To kill or not to kill

So I'm facing my first ethical dilemma as a [cat] parent.

Excluding the antibiotics that he was given after being snip-snipped and declawed, Fiyero has never been exposed to anything chemical. I know, I know, we're all exposed to chemicals everyday, be it from the items that we clean our houses with or the water that we drink. I get it. But I've never intentionally used anything chemical on him. He's all organic, if you will. Slap him on a shelf at Trader Joe's.

Edgar did some research online today and found some products that we can pick up at Wal-Mart that are supposed to be a special flea killing shampoo and a special spray that we can use on the furniture and the carpet to kill fleas as well. (I wish in that previous sentence that I could have said "pick up at Target," but unfortunately there is no Target anywhere close to where we live, thus, I am stuck with Wal-Mart). Ok, buying regular pet shampoo is one thing, but buying him a shampoo where it has things in it that are especially designed to kill, maim, and torture (maybe not in that order)? That worries me. I don't know how he will react to it, so I'm hesitant to use it. I don't want to slop some shampoo on him that's going to burn his fur and top layer of skin off of him. But I also really don't want to continue this vacuuming, washing, brushing routine either.

Don't get me wrong, I want these fleas gone. Those evil, racist, possibly sexist fleas have got to go. They seem intent on biting me at an exponential rate compare to how they bite Edgar, leading me to believe they don't like men or Mexican food. I know that in waging The Battle of the Flea that there will be casualties, but I'm not prepared to let Fiyero be collateral damage.

What's a [cat] mommy to do?