It’s time to give the cat his monthly flea treatment.

The first time we tried to do it (a mere dab of Frontline between the shoulder blades), he howled so loud and long that I worried our upstairs neighor would think we were strangling the little guy. And for months after, just the merest waft of fleagle treatment was enough to send the clawed beastie scurrying for the cat door. But these last few months, we’ve had it down to a science: one of us distracts the Monster with pets and treats while the other — in the next room — cracks open the dread treatment. Then while the boheamoth’s attention is elsewhere, squirt! Another thriving flea metropolis is no more.