Creeping across the floor today are several of my favorite bugs- millipedes!

My owner doesn’t appreciate them the way I do, preferring to jump away whereas I pounce on top of them. Eyeball to antennae, I examine my prey carefully, batting it around. A wonderful movement ripples across all those legs, and the bug seems to be waving at me. Quickly, I slap my paw down and watch it skitter across the hall.

A natural hunter, I pride myself in being able to out run any insect. My patience is infinite when they try to hide under the rug. My stealth is world-famous.  I never miss a bug when pouncing.

I love Spring, when the temperatures warm up and millions of creepy crawlies rise from their hiding places. Some were under the deck, others in the woodpile, under the mulch around the garden, or in the crawlspace. According to the BUG MAN that comes to kill all my favorite playmates, these  are all areas people should be checking and spraying with insecticide. I don’t want to get insecticide, so I researched some natural options to keep bugs away:

Lemon seed oil, Orange Guard, Herb Mint Oil from a health food store, or Diatomaceous Earth (DE) FOOD GRADE from a feed store. Safer Brand  Poison Free Ant & Roach Killer is another option.

Why kill them? Is it because one of them can lay thousands of eggs? Hatch hundreds of baby buggies? Or, like the ant, (my least favorite bug because they don’t squirm, jump, or play well with others) leave scent trails to attract other bugs to your cupboards. Nothing like eating my cat food after 500 ants have invaded the bag and crawled all over it. I refuse to share!

Dear owner, much as I love chasing and chomping on little critters, there are two issues I must inform you of:

1. I could CHOKE on a hard exoskeleton! Yep, eating those tough beatles cam be tricky to swallow and they “are rough on… the digestive tract; the shell may wind up causing  vomiting up of the pieces rather than passing them out the other end.” -The Nest.

2. If I ingest a bug that has been hit with fogger insect spray or insecticide from the garden, this could be potentially fatal. Several websites advise researching bug sprays  BEFORE you use them in your home or outside on the lawn. Veterinarian’s may also be able to help find  cat-friendly products.    ALWAYS let your bugman know that you have pets and need non-toxic/ pet-friendly products used in your home.

Oh- I gotta go! A beautiful blue beetle just crawled in from under the door. Stealth time!