What would Miss Manners do?

October 6, 2008 1:17 PM

How can I (very politely!) beg off future visits to my boss's house?

My boss likes to invite me over to his house every four to six weeks. Usually we watch TV and have a few beers, and we sometimes play pool.

I like his company and don't mind his pets, but they all go in and out of the house as they please. And they all have fleas.

I have a strictly indoors cat and check him regularly for fleas and ear mites. He never has any except on the day after I've been to my boss's house (four times running now). So I comb off and kill the three or four I find, then give my cat a flea treatment and vacuum the house. After the third day there aren't any more fleas and continue not to be any more until the next visit to my boss's house.

I've suggested in past that we meet at a bar or restaurant instead, but my boss doesn't like the expense and I can't hear very well so that hasn't worked.

Short of taking a flea bath in the street, I don't know how to prevent bringing the fleas home with me. I suppose I could strip in the garage, but if they got that far with me then they'd just be there waiting for the next time I pass through.

Is there an unoffensive way I could arrange to visit my boss less often at his house? How would a very clever polite person go about it?

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (1 answer total)

say, 'hey! have you heard of [insert name of pet flea repellent product]? it works great! here, you're such a good boss I brought some over as a gift!' then add some spiel to the effect that, since your bosses' pets fido, rover and puff are so-o-o-o cute and you're a fellow pet enthusiast, you just can't stand the thought of them having the risk of getting fleas ...

or something like that.
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 1:36 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite]