Where to find a healthy cat?

We recently lost our Burmese kitten to FIP. This was our first family pet and needless to say we're all devastated. I think eventually we'd like another kitty, but I'm petrified of going through losing another fur-baby. I won't even consider using the same breeder, who of course says she's never had any FIP in her cats in the past. I'm afraid to use any breeder because I know none would actually admit that they have unhealthy cats. Even if we didn't have any particular breed in mind, I'm still so worried we'll end up with another sick kitten. Shelters and catteries have especially high instances of FIP, so where can I find a kitten with the best chance of being healthy? I'm really at a loss of where to look...any ideas? [emoji]128575[/emoji]

Actually the best place to find a healthy kitten is often through small rescue groups who have mamas with babies who are being raised in foster homes, and who never were exposed to a shelter situation.  You can also check out local ads from private homes whose cat had kittens and they were raised inside.  You can find these through Craig's List, eBay Classified, your local paper, networking with friends etc.  The best bet is an inside cat who escaped when in heat, but was already vaccinated.  These kittens have the best chance of NOT having been exposed to the corona virus or any of the other nasty things our poor rescue kittens catch.  I would avoid breeders and any situations where multiple cats live together. 

Kitten season is almost here.  There will be many many kittens available through private homes, either foster homes or OOPS pregnancy homes.  FIP is a nasty beast and it often shows up around four months of age, as kittens that age do not have fully developed immune systems and that is when they are being exposed to other cats and kittens in shelters and rescues.  While many will contract the corona virus, for most of them it is a mild illness or no illness at all, but for a few it mutates and becomes FIP and breaks your heart.

Yep, I second that. Kittens born to a housecat who doesn't live outside, who has been vaccinated and well cared for. Either from a private home whose cat had an oops, or from a rescue that uses foster homes. Any kitty who has been in a group setting has probably been exposed to all sorts of things.

That said, FIP is a random mutation of a very common virus. It's not entirely unavoidable, sadly :/.

Thank you so much! I didn't realize there were groups like this. I felt like the only options were all multi-cat environments (breeders, shelters, or pet stores). Now to try and find one, lol!

With a little help from Facebook, Google, and Nextdoor, I've found a local rescue group that uses foster families to care for homeless cats & kittens. They already have a foster mom calling me today about kittens born and abandoned in her bushes. Thank you so much, I would've never known to look into that were it not for your posts. Thank you!

NikWik said:

With a little help from Facebook, Google, and Nextdoor, I've found a local rescue group that uses foster families to care for homeless cats & kittens. They already have a foster mom calling me today about kittens born and abandoned in her bushes. Thank you so much, I would've never known to look into that were it not for your posts. Thank you!

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We have our paws crossed for you. I don't know anything about FIP, is there any cleaning you need to do before the new addition arrives? I don't know if you want to tackle this but the shelter I volunteer at encourages tiny kittens to be adopted in pairs. They say they thrive & do so much better. Just tossing it out for your consideration, not saying it's necessary to do