bringing outdoor kitty in.. (fleas, etc..)

[annabelle33]

I know there have been a lot of flea posts and I'm gonna contribute lol! My kitty came to me one day, a starving feral, and I tried to give him the best. At first he wouldn't venture inside because he was terrified of it.. Well, I was supposed to be moving into an apartment where cats were allowed, so I decided to try and get him accustomed to being inside as much as possible. Where I live at now (with my parents at the moment) I am not allowed to bring him inside 24 hours a day, but he can be in as long as I'm with him.

Well.. long story short, he now loves being inside BUT within the past week or so I've noticed a couple fleas. Well this is freaking me out because they multiply like crazy, plus I really can't have my family notice this of they won't let him in at ALL, even if I get treatment. So, I kinda kicked him out for now.. I can't leave him out forever though because (1) he begs at the door and (2) it's starting to get cold. He does go in the garage at night so he's safe then, but he's used to being in the house during the day. I feel so bad telling him no.

So anyhow, I decided to get som treatment, probably advantage. I know nothing about it but I need to do something, I can't stand saying no to him.. My first question is can i only get advantage at the vet or online? If so, where's the best and fastest online place to get it from? Does it take a certain amt of time to start working and does it kill all fleas or just some of them.? You do a treatment once every 30 days, right? Well what if they are inside constantly and not exposed to fleas, is it OK to stop?

Question 2, is there anyway to get him to stop sharpening his claws on the carpet? I have a bunch of toys and scratching stuff but he loves this one area of the carpet. He also loves my moms oriental rug (eek) for unknown reasons.. My friends have holes in their carpets from letting their cats scratch.. I don't want that..

Also, right now his litter box is in the same room with him.. Do you think it will take him a while to get used to having to go to a different room? Because in the garage it's like one big open area, but here he'd have to go from room to room to find the box.. Should I just lock him in the room with the box for a while than gradually open him up to adjoining rooms, etc etc??

Sorry for all the questions and TIA

 

[sandie]

Advantage is the best product on the market for fleas. It usually takes 24 to 48 hours to kill all the fleas on them. As far as getting it, you can get it through most vets, and almost all the online pet supply stores sell it. I really can't tell you who has the best price. I would do a search for "Advantage flea control" and it will bring up all the places that carry it.
The scratching issue is a matter of training them. If there's only the one spot he scratches on, you can try covering the spot with some plastic, like the painters tarps. Or you can spray it with a citrus spray. You also need to make sure he has a scratcher that he likes. They like them sturdy, and some like vertical vs horizontal types. He may like one that lays flat on the floor. They make cardboard ones you can buy at most large pet stores. Also, putting some catnip on the scratcher will help. When you see him scratching something he's not supposed to, you make a lound noise to get him to stop, and then try to redirect him to the scratcher.
As far as the litter box, kittens you usally have to worry about making it outside of one room. Most adult cats don't mind where it's located as long as it's not in a heavy traffic area and the box suits them. I am sure if you relocate it, he will use it just fine.

 

[momofmany]

To add to the scratching problem. There are a number of threads on the topic within behavior forum. You can go there and do a search and lots will pop up with many ideas.

You need to get your baby a scratch post if you don't already have one - preferrable one that he can stretch his entire body length on. Remember that he has never seen one before and won't know what it is for. If you see him scratching the carpet (or chairs or whatever), remove him from that area with a firm "NO", take him to the scratch post and rub his paws on the post. Be as gentle and loving as you can be when you do this. Praise the heck out of him while you do this and give him a treat as a reward. It doesn't help to scold them (they won't know why you did it) if you don't show them what is the right thing to do. Catnip rubbed on the post will help.

You are an angel for taking in this boy!

 

[hissy]

Here you go, we consolidated this as there are a lot of scratching posts in the forum.

Scratching Issues