First Time Foster

I recently found out that the local humane society is overcrowded and has many cats that are depressed and have an upper respiratory infection.  I live in a 3 bedroom house with 2 of the bedrooms unused so I decided I should open my home to these needy cats.  I've heard that fostering cats is a very rewarding experience but I have two cats of my own and I'm a little concerned about bringing two more cats into the house.  They will not be in contact with my cats as they will be kept in the spare bedroom the entire time they are here (about 2 weeks).  Has anyone fostered cats with upper respiratory and have you had any issues with the infection spreading to other cats in the house? How have the other cats reacted to the new cats?  I know they won't be happy at first but I just don't want to disrupt their normally happy lives too much.  I know I have to wash my hands after interacting with the sick cats, but do you know if the infection can spread any other way? 

Any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated!!

I have requested a moderator to move this to Cat Health, where you will get more replies.

Unless you go the whole "clean suit" routine, it wouldn't be surprising if your cats were exposed to any viruses these fosters might have.  That's not usually a problem.  Our shelter does a feline leukemia test before putting out a foster, because that's the really "big nasty" you don't want.

I've never had my cats get infected from fosters, and I usually let them interact once they've been in the house long enough to be pretty sure they aren't contagious.

My biggest concern would be intestinal parasites.
 

The two cats I'm fostering aren't sick but rather weren't eating because they were depressed at the shelter. So I'm glad I don't have to worry about upper respiratory but now my concern is how my own cats handle it and the little time I am able to interact with the fosters. They will be kept separate from my own cats the entire time they are here but one of my cats knows they're in the room and seems preoccupied with it. How long does it usually take for them to adjust? And how much time do you spend with your fosters? I try to spend at least 15 minutes a few times a day up there but I feel it's not enough.

Are intestinal parasites only transmitted through sharing litter boxes, food bowls, etc?

How each cat takes it varies hugely - some cats adjust very quickly and well to 'strangers' coming and going, others get very stressed and upset.

One way internal parasites are transmitted are via fleas, but hopefully these have been both wormed and deflead.