i know came from the nearly stray cats. and dont mistake me, these are not barn cats or feral/strays. they all have collars and tame enough to handle. but are left outside to fend for themselves during any type of weather and find whatever food they can. some others around the hood have even taken them to the vet themselves from what i hear. but yes, great. now my cat has fleas. after i quickly shoved the flea in a plastic bag to save for my trip to vet today i practically fainted when i saw the size of my cats lip! i quickly googled for some possible answer and discovered that swollen lips are a common side effect of cats bodies have some type of allergic reaction to the fleas. -sigh- and i have a sty in my eyelid. i just can't catch a break here.