My daughter is allergic to cats...and dogs...and eggs. We don't have any pets, but my parents do. We live about 250 miles away from my parents, but we do travel to see them about once a month.
My parents have had cats my entire life and since before I was born. I would never dream of telling my parents they have to get rid of their animal(s). And, until recently, the presence of the cats in the home hasn't been a problem. We just give Charlotte Zyrtec while we're at their home, we keep Benadryl with us in case the Zyrtec just doesn't do it and, for the most part, everything is fine.
In October we went to visit them. On the Monday after we returned from the visit, I received a phone call from our daycare saying that Charlotte had a rash. I hadn't even noticed the rash when I got her dressed that morning, so I rushed her off to the doctor only to be informed that they were bug bites--probably flea bites.
I called my dad and explained to him what had happened and that we suspected she had gotten bitten at their house. He replied that this was entirely possible since the cat, for whatever reason, favors the bed my daughter sleeps in! But he assured me that he would take care of the problem.
Fast forward to this previous weekend. Another visit, this time for Thanksgiving. My daughter's legs are covered in flea bites. She seems to be the ONLY person who gets bitten (although my husband says he thinks he got bitten some as well this weekend).
This behavior from my mom is uncharacteristic. She adores both of her grandchildren and usually when anything involving their health or comfort is concerned she bends over backwards. But, for some reason, she's done nothing about this.
I obviously don't want my daughter sleeping in a flea-infested bed, but sleeping with us (in a non-flea-infested bed) is not an option. She simply does not sleep well when she sleeps with us, and the guest bed at my parent's house is a full size which will not accommodate myself, my husband, and my 2-year-old. There really isn't anywhere else to sleep at the house.
Also obviously, I could simply refuse to go visit until she deals with the problem, but I really hate to do that. I mean, this is my mom we're talking about who, as I said, is normally very attentive and normal.
So....any other thoughts?