Please help

[calvin2314]

Hello everyone. My name is Calvin, and I'm new to this site and to cats period. I noticed a kitten in November outside of my building at work, and I begin to feed him. At first he was scared of course but over the course of two months after feeding him every day, even in my off days I gained his trust. I begin to pet him and he even let me rub his belly. Well two weeks ago I captured him and took him to the vet. He was neutered, treated for fleas, given all shots and now lives with me. He adjusted very quickly playing and sleeping with me. I have found out I am now allergic and its been rough. The vet said he's 5 months and healthy. My question is ,he walks on furniture and scratch my leather sofa and love seats. He also walks in-between my legs every single step I take. Me never owning a cat its kinda frustrating, but I realize he may be showing love. My question is how can I give him boundaries and stop him from scratching furniture and walking in between my legs every step I take?? Any allergies advice is welcomed as well. I ordered two hepa purifiers so I'll see if they help, once they arrive. Thanks

 

[molly92]

Congratulations on your new cat! I don't know how to get him to stop winding between your legs...that might be something the two of you learn to adjust to over time. You're right, it's kind of a cat version of a hug. He's very grateful to you. He's also little and playful so he might be having a bit of fun keeping up with your feet. That habit may settle down a bit as he gets older.

As for scratching, that is very fixable. Provide him with other things to scratch! Scratching posts and pads come in a lot of different textures, so you might have to experiment to find out what material is his favorite. Then put them next to his favorite furniture scratching spots. Once he gets used to scratching on those and not the furniture, you can slowly move them inch by inch to where you'd prefer them. Just make sure they're secure and stable, because he might go back to his steady chair if his post starts rocking. You can also temporarily put some duct tape sticky side out over the spots that he's been scratching. Cats don't like that sensation. They also make some bitter-smelling sprays that are supposed to deter scratching that you can try. You'll also probably need to trim his nails occasionally. You can use regular human nail clippers, hold him in your lap, and trim just the sharp ends. If he has pale nails you'll be able to see the darker quick, which is the part you do not want to clip too close to or else he'll start to bleed. You may only be able to do a couple nails at a time which is fine. Give him treats and tell him what a good boy he is, and he should get more used to it over time.

Oh, and keep in mind that he is still a kitten, so he's going to get into trouble every now and then!

Onto allergies: I have a lot of experience with this! Growing up I had asthma that would be triggered by my cat allergies, so I couldn't be around them at all, but I started allergy shots in my teens and now that is no longer one of my symptoms, thank goodness. Not that you need to get allergy shots, but if you do have asthma that's the one that can be dangerous so it should be addressed. The rest (swollen itchy eyes, sneezing, itchy nose), I have figured out how to manage. 

First, find an antihistamine that works. I've always had good success with Zyrtec. It makes some people drowsy but not me. Claritin, flonaze are others that come to mind. Benadryl is the most effective but it knocks you out so it's not something you can take everyday. 

Secondly, I've noticed that the more time I spend around an allergen (in this case, the cat), the less noticeable my symptoms get. If I go away for a week and come back, I will need to take an antihistamine every day when I first get home again, but then after a few days I don't need to anymore. I suppose it's the same principle makes allergy shots effective, just constant exposure. So you may find your body adjusts on its own.

Also, if you can just generally keep your hands away from your face after petting your cat or wash them with soap and water, you'll feel a lot better. If I do get a cat hair in my eye from time to time I wash my hands very thoroughly and take a damp clean cloth and clean the area around my eye and the swelling goes down after a little bit.

Vacuuming often is also very helpful for obvious reasons.

Finally, this is not my cat's favorite solution so I don't use it unless other people with cat allergies are coming over, but a bath of some sort can really help. I use Tropiclean waterless foaming shampoo. It supposedly reduces dander, and amazingly enough I think it does, because for 2-3 days after using it on a cat, I notice a dramatic decline in my symptoms. You rub it into their fur all over and then brush it out, and it has the added bonus of smelling amazing. It is less traumatic than a full on bath, but it doesn't make you very popular in that moment so have lots of treats ready.

Good for you for giving this cat such a loving home. He sounds very appreciative!

 

[calvin2314]

Thanks so much molly92. I've bought a scratch post. He uses it sometimes. But there a certain cloth fabric lazy boy in my bedroom he loves to scratch. And occasionally the leather stuff in the living room. Ive been on generic zyrtec maybe I should get the real deal as they haven't helped much. I can not see me given this fellow up after all we went through to get to this point. But my head and eyes hurt everyday I'm home. I'm definitely gonna get that shampoo and pray over time I'll adjust. This is a pic of the little guy. His name is henry

IMG_20160113_170044074.jpg

• calvin2314
• Jan 23, 2016

 

[molly92]

You're welcome! Aw, Henry is precious! 

I think the most popular scratching texture is the sisal rope, but some cats really love corrugated cardboard ones too.

