Gary,
I have lived in Tucson for 16 years, and I have
had cats the entire time. I never even saw a scorpion in my house until
I moved to the southeast part of Tucson almost two years ago. Since then,
I have found four live scorpions in my house.
I was told that
scorpions tend to appear in areas where there is ongoing construction.
Several new subdivisions and shopping centers are being constructed in
my area, so that could be the cause.
At any rate, the first
scorpion we found stung my then 9-year old daughter as she was getting
into bed. I called the poison control center, and they said that she should
feel a little pain and numbness for a while, and that should be the extent
of her suffering. We didn't even need to take her to the hospital unless
she developed complications. Sure enough, she was fine except for a little
pain and numbness.
Two of our scorpions were found by my 1-year
old orange tabby, who has a heart condition. I killed and disposed of the
scorpions before she had the chance, but in neither case did she seem to
suffer from her brief contact with them.
All four of our scorpions
were found in the evening and early morning hours, and they occured between
the months of February and September. I do spray the perimeter of my house
for bugs, but evidently, not often enough!
By the way, if you
are looking for a good veterinarian for your cat when you get to Tucson,
I recommend the Cat Hospital of Tucson or Feline Limited Cat Clinic. I
have had great experiences with the vets at both places.
Good
luck with everything!
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