New rescue kitty (bit of reassurance needed too!!)

Hello all. I've posted a bit on here before (not too much though so you may not know me or my kitties). I have 5 amazing playful and very affectionate (with people and other kitties) senior kitties. I recently decided to take in an abandoned rescue kitten (~5 months old) that someone told me about. He has had his 1st vaccinations already and is awaiting his booster. I've been advised by my vet and others in cat rescue that it is wise to confine him to his own room until the booster takes hold and also to make sure he does not bring in anything to my senior kitties. He was tested for feline leukemia already and was negative.

This kitty is such a sociable friendly guy and while he is overall laid back and happy whenever I go in the room, he is a bit lonely in his confinement room (not freaking out so much as just asking for company). I visit as much as I can (but have to wash hands, change footwear each time so it is a bit awkward) and sleep in there with him at night too. He is playful and snuggly. But he would like more attention. I know that this 2-week confinement is for both his and my other kitty's own good but it is really tough to hear him when he has his lonely moments and meows in this high cute voice!! In his room, he has a soft bed, cat tree, scratching pole, amazing set of cat toys that are safe to leave alone with him. We are only about 3 days into the 14 day period, and my heart is breaking as I hate to see him lonely when he hears the action in the rest of the house.

Can someone please remind me that this confinement is for everyone's health and that his life with me afterwards will make the 2-week quarantine worth it? Or share similar stories to make me feel that I am not the meanest person in the world!!  I just feel badly!!

This is the wee boy. I will share a thread about my senior kitties later.

What an adorable little guy!  What's his name?  I don't have experience with confining kitties that long after vaccinations--we got ours from the SPCA already vaccinated and ready to go!  How are you handling introductions with the seniors--has this kitty met your other kitties yet?  If not, this two weeks can give them all a chance to get used to each other and ease the introduction process.  Are you scent-swapping with them or anything like that?  

Do you have a radio or TV you can put in the confinement room?  That might give him some company, too.  

Looking forward to hearing about your senior kitties, too.  :-)

Hello!

I would, with all my heart, suggest holding out for the fu quarantine period. It is so much harder to nervously wait for a month hoping your other kittens weren't infected with something the new-comer didn't show symptoms for right away, trust me!

PoPo (who I just posted about in another thread) came home from her initial visit to the vet with three 2 week old kittens. At six weeks, she tested Feline Leukemia negative, but the two week old kittens were very small and the vet wanted to wait on drawing blood. I brought them all home in the carrier and then when I saw how cute they all were together and that PoPo seemed to teach them things (like going in the litter box), I didn't separate them.

Three weeks later, after a heart breaking battle, I lost two of the three small kittens and then had to euthanize the last so he wouldn't suffer, when I had the vet test him for Leukemia and it came back positive.

Then I had to wait ANOTHER month to find out if the contact with the kittens would make PoPo Feline Leukemia positive, when she was negative before. Let me tell you, it was the longest, saddest, most stressful month of my life having just lost three kittens over a disease I put her in contact with that she never even had until I did.

Luckily, she was able to come through a long month later negative, but if I could do it all again, I would have separated them. I don't regret keeping the kittens, they had a warm bed and love, but I do regret putting PoPo at risk, and I never would have forgiven myself if later on she got sick because she turned feline leukemia positive.

It's hard but keep doing what you are doing. It is so much better to be safe and preventative.

Congratulations on the new addition!




























Hello from me and PoPo! This the first cat I have ever owned, so I have lots of questions. I usually do a TON of research before getting an animal, but PoPo needed someone (I'll post her story later on in this post, it's long... I think she has used up three of her nine lives already). Now I love her so much, I couldn't imagine my life without her.

My name is Danielle, I'm 26, and currently in school to become a Veterinary Technician. I have always grown up with dogs, no cats because a lot of people in my family are allergic. I currently have PoPo, a shepherd mix named Shiloh (who LOVES cats), and two chinchillas. This is PoPo and me:

I've been stalking these forums for while before I signed up, ever since I came across PoPo, but there seems to be a lot of conflicting information as to what is best for cats... With chinchillas it was all very clear (this is what chinchillas require, therefore this is the best food. This item is bad, this material is good. These treats are bad. These are good, etc) and all pretty universal, it was way easier. So I have lots of questions. To start:

- what food is best? Right now I am feeding her Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth dry kitten food. I transitioned her from Blue Buffalo Basics wet food.
- what ingredients are necessary and what percentages should I look for if I am not able to find the best food? I live in a somewhat small town.
- are there products on the market that I should be wary of? For chinchillas, some items are sold with pictures of chinchillas on them and they are actually nearly toxic.
- any other general information you want to provide. Consider me the biggest cat newbie ever.

PoPo's story:

My boyfriend and I

Thank you both.

I will hold out for the quarantine as much as it breaks my heart to do so.

I do have a spare television so I could plug it in for him when I am home (don't want to leave it plugged in when I am not home).

As for names, I like Celtic-type names for boys. Not that it is purely Celtic, but I am thinking of Gryffin - kind of cute and lots of good nicknames from it too.

Oh sorry for that weird addition. I'm doing this from my phone, haha. I must have accidentally pasted that from earlier.