Redditor Wants To Stay Away From MIL For A Bit Because Of Her Flea Problem She Doesn't Even Acknowledge

Her own cats have been scratching and scratching but she still doesn't seem to see the problem.

Liezel

• Published in Interesting
• November 25, 2022

Fleas are one of the worst things a pet can have.

First, they can bring about tons of illnesses in your pets. Second, they can get into your house and leave bites all over you as well.

The worst part is that once an infestation starts, it's not so easy to get rid of it. In the worst cases, people even have to hire professionals to get the job done.

That's why a lot of pet owners are really strict about making sure their pets don't pick up anything. Sadly, there are some people who might have gotten too used to the problem that they refuse to see it.

One of these people might be Redditor Amazing-Pipe-1093's mother-in-law. The poor woman loves cats and loves babysitting for OP's cats, however, every time OP's cats come home, they take along a few fleas with them.

At first, OP thought the cat just picked it up outside but when she discovered the truth, she was pretty horrified. MIL's house was crawling with fleas and the worst part is that the old woman decided to play dumb.

Understandably, OP kind of freaked out, and now, she's wondering if she's in the wrong for not wanting her MIL around for a few weeks.

Here's what happened that led up to this.

OP asks:

At first, OP didn't think much of the fleas she picked up from her pets

But they eventually discovered their MIL's home was riddled with fleas

And it takes a while before MIL admits to knowing about the problem but doesn't want to talk about it

There were fleas all over MIL too

Now, OP doesn't want to see MIL for a while but also doesn't want to hurt her feelings

OP's situation is understandably complicated. If it was just another person like a pet sitter or a friend, it would be easy to stay away for a little while or to even confront them more than once about their obvious problem but this is OP's MIL who she actually gets along with.

It's understandable that she doesn't want to hurt the woman's feelings but she also needs to keep her pets and her home safe from fleas.

Many people in the comments section are also concerned about the situation. And many are saying MIL needs an intervention before it all gets too bad.

Here are some of the top comments.

1. It sounds like MIL is in dire need of an exterminator

2. Another problem is she keeps adding more cats to her home while the flea problem is still there

3. If fleas are crawling all over MIL, the problem might be more serious than it looks

4. If she's not willing to fix the issue herself, she has to face consequences

5. MIL might need a lot of help

6. MIL should realize that she's putting everyone around her at risk for so many awful things with those fleas

7. Her indifference to the problem might be a sign for something deeper

Maybe her son could talk some sense into her

8. One problem at a time

9. MIL should be given the help she needs sooner rather than later

10. They can try gentle suggestions

11. MIL can't handle all of those all alone

12. They need to put their foot down about the problem

13. Those cats need proper care that MIL might not be able to provide them

14. The best thing to do is make her realize what's wrong and get those cats the help they need

It's easy to understand why OP would be hesitant in putting her foot down about the issue but by the state of things, the flea problem seems to be severe. It could be affecting the cats badly already so they really need help.

Plus, if the fleas are already on MIL, then the house needs a proper extermination. Hopefully, OP and her husband are able to convince MIL to do the right thing.

Liezel