Awesome story and thank you for taking him in and giving him a forever home. Here in the states I use Frontline plus for our outside stray cats because it kills ticks too. Not sure on the heartworm as all our kitties are inside..

You can get frontline from the vet or other similar flea treatments from the supermarket. You put it on the back of their neck. Don't waste your time with a flea collar they are next to useless. I bath my cats semi regularly and I don't have any problems with fleas, they go outside whenever they please. We had a cat named Gandalf, he was black and white part turkish van, he loved the water.

It sounds like HE adopted you :-) A great match arranged from above, I think:-)

We had a stray cat adopt us and we grew to love him deeply. We put Frontline for cats on him and he was free of fleas and he was an indoor/outdoor cat. The vet told us that we did not have to treat the cats for heartworm - only our dogs. My husband was also not a cat lover but both of our strays chose to sit on him and he grew to love them.

Cats don't require heartworm tablets, but they do require worming on a regular basis. They should also have their annual shots for cat flu, etc and your Vet should advise you on both these requirements.
I personally prefer to use Advocate spot-on for my cats for flea control, because it acts on adult fleas, eggs and also will treat anywhere the cat lays. It actually sterilises fleas so they can't reproduce which means if you use it regularly, eventually you will notice your cat no longer gets fleas, providing of course, that he doesn't associate with other cats in the neighbourhood, whose owners might not care as much about their pets.

I use Profender for worming, it is also a spot on treatment and far less traumatic to use than trying to push tablets or pastes down their throat.

It is advisable to start a regular pattern of making sure your new baby is INSIDE before nightfall and should not be allowed out before birds are fully awake around 8:30AM in winter.
Most injuries to cats happen when they are left outside at night, stray dogs or bully cats will soon harm your pet if he can't escape to safety.

Feed your cat the best quality DRY food you can afford to buy, I highly recommend Hills Science Diet, with a treat of small amounts of wet foods, fresh cooked fish, chicken, lamb's fry, canned or pouch pet foods etc. But good quality dry food makes for the healthiest cats.

Always have fresh clean water available, my cats prefer theirs from a stainless steel bowl, it doesn't make it taste like plastic and it stays cool. (Tidgy likes to drink from my cup, which is usually sitting in the kitchen sink filled with water at night, of course I know she does it so take care to fully wash all cups with scalding water.)

Cat litter should always be available inside, while ever Gandalf is inside and there are a multitude of systems available. You can even purchase a system to teach your cat to do his business in your toilet. It is guaranteed to work!
But if that freaks you out, you can buy great litter boxes with covers and privacy doors on them which are really great.
There are types that have a drainage tray inside so the urine goes through the tray and you just tip it down the loo, poo stays on top for removal.
There are clumping cat litters, flushable cat litter, clay, paper; sawdust, etc.
We have just switched over to Crystals (Snappy tom or Catsan so far, definitely not Coles own brand).
Crystals work by absorbing the liquid, poos may be on top or partially buried. You remove faecal matter and then just give the crystals a good stir to evenly distribute them, or you can scrape the top layer to one side and remove crystals that have absorbed urine. It is easy to see where pus has urinated in the crystals.
I love these crystals because the smell so nice compared to all the other litters available and unless there is a fresh poo, my nose doesn't detect any urine smell like the others have.
Male cats always have strong urine smell.

Check online Vet supplies to save on wormers, and all other products, I buy from Vetproducts direct and always save money.

I hope this info helps. Hugs and long life, Meganne

I'm not aussie but am a cat lover. Having 6 of my own. I've always firmly believed never ever trust a man that doesn't like cats - sooooooo seems like you're a winner all the way around. Congrats on the new baby......Let your vet suggest what works best in your area for fleas.

Welcome to the world of cats....they're fun to be owned by. Your best bet is to talk to a Veterinarian in your area that you trust....they'll know what's best for your climate - and that's where you should get all your advice. I worked for a Veterinarian for almost 9 years here in Edmond, OK - and learned a lot - but as I said...it's always best to let the Vet tell you what's best for YOUR cat breed and YOUR circumstances....another tidbit...cats always know the ones who "don't like their species" and they hone right in on you. Rather like the dog my husband picked for us who picked me, a CAT LOVER...NOT A DOG LOVER....so much for that too. Good luck with your new owner! Anna

Have fun with Gandalf. My younger daughter was adopted in a similar way and Widget joined the family. Sadly his life was short but brilliant. I love cats

welcome to the world of cats ! ..where is a photo ???
:-)))