I think the brand name Zyrtec works just slightly better than generic for me. Since your getting headaches, maybe a decongestant like Sudafed would help, too.

 

[ravenclaw]

Molly has given you some great advice. I would add that the type of vacuum cleaner you use makes a difference. Spend some extra money and get one that gets high ratings for pet hair (and everything else). The cheap ones from Wal-Mart aren't good enough. The HEPA filters are a good idea, and hand washing.

They are expensive, but antihistamine eye drops are very nice on itchy eyes.

 

[calvin2314]

Thank so much. Headed out now to get both. I live alone and stuck in my ways. This fella is definitely teaching me a thing or two about patience. Playing at night, walking on my face lol. I now have cleaned my room and keep the door shut, to have a safe haven agsisnt the allergies. I still make sure to go out and play with him every hour or so so he won't get too lonely or board. I have to remind myself he came here straight from the wild, its just been two weeks so he's still adjusting some. But he is definitely comfortable when I'm close by. Love the little guy to pieces.

 

[talkingpeanut]

It may also help to add a variety of scratching posts, horizontal and vertical, especially near the furniture he's gravitating towards.  They don't have to be expensive.  Many cats love the cardboard kind!

 

[calvin2314]

Talkingpeanut thanks a lot. I'm at petsmart as I type this. Will get him a cardboard one as well. Thanks.

 

[misty8723]

I agree with getting multiple scratching things. Also try just plain cardboard boxes set upright.  I used to be allergic to cats, but I'm not now so I guess you can "outgrow" it.  Good luck, your baby is beautiful! What have you named him (I apologize if I missed the name in the thread).

 

[talkingpeanut]

Sometimes you have to put them all over your house until the cat gets the idea. Then you can remove them slowly. Good luck!!

 

[rubysmama]

Congratulations on getting your first cat.  Henry is adorable.

Just wanted to add to the comments on allergies, that you may become immune to him after a while.  My sister never had trouble growing up with our family cats, or her current cat, but whenever she spends more than a short time at someone's house who has a cat  her eyes get itchy and puffy.

As for the scratching furniture, try different scratching posts to find out which type he gravitates to.  Ruby loves the carpeted ones.   Will occasionally scratch the sisal rope ones.  And has never, ever even picked at the cardboard ones!  And try to keep his claws trimmed.

As for the walking through your legs, let me know if you figure it out, cause Ruby is always walking between my legs and practically tripping me, and I've had her over 2 years!

 

[kittyluv387]

When you see your kitty scratching something inappropriate, quickly pick him up and put his paws on the scratching post. He should get the idea soon enough. And like someone else mentiomed its good to move the post near the items he likes to scratch.

 

[mingking]

Try covering your furniture for now with things like double-sided tape, plastic bags, and tin foil. It's not fun to scratch that! And he might get the idea eventually. 

My friend would use duct tape and tape a grocery bag around the arm of her chair when her cat was scratching. 

I recommend buying The Ultimate Cat Scratcher or something of that variety. I don't have that scratcher but I have something similar that has woven ropes and is quite tall. As your cat grows, he'll get taller and need to stretch and reach further. A tall post with the right material will be more enticing to scratch than your furniture (hopefully!). 

If the scratching doesn't stop or gets really destructive, you might want to consider putting on SoftPaws. Your vet can help you put those on every month. 

As for the winding around your legs, my cat when I first adopted him would belly flop against everyone's legs. He eventually stopped and I see it now as his way of thanking us for giving him a home. Hopefully the winding decreases as time goes on and as you play with him more (but maybe in the future, you might miss this little quirk of his! Haha!)

And finally, THANK YOU for saving a kitten and I wish you and your cat a lifetime of happiness!! 

 

[calvin2314]

Molly has given you some great advice. I would add that the type of vacuum cleaner you use makes a difference. Spend some extra money and get one that gets high ratings for pet hair (and everything else). The cheap ones from Wal-Mart aren't good enough. The HEPA filters are a good idea, and hand washing.

They are expensive, but antihistamine eye drops are very nice on itchy eyes.

 

[calvin2314]

Thanks everyone. Taking all of this in. @Misty8723 his name is Henry.@ravenclaw I bought a new vacuum just yesterday. It did come from Walmart however it was one of the ones with the hepa filters. @Mingking yes I will definitely try new post out. I have the one with the sisal rope kind. And I got him the cardboard one tonight. I will try all of your suggestions and I'm very thankful you guys have shared with me. I'm new as I've only had him 12 days now and like I said never owned a cat in my life. It's just us two here and I like having him around. I'm just hoping the allergies will get better. I do see him in the last two days stretching on the scratch post. When he does hell scratch it then, so that's great. I'm surprised he used his litter box on day one after just showing him where it was. Big difference than that dogs I've had. Thanks again so much you guys for helping this newbie out, may God bless you all for your kindness. I'm about to leave for work in a few hours and gonna play with this guy for a while and then feed him. And I think he and I, saved each other.