New cat...advice

So we got a new cat from our local SPCA that we named Jazz. We got him on Monday and he has basically been staying in a large room with all his needs met. Problem is he has had diarrhea since we brought him home. We took him to the vet yesterday (when they FINALLY could take him) and all they did was look him over...no real tests. I took a fecal sample to them today and it was neg. for parasites. I never noticed him sneezing until today. It was a sneeze which I got sprayed with so obviously a wet sneeze. He seems fine. He does not have a fever. So after the sneezing I called my vet to see if I should bring him in again. They just told me to watch him and keep him quarantined from the others.
We have not fully integrated them but we have allowed Jazz to run around the house a bit while the others where in our room. My main concern is if the others could get whatever Jazz has by just walking on the floor area he had walked on. Also, does anyone have an idea what could be wrong with Jazz? I know you all are not vets but my vet sure was not much of a help.
Anyway, any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

How old is he? What are you feeding him and is it the same as what he was eating at the shelter?

It could just be rehoming stress and/or the change in food if you changed it.

I think I would take the vet's advice and just keep an eye on him for a few days. Keep him seperated from the others. If it turns out to be something he is unlikely to pass it on to the others without direct contact.

They think he is a little over a year old. We are feeding him the exact food that he was eating (they sent us home with a bag of it).
I am hoping it is just the stress of the change in environment. He really does not like being locked in a room with out free roam. Even though his room is about three times the size of the kennel he was in at the shelter. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

You would be amazed just how hard stress can hit a kitty...like mega diarrhea.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

You would be amazed just how hard stress can hit a kitty...like mega diarrhea.

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Yeah that would account for the diarrhea. It is the sneezing that makes me a little concerned.

Any air freshners? What kind of kitty litter now? At the shelter?

Honestly, if it is an Upper Resp. they other cats are gonna get it....it's airborne. There isn't much to be done about that, IMO. Keeping him seperate helps, but it can spread. The other thing I should mention....is that healthy cats often don't get URIs.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Any air freshners? What kind of kitty litter now? At the shelter?

Honestly, if it is an Upper Resp. they other cats are gonna get it....it's airborne. There isn't much to be done about that, IMO. Keeping him seperate helps, but it can spread. The other thing I should mention....is that healthy cats often don't get URIs.

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No air fresheners. We use the Swheat scoop for litter.
Thanks for your input. I just saw him use the litter box to pee and he was straining. Poor guy. I am going to have to take him to the vet again. Of course with the long weekend it won't be until Tuesday.

It's extremely common for shelter cats to get URIs, this is why it's important to keep new cats isolated from current cats for at least 10 days. If he's straining at the litterbox, that is something unrelated to the URI and you're right to get him to a vet.

Make certain to keep him hydrated since diarrhea will dehydrate him quickly. I would also feed him high quality canned food (Merrick, Innova, etc.) since this adds moisture to his diet. Cats who eat dry food alone will drink more water since they get no moisture from dry food.

Originally Posted by fuzzmom

It's extremely common for shelter cats to get URIs, this is why it's important to keep new cats isolated from current cats for at least 10 days. If he's straining at the litterbox, that is something unrelated to the URI and you're right to get him to a vet.

Make certain to keep him hydrated since diarrhea will dehydrate him quickly. I would also feed him high quality canned food (Merrick, Innova, etc.) since this adds moisture to his diet. Cats who eat dry food alone will drink more water since they get no moisture from dry food.

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Thanks for the advice. I have tried to give him some canned (not as high quality as what you are suggesting) and he does not eat it. I guess all he has known is the dry food? Does that make sense? Anyway, we will continue to keep him separate from the rest of our cats. Hopefully I can talk my hubby into letting me keep them separated for a full ten days. I will look into getting some of the higher quality canned and see if he will eat it. Thanks.

with wet food ... find one he will eat ... some cats will eat premium dry and grocery wet ...

URI may make it hard to smell... try fishy flavors...

decent readily avail at grocery or big box

meow mix
sheba
some iams
natural life ( really good and most walmarts carry

Originally Posted by sharky

with wet food ... find one he will eat ... some cats will eat premium dry and grocery wet ...

URI may make it hard to smell... try fishy flavors...

decent readily avail at grocery or big box

meow mix
sheba
some iams
natural life ( really good and most walmarts carry

Click to expand...

Thanks so much. I will try to get out tonight to pick-up some of those.

True, a cat won't eat what it can't smell. The smellier the food the better. My cats LOVE Weruva canned, it's all fish based and is smelly, probably why they love it. At this point it doesn't matter about quality of food, as long as he is eating something.

Does he have any nasal discharge? How does his breathing sound? The sooner he kicks it the better as URIs can become life threatening if left for too long because the cat will stop eating. You may have to resort to force feeding if it comes to that point, but it sounds like it is at the early stages. You may want to try putting some canned/moist food on your finger and placing it in his mouth. Also, try adding warm water to the canned to make it more soupy if not already. You may have to spoon feed for him to get the idea.

Originally Posted by sharky

with wet food ... find one he will eat ... some cats will eat premium dry and grocery wet ...

URI may make it hard to smell... try fishy flavors...

decent readily avail at grocery or big box

meow mix
sheba
some iams
natural life ( really good and most walmarts carry

Click to expand...

Well, we went ahead and took him to the after hours vet to get him checked over again. His breathing is good. We think he got too chilled in the room he was in so that is why he was sneezing. Since closing the vents off, he has stopped sneezing. The vet checked his urine and he does not have a UTI. SO we do have him on two medications just to make sure...one a de-worming (just in case) and the other an antibiotic to help for any infection. I hate having to give him the stuff but better safe than sorry. Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it!!!