Hello everyone! I am new to the forum...I did a search about this topic in previous threads but no luck so here goes:
I adopted a little kitten Sept. 11th at a humane society in MN, took her to the vet, got her her first set of shots, took all precautions etc. The vet said she had a virus but nothing to worry about. Well, yesterday morning my boyfriend and I awoke to the poor little girl lying on the floor unable to move and barely breathing. We rushed her to the humane society, and they told me I either had to pay for all emergency costs myself or I had to surrender her to the HS. To make a long and painful story short, I surrendered her and signed a waiver stating that I would not call, etc. to find out what happened to her.
So, inititally we had no idea what happened to her and were extremely depressed and just wanted some answers, when I received a phone call from the head vet at the HS. She said that they believe that little Thalia had feline distemper and told me there was nothing I could have done and that I made the right choice to surrender her since taking her to a vet again wouldn't have made much difference. This raised my spirits some considering that we had an answer...and that there was nothing we could have done to save her.
Anyways, on to my actual question...since my Thalia died w/i 30 days of adoption I am able to adopt another kitten in her place. However, I've read about distemper and learned that the disease can live for months in a home. Many sites say that you should bleach infected areas, however, I cannot feasibly disinfect my whole apartment. I also have another 3y/o cat who is up to date on her shots and I am monitering her for symptoms, etc. Can she still be a carrier for the disease even if she probably won't contract it? And more importantly...How long do I need to wait or quarantine my apt. before adopting another kitten?
Thanks for listening (or reading I suppose) not only was this a way for me to ask a question but to also vent a little!
I adopted a little kitten Sept. 11th at a humane society in MN, took her to the vet, got her her first set of shots, took all precautions etc. The vet said she had a virus but nothing to worry about. Well, yesterday morning my boyfriend and I awoke to the poor little girl lying on the floor unable to move and barely breathing. We rushed her to the humane society, and they told me I either had to pay for all emergency costs myself or I had to surrender her to the HS. To make a long and painful story short, I surrendered her and signed a waiver stating that I would not call, etc. to find out what happened to her.
So, inititally we had no idea what happened to her and were extremely depressed and just wanted some answers, when I received a phone call from the head vet at the HS. She said that they believe that little Thalia had feline distemper and told me there was nothing I could have done and that I made the right choice to surrender her since taking her to a vet again wouldn't have made much difference. This raised my spirits some considering that we had an answer...and that there was nothing we could have done to save her.
Anyways, on to my actual question...since my Thalia died w/i 30 days of adoption I am able to adopt another kitten in her place. However, I've read about distemper and learned that the disease can live for months in a home. Many sites say that you should bleach infected areas, however, I cannot feasibly disinfect my whole apartment. I also have another 3y/o cat who is up to date on her shots and I am monitering her for symptoms, etc. Can she still be a carrier for the disease even if she probably won't contract it? And more importantly...How long do I need to wait or quarantine my apt. before adopting another kitten?
Thanks for listening (or reading I suppose) not only was this a way for me to ask a question but to also vent a little!
