Upper respiratory contagious?

Have a friend who is losing her place to stay, needs me to take Coby. Coby was declawed bout month ago, had probs walking, luckily hes better now. Anyway she jus had a cat put down from upper respiratory. And if Coby is carrying it, don't want to get Bruce sick.

It's always a good idea to get a new cat vet checked AND keep them separated for 2 weeks to ensure there are no contagions being passed. An upper respiratory infection is not usually fatal though, especially with treatment. Do you know why her cat had to be put down?

Definitely keep them separated.  I have a foster kitten with a severe respiratory.  He is isolated in his own room away from all my other cats, and the other foster kitten I have.  After I handle him I wash my hands as well as apply hand sanitizer.

Just remebering her saying bout putting her black kitty down that it got really sick from upper respiratory, I guess she wants me to take him as soon as possible.

If the URI was that bad I would ask her is she can hold Coby for 1 or 2 weeks before you take him.  Is that possible? If not, as crpcheetah and vball have said he will need to be separated and watched for symptoms. He could be a carrier even if he doesn't get sick so a 2 week separation is important.

I would suggest you keep a cooking apron in Coby's room and wear it when handling him so your clothes don't get infected, and wash your hands well after each visit.  This way you can be confident that your cat won't catch anything.  The added benefit during the separation is that your cat will begin the process of getting used to his presence, as cat introductions can be tricky.  I would post a thread in the behavior section asking for detailed instructions on how to do this if you are unsure.

if he develops URI symptoms during the separation, he will need a vet visit and the separation will need to continue until he's healthy and gets clearance from the vet.

Stephen

Definately will mention something, not only that, don't remeber rather or not if this is short term or permanent, my boyfriend is undeceided, he thinks one cat is enough. Anyway thanks for the advice, if we do get him we definately will separate them.

OK good luck, keep us posted and if you want help introducing them please see http://www.thecatsite.com/f/5/behavior

I also found these tips very helpful, especially tip #2 which involves letting them see each other before they are allowed to have contact (a pet door helps with this)

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

Stephen