New Kitty
 

Cellarites, meet Merlin, the fourth member of our cat family. Anyone know a good way to treat a kitten for fleas? He's only 8 weeks old, and none of the commercial stuff is supposed to be used on a kitty this small.

He is very friendly, even a bit needy, and all claws. Our other cats have varying reactions to his presence. Luna, the eldest, has gone into seclusion and refuses to participate in the household at all, Marty, the middle cat, stays outside a lot and is aloof to Merlin when he deigns to come inside, and Sabrina, the youngest, hates the little guy's guts.

Our dog, the neediest and most insecure animal of all, clings to us like Velcro at present, but does not seem to have a big problem with the new guy.

Oh no you don't. This is Merlin. :) I think the name of the herb you want is Pennyroyal but you better check with cat people first.

Jeez, I've had the cat two days and already he's gotta have a species crisis.

Pennyroyal...hmmm...that does sound familiar. You'd think a decent witch would know this.

You chose NYC over Iowa?

Smart girl...

Close, North Carolina. But still over Iowa. :D

Whoops. Gotta relearn to read.

I might be in the minority here, but if his presence is going to keep Luna from participating, you might want to re-think his presence. I'd never let a new cat run off my older one; it hurts their feelings, you know? Psychological trauma is not something you want in a cat, if for nothing more than their newfound habit of pissing and shitting everywhere.

Luna is a weird one...she has had problems with one of the other cats when first introduced, but not with the other. She hasn't started befouling the house yet, which was something she did do with the other past new arrival.

She has begun to come out and socialize a little more. I think she just needs to get used to him...

Here's to hoping.

If it doesn't work out, I'll sit him for a few years. :)

(It's all just a diabolical plan to get your cute new kitten.)

Advantage can be used on kittens 8 weeks old and older. I've never had to use it on a cat, but it sure works great on my dogs.

http://www.nofleas.com/How-Advantage-Works.asp

And OnyxCougar, here's an early welcome to NC!

I like my brother's plan for a huge cat: Feed it all it wants when it's a kitten, then throttle back when it matures. My brother's cat Ritz is physically huge, not fat. It's now part of my plan for world domination, huge cats under my control! Mwa, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!

No kitty. No. Not daddy's leather couch ... Scott!

Nice to see something positive entering your household (okay, so you might want to reserve judgment. Merlin could be an agent of chaos)!

Be careful with Pennyroyal. Off the top of my head ... it's a member of the mint family, but has highly poisonous properties, including being an abortifactant.

(this is from the indecent witch)

Check with your vet ... even though he's only 8 weeks you can probably use one of the standard dips or powders.

Merlin Update
 

Seeing that Dave had expressed concern, I'm pleased to report that as of today, Merlin's fifth official day of residence in the Chambers household and covenstead, the animals have begun to assimilate him.

Luna has begun lolling about in her normal places around the house, although she still hisses at him and is a bit cranky. However, she craves attention from human household members once again, so that's a good sign. Marty is still aloof and basically unaffected, and Sabrina has begun to allow Merlin to walk past her without hissing or batting at him. Brigid, our dog, is actually showing signs of maternal feelings for the little guy.

A couple of normal (non-pyrethrin based) baths seem to have alleviated the worst of his flea problem, and he will be treated in another few weeks along with the rest of the animals.

So far, so good. And he's a ball!