Kitten

YAY!!!  So I got a kitten a couple days ago...a little lovey terror.  lol.  I have never had a cat so everything is kinda new to me.  Thankfully my uncle has 5 and knows what to do.  I do have a question though.  I know alot of you guys have cats but my little booger (we think we are gonna name him Bones) has a few fleas and I know they can get bad left "untreated".  What I am wondering is what is the best product out there?  Is there a cheaper way to go?  What gets all of them?  He is gonna be a completely indoor cat 'cause there are alot of mean cats around our apts and because we live on a main busy street so I am thinking that if I can get rid of them now I won't really have to worry about them again.  I would post a pic of him but I can't seem to get a good one.  He has a GREAT personality so far...very loving.  Tends to be a lap kitty - BUT...he gets directly underfoot ALL THE TIME.  Chad, my brother, whom I live with, accidently punted the poor thing the other day.  We have a "no punting the kitty" sign in our kitchen lol.  He is always running directly infront of us or walking inbetween our feet...and inevitably he gets underfoot.  We are really careful but SHEESH!  Is that NORMAL?!  lol  Anyway, he is a little grey tabby cat but has some really unusual coloring.  His face, tail and  the ridge of his back are typical tabby but both of his sides have this strange giraffe-ish look.  Large grey patches with thin lighter grey lines between them...kinda like giraffe spots.  Then his tummy is white with little dark grey spots all over...looks kinda like a snow leopard.  *laugh*   My aunt found him in the middle of a busy intersection on Rock Springs so they temporarily named him Rocky.  We didn't like that because everytime we called him that it reminded us of the boxer...not our style.  We decided to name him Bones for alot of reasons...first...it sounds cool...lol.  Second...we have alot of cow bones that a friend of mine got me to give to Chad and he was trying to sun bleach them and had them on our back porch.  When we asked our landlord if we could get a kitten he said that he would make us a deal and if we would move the bones ("they look bad for our renters" ?!?!?hahaha) then we could get one.  So we moved them.  Third, he apparently keeps playing around in them...wierd but true.  And lastly...well...we are unfortunate nerds and Bones was the name of the doc on the original Star Trek.  Actually it was more of an afterthought that it was the name of the Doc...but we are cool with that.  Anywho...just thought I would brag on my new kiddo.  lol

And here I thought it was for the TV show "Bones"...

Anyhoo, it's been awhile since I've dealt with fleas but as I recall we had to give our kitties a few baths with some special liquid soap that kills the fleas.  No clue as to the name, but any pet supply store should have some.  Be prepared-none of our cats liked baths or being blow dried!

 OH FUN! Having had a few outdoor cats in my time... the BEST product is one you'd get from a vet, a substance you put on the back of the neck, and it'll distribute itself. Works for... 4-6 weeks I think... so I would think a single dose would take care of ALL of the fleas he's got, and then any eggs, so you'd be totally rid of them. Course, any time he goes outside he could potentially pick some up again.  DO GET IT TREATED ASAP! The longer you wait, the more fleas you'll have, and they WILL transfer to you... and the more blood they'll take from a teeny tiny body. Fleas can kill kittens and puppies, so don't wait on that one.

Also, my cats all would try to be underfoot like that as kittens... one of them to POUNCE on your feet, and the other one to follow you. He'll grow out of it. At least that's been my experience.

Anyway, have fun!

Lois

HAAAAARRRRR, my post vanished in the depths of the internet!!!!!

OK, fleas: I have a product you can put in the neck of cats that kills the fleas and it works fine with my two cats.

It is absolutely normal that cats go underfoot! Sometimes it seems that it is normal for all pets, 'cause even my parrot rather walks than flies. One of my cats even throws herself into one's way to be carried into the house or to her bowl. She's soooooo lazy. And they always want to walk close to their people, so it can happen easily that they go underfoot.

JSmaz:

Be prepared-none of our cats liked baths or being blow dried!

Jeni, none of my cats either! The problem was, that the humans had to be blow dried after the event.

 *laugh*  Yeah...cat bath sounds like a "hairy" experience.  LOL!  My biggest issue is cost.  Is Frontline the product that you guys are talking about putting on the back of the neck?  How much do you think it will set me back?

