Bringing home an unvaccinated kitty?

So, what looks to be my knew addition *knocks on wood* is completely unvaccianted. I'm scared to bring her home because I opted not to vaccinate TigerLily with the distemper combo shot this Nov when she was due, only rabies was given. Lily is 1 y/o....she got her kitten rabies & distemper combo...never FeLV. The kitty that I plan to bring home has been outside recently & I am scared that since she is not vaccainted(we don't know if she ever got any vaccinations) that she may have distemper. She isn't sick or anything, but I'd kill myself if there was a chance the new kitty had distemper & I brought her home.

Basically, I want to know if I am being paranoid or if I am being a normal overly-worried meowmy? Is there justification for my paranoia?

I say justified but Zoey was given her first ever shots the night I adopted her and the vet said not to worry

So TigerLily has been vaccinated, but hasn't had the booster? And was only due about a month ago?

I would think you'd be pretty ok - is there any way to test the new kitty for Distemper? I do know that it's a pretty bad disease, and I would think that if the new kitty has it you would know - but that's just an opinion.

IMO if your cat was vaccinated once she is perfectly fine. Obviously don't let them mingle right away you wouldn't want to do this anyways with a new cat. But get the new one vaccinated and most importantly TESTED asap.

Originally Posted by Jen

IMO if your cat was vaccinated once she is perfectly fine. Obviously don't let them mingle right away you wouldn't want to do this anyways with a new cat. But get the new one vaccinated and most importantly TESTED asap.

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Jen, do you mean tested for FeLV? If so, she is already tested -.

Kluchetta, you have it right. Lily was vaccinated as a kitten for distmper, but not beyond that. She was due in Nov. I honestly don't know if there's a way to test for distmper or not-I think not. We actually had distemper go through the shelter earlier this year & one of the cats that died from it wasn't sick right away. That is what made me worry.

When I brought Tammy-Timmy home, SHE was unvaccinated and I could not get her vaccinated for two months because I thought she was pregnant. My cats at home had been vaccinated with a booster the previous year. After she got spayed and settled down, I gave everyone in the house including her a booster so that everyone is up to date.

I had to wait for Milla to move in because she wasn't vaccinated and the vaccinations needed 2 weeks to kick in. This wasn't to protect already resident cat Usva, but to protect Milla, because Usva has had cat flu and therefore is a carrier. I asked my vet about these things back then, and she said vaccinated cats aren't in any real danger, it's the newbie that may catch something. I wouldn't worry if the new kitty isn't showing any signs of sickness, even if Lily's distemper jabs aren't up to date.

Do you mean tested for FeLV? The vaccination isn't recommended unless there is a high risk situation (ie goes outside a lot, exposed to FeLV cats frequently). There is a high risk of sarcomas and it's only 80 percent effective. I would recommend against the vaccination but that's just my opinion.

Before bringing the cat in to meet your other cats get the cat checked for FIV/FeLV and get a general physical exam and rabies shot and first series of distemper. Isolate the kitten if you feel uncomfortable with him around your other cats.

I'm a white cat lover too!! I had a beautiful white cat and I miss him so much.

Well, this cat definately needs a complete physical exam because she is a bit older. She has gotten her first distemper combo, but will get the booster in 2-3 weeks.....in addition to getting her rabies shot. I won't vaccinate fo FeLV as I find it unnecessary for my cats & this one in particular as she's already declawed & obviously not going outside. She is already FeLV-.

Knowing my whole lot...this new kitty should be starting to feel welcome by next Christmas! I feel like I'm asking for trouble, but I can't leave this girl in the shelter!

Sounds like you got another "special" furbaby

Originally Posted by sharky

Sounds like you got another "special" furbaby

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I hope she's a "normal" one!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I hope she's a "normal" one!

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What is NORMAL>>??? LMAO

Originally Posted by sharky

What is NORMAL>>??? LMAO

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I'll let you know when I figure it out! ROFL

Can you quarantine the stray in a separate room (and ensure there is no contact) until all of your cats have all of the recommended shots, and the new cat has hers as well? Please heed my advice--and you are very smart to be worried! You can never be too careful in this situation--I have 4 foster cats, whom I quarantined until they were neutered--we found out that 1 had FeLV; the others (in October) tested negative for it. Now, they are testing positive. I didn't have my "real" cats vaccinated against FeLv, and I took the wrong advice about mixing the ones we thought were negative--now all of my 9 cats have been exposed, in a major way, to FeLv. I pray that the others don't have it, and it's not yet showing up. If you have any questions, please ask your vet.



When you quarantine, it not only means to keep the cats totally separate; you must also keep any food/water bowls, bedding, litter boxes, scratching posts, etc. away from the other cats. FeLv supposedly can be spread by the saliva of an infected cat, and through the above items (though I'm not sure about scratching posts--but I think it's better safe than sorry).

Best of luck with the new kitty! You're a very nice person to be so concerned.

MargeCat

I do not feel the need to vaccinate mine any further. I will not give them the FeLV vaccination as they are not high risk & I do not feel it provides enough protection against FeLV. The kitty I am considering bringing home is FeLV negative, there is no question about that. I am sure I won't be bringing her home until at least Friday as I want to give Damita's ringworm a chance to heal-the new kitty is high risk to get ringworm & cannot be given oral meds safely.

ETA: Read through that...it's not meant to sound rude. I am due to go to bed soon. I will be keeping this kitty seperate for at least 2 weeks. Not sure into which "family group" I will be introducing her yet.

I am glad in your decision ... I hope she fits in well to a "family " group