I ordered PestLab and plugged it in on a Wednesday evening.
I won't pretend the first week was magic. I still watched Mochi carefully.
But I stopped applying the monthly treatment.
And I waited.
By day 10, the scratching had noticeably decreased.
By day 21, I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen Mochi licking at her neck.
By week six, I combed through both cats' coats in good light something I used to dread.
Nothing. Not a single flea. Not a speck of flea dirt.
The first month I didn't buy flea treatment, I saved $38.
The first month Mochi didn't have chemicals applied to her skin, I stopped washing my hands three times after touching her.
But the moment I remember most?
It was a Sunday afternoon.
Mochi jumped up onto my lap, turned in a slow circle, and curled up. Eyes closed.
Completely still.
No scratching. No biting at her fur. Just a small, warm, sleeping cat.
I sat there for a long time.
I was not a bad owner. I had just been missing the one piece of information that actually mattered.