Yes, you're right! It's called Frontline. But maybe there is another brand. Don't know about the cost.

 Kelly-- yep that's the name of it! I couldn't tell you the cost, but I think you can order it online now, from places like "petmeds.com" and others. Might be cheaper that way. THough you'll still have to take little Bones to the vet for shots and things. BUT call the humane society, they often do pet clinics that are LOTS cheaper! So do a lot of the pet stores like PetSmart and PetCo. Just a thought.

Lois

OHHHHH grats ... Im so envious ... I want a kitten too (and I will have one when I just get Jani here and we can move to somewhere bigger.... )

I had cats all my life more or less - but no fleas so I have no clue on how to help you on that one ...
Tho I would suggest a worm cure - if you dont know where the cat came from ... Cause some of those worms, like "ring worm" goes on humans too and that is no fun ... and as far as I got told ... if that cat dont have worms .. the cure dont hurt them anyway ... so why not be safe ...

And I agree with Dagi the cats/kittens allways seem to want to be under your foot ... they do get a bit better when they grow up ... but kittens has a tendancy to be all over ... more like a constant moving carpet of kitten ... allways where you try to walk ....

And please try more so we can see piccys ...

And I think Bones is a cute name, no matter which bones he was named after =)

 I agree Inca! AND a good name for a kitten aquired around Haloween!

Lois

 Sheew...okay well I looked a bit online...couldn't look much 'cause work has most of the sites blocked but most of them show that the 3 month treatment is like $40!!!!  Ugh!  Well, I might have to get the shampoo to treat him and then a couple weeks from now spring for the expensive stuff.  I am already saving up to get him fixed...thanks for the info guys!  I will definately be calling PetSmart and the Humane Society to see about cheaper costs on shots and things.  Shouldn't be too hard to pay for except that right this minute I am in a bind...will work itself out in two weeks though so no worries.  Good to know that the under-the-foot thing is normal and will (hopefully) eventually go away.  lol.  I just hate the idea of accidently hurting him.  did get him one of those corrigated cardboard scratching things the other day and it seems to work.  He hasn't really started sharpening his claws but I thought that it would be better to have something now than to discover later that we should have had one.  Funny that he already started using it.  It has catnip that you pour into the grooves...lol...he went wild!  I have only had him like 3 days and I feel like I already have a ton of stories.  Last night I had the sliding door open and the screen closed so we could get some cool air into the apt cheaply lol...and at one point I looked towards the door and there was a big fluffy grey cat sitting infront of our door and when Bones spotted him his hair stuck straight up and he was all holy-crap-kitty.  LOL...freaked him out so bad.  I closed off the door and shut the blinds.  Still took him forever to get out of his silletto-cat look. 

LYILHA:

when Bones spotted him his hair stuck straight up and he was all holy-crap-kitty.  LOL...freaked him out so bad. 

I kinda felt bad for him cause he looked SO scared but man...it was kinda funny lol

 Oh too funny! And if it's just for a little while, the shampoos work well for getting rid of fleas. You'll have to do it 2 times... I don't htink they kill any eggs, but a bottle of that will be a cheaper fix and then later you can use the easy stuff. And I think the Humane Society does shots AND neuter/spay clinics for a lower price. It's worth looking into at any rate!

Hee hee! I love it-- stilletto kitty... that's about right! Ours usually felt that way about the broom the first few times we brought it out. OH, watch out for him climbing into open cupboards... we lost a kitten for about 3 hours before we realized he'd gotten closed into a cupboard. He didn't seem to mind, slept the whole time!

 Just one word or caution, whichever product you use.  Check the label, and make sure it is safe for kittens.  Some products can't be used until they are 3 months old.

I almost killed one of my cats with flea dip, so I am very careful about checking the labels.  Also, regular baby shampoo will kill any existing fleas, but not eggs, and it is very gentle for the kitten and won't burn his eyes.

Even though the Frontline is a little expensive, it is the best product for keeping fleas away.

Cathi

 Oh!  Good caution!  I didn't even think about him being a kitten and might not be able to take flea dip.  Not really sure how old he is but I am sure either my aunt will know or maybe I can just take him into PetSmart and see if they can help.  Good idea with the baby shampoo too!  If all else fails I can definately resort to that!  Thanks again!!!