need info on outdoor cat.

I have been feeing an outdoor kitty for the past few weeks. I can trap him and have him neutered, fip tested, flea medicated,rabies,  and distemper shot. (planning on doing that next week if he cooperates.)   After that I intend to bring him in and integrate him with my other 4 cats, slowly.  He is friendly,

However, my cats never go out, and other than first kitten shots, they have no other inoculations.

Can this outdoor guy have something else that could infect my happy family? feline leukemia comes to mind. I lost two cats to that decades ago, before there was a vaccine. 

I do not want to take a chance of infecting my crew. I will foster this guy, or feed him outdoors if necessary.

Any advice out there? Is there a test for the feline leukemia? what else is there? He looks healthy, but I have no way of knowing.

thanks,

gail

Although you can do those options, I believe it will be best to print flyers of a Found Cat. This cat could be someone elses, trying to find it. I would say to leave the flyers around your neighborhood for about a week, and during that time period you could still care for it. If no one claims it, then sure, I guess you can keep him. I recommded you buying paradyne, which is a medication that removes fleas.

Hope this helps

Yes, there's a test for FeLV and FIV (but no test for FIP so maybe you were thinking of FIV?). It's usually a combo test, I don't think there's an option to test for just one. You should definitely test any cat you bring into the home before introducing them to your resident cats.

But yeah---make sure he doesn't belong to anyone else first.

thank you for your input,

he is not neutered, so if he does belong to someone, they are not responsible cat owners, and I will not leave him on the street uneutered.   I am worried that he may have something else that is not detectable that could infect my cats.  

first thing to do is have the vet scan him for a chip.

he is being neutered for free by a TnR organization. I imagine they will do that. The cat is not neutered, I doubt very much he has a chip.  

gailuvscats said:

 
he is being neutered for free by a TnR organization. I imagine they will do that. The cat is not neutered, I doubt very much he has a chip.  

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Probably not. The world is pretty whacky sometimes. Thank you for taking him in. Most likely he was a beloved inside pet until he reached maturity.  Sprayed the sofa. Got a bit aggressive and frustrated being inside. Feral Colonies should be renamed Abandoned by my Human Colonies

thank you kittens mom. 

I met an adult cat that was abandoned in the townhouse complex I used to live in. I got her and my indoor cats all their shots, vet said it would be best to give all the shots to all the kitties.

I did find that after a few years my kitty was not OK with being inside all the time and now she is a super happy, healthy, mostly outdoor kitty.

I wish you and your critters luck and good health together

I would like to update this thread, I brought in "Ed" after he was neutered, etc. Unbeknownst to me, Ed HATES other cats, successfully escaped the basement 3 times, drew blood once. My life has consisted of rounding up my 4 cats into the bedroom, letting Ed out of the basement two times a day, or a variation of that routine. Ed has become a very sweet, somewhat vocal, guy, who REALLY does not want other cats around. We tried a crate for a while, and everyone got pissed off, so I put him back in the basement. I intervened for 4 cat-fights, one was outside before I brought him in. I should have known then. 

Fortunately, a friend from my hometown is going to adopt him. She has no other cats, and lost one a year or so ago. Thank the heavens! Not sure how much longer I can keep up with this routine, up and down the basement steps with my soon to be replaced knee. 

I will really miss him, because we have bonded, but he will be much happier with a human to call his own. We might have been able to get integrated, but it is much more work than I want to invest.

Tomorrow Ed leaves the building! Bittersweet, but happy for him, and me

!

What a handsome boy!  Hopefully you'll still see him at your friend's place?

It's a great outcome.