Madeline >^.^<

We just adopted Madeline today from our local welfare league! She's approx 13 weeks and cute as could be.

Though she's incredibly scared. She was picked up from the humane society and went to the welfare league. The humane society reports she was a stray so my best guess is that this is her first time in a *home*

She has a cold, and hopefully it's not contagous to Lola (our other kitty). Lola isn't taking to her too well. Which would explain why it is 3.42am and I'm awake in the main room and Lola is sleeping in the bedroom. Just wish I knew how to make this easier for everyone. Wish Lola knew we did this for her, so she'd have a playmate.

But right now, all Lola does is hiss and growl. In the meantime, Madeline is awake and playing like crazy. It's cute.

We're trying. My roomie is in with Lola right now, so she's not alone. Madeline in here with me, so she's not alone either. I don't know what I would do if I was doing this by myself

Madeline is a bit hard to get pics of right now, but I have one on my facebook, link below.

Maddie has 5 more days of eye drops. I just really hope this is going to work out. What I don't understand is when Sabine came in (a stray that came with the house), Lola never had a problem. But apparently, things are different with Madeline for some reason.

I hope to get some sleep, I get home late from my volunteer shift today and I just want to be able to stay on top of things there.

Pic link:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php...&id=1135251291

Cats react to one another's smell. Madeline may not smell very nice to Lola after being in a shelter.

There are ways you can make it easier on them. Get a feliway plug in diffuser. Exchange smells with a towel (once Madeline has a clean bill of health). Allow them to "meet" each other under the door.

congratulations on your new family member, keep us posted!

Would totally invest in Feliway if it wasn't $50! :-( After the money to get Madeline and the additional immediate expenses (food, collar, litter, etc...) of her, money is a bit tight until pay day...

But yeap, that is on my list of "to-do's"

But we have been doing the scent thing and they are apart. I cleaned the goo out of Madelines eyes and need to call to see how contagious (sp?) she is tomorrow...

Congrats!! Keep an eye on Lola because kitty colds are contagious.

ETA - make sure you wash you hands after handling Maddy and before interacting with Lola. I would use a towel or something on your clothing and either keep that in Maddy's room or wash it after. I'm serious here!

Madeline is slowly warming up. I can only imagine how scary this is for her -- being 13 weeks not been in a home yet. As long as I don't move, she's ok.

You can get feliway plug in diffusers much cheaper at amazon.com and entirelypets.com

I use entirelypets.com, because for whatever reason amazon won't ship feliway to my PO Box.

Congrats on your new baby hun!

Sounds like Madeline has the upper respiratory infection, which is incredibly common in shelter kitties. It IS highly contageous, but easily treated. 99% of the time it is viral and will just go away on it's own after a week or so, but if you notice it getting pretty bad, a trip to the vet for some antibiotics may be in order.

With time and patience I'm sure you're babies will at least tolerate each other if not become the best of friends. Good luck!

Congratulations on your new baby! Maddie is certainly a cutie and I am partial to her name as Madeline is my dog's name.

Upper respiratory infections in cats are very contagious. And, with kittens who have not necessarily received all of their vaccinations, it can be overwhelming to their bodily systems. Thus, I would strongly recommend that you keep Madeline and Lola separated until at least Maddie isn't symptomatic. I typically quarantine for a minimum of 2 weeks and find that it is crucial on many levels. One, it decreases the risk of disease being spread. Have both kittens been tested for FIV/FeLV, have they both been de-wormed, are they flea and parasite free, have they been started on their vaccinations? And, two, it allows for a smoother transition. There are many threads here on TCS with information on how to properly introduce cats. Feliway is a good start, but there are other things you can do as well and I recommend doing as much reading as possible here and elsewhere. Quarantining may be an inconvenience, but I say it time and time (and time and time) again that it can potentially save the owners a lot of money and heartache.

Also, please keep an eye on Madeline. If her cold seems to worsen or she has difficulty eating or drinking, get her to the vet as soon as possible. Kittens can go downhill very quickly. And, I'd watch Lola for signs of a URI as well since she has been in contact with Maddie. Most upper respiratory infections are caused by a virus, but if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to contact your vet as they will often prescribe antibiotics to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections. And, if you're at the vet, consider having any discharge tested/cultured to see whether Madeline has feline herpes virus. And, if so (and even if that's not the case), think about putting both Lola and Maddie on a regimen including L-Lysine. It has worked wonders for my cats with the herpes virus and I know many, many members here also use a Lysine supplement for their kitties. You can search the forum to find out more information about it if you're interested. But, I would strongly suggest adding it to their food or water as soon as they are old enough (if they aren't old enough already).

But, most importantly, enjoy your new kitten as well as Lola. I suspect that once Maddie is feeling better and Lola accepts her (after they've been quarantined ), you'll have your hands full. But, that's a good thing. Congrats again on your new addition. And, yes, we'll be needing some more pics of both Lola and the baby...pronto!

Just thought I would update again!

I just called the shelter were we got Madeline and they have assured me/us that she would not have been up for adoption if she were contagious to any degree. Obviously, I'm still keeping a keen eye on the situation, but I'm (cautiously) optimistic.

We do have a voucher for a free office visit which we will be using shortly -- we have an appointment on the 6th. I know that seems far off, but that's after I'm paid and I want to make sure I have enough moolah just in case. Of course, if we feel anything comes up of the urgent nature she will be under care as well.

We're taking Lola to get microchipped on Saturday at a clinic and we'll bring Madeline along as well for one of her shots. The whole 2 birds 1 stone theory

However, when it comes to Lola accepting Madeline... it's a bit tricky. Since Lola was abandoned at a very young age (5 weeks is vets best guess), she hasn't had much interaction with kitties her age, etc. They agree Feliway is a bit spendy and to do our best in the meantime.

ETA
Here's a link with a few pictures of her. It's my FB page, I hope the page is public.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php...&id=1135251291

Originally Posted by Kailie

Congrats on your new baby hun!

With time and patience I'm sure you're babies will at least tolerate each other if not become the best of friends. Good luck!

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