I priced getting a professional exterminator in and calculated in the costs and the risks.  The exterminator is expensive but there is also the cost of having to board 7 cats for two days and to find someone to keep myself for one of those.  The stuff he sprays is highly poisonous to the cats and also very attractive to them and would require a massive cleaning of every surface, nook and cranny before they could be brought back in.  It would also have to be repeated again in 6 months.  I decided that maybe I can wage an equally effective but less toxic battle myself.  Thus when I purchased a vacuum cleaner I went for a more expensive version than what I had planned on getting, but still cheaper than the exterminator.  It is called The Animal.

It was just delivered 10 minutes ago and while it is still in box (but ha, not for long) the battle against the dastardly swarming fleas is already underway.  The cats are locked in the bedroom.  I bought 2 cannisters of flea powder and have liberally saturated sofa, chair cushions, and pet perches.  It has been sprinkled behind the refridgerator and under the furniture.  I have even sprinkled it on the floors.  In another 10 minutes I will begin vacuuming those surfaces.   Washable cushions will then be washed.  The floor will be scrubbed in hot soapy water (well, I do this everyday at any rate but an even more major scrubbing than usual is in order).  When the floors have dried, and the sofa is re-covered, the cats will be released and the flea powder, the Animal and I will take over the bedroom. This is between running out for meetings with students (I have 3 meetings set up this afternoon 2 hours apart).  This may actually end up being a two-day process.  But the fleas, they better just give up and move on out now because this is a battle I intend to win!