Shelter cats

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tunaqueen

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In the past week I've visited more shelters than I can count looking for a young cat to adopt. Naturally some shelters are better than others but I did find one shelter with 2 cats there that I really liked and think would fit in well here at home. Only thing is, there were at least 7 other cats there with runny noses, coughs and sneezing.
(these 2 seemed fine though)
It has me concerned that if I do bring one of them home then they will also bring with them some sort of virus and infect Pyewackett. Other than a slight eye infection 3 yrs ago, he's never been sick a day in his life.
Is this sort of "kitty cold" common in shelters and what should I look out for? I would never intentionally bring home a sick cat. The workers there didn't seem all that concerned about these sick kitties, they were left to run around with the healthier ones. Is that normal? Seems to me they should be kept separate from the general population.
I really want to rescue a shelter cat to be the next member of our family but now I'm getting hesitant about the whole thing. Anyone who can shed some light on what I should do and look out for would be greatly appreciated. TIA!
 
kumbulu

kumbulu

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Yes, unfortunately, this kind of cold (upper respiratory tract infection) is often seen in shelters. If you brought these two kitties home, you would need to keep them separate from your kitty for at least 10 days anyway. If they did develop a cold, you can contact the shelter and I think they'd be liable to pay fro the vet visit and medication (check with them on that, it's different over here).

Having said all that, don't let the fear of them maybe developing a cold stop you from bringing them home. As I said, just take measures to protect your cat and do the introductions slowly. This article is very helpful: http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

 
tnr1

tnr1

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Originally Posted by TunaQueen

In the past week I've visited more shelters than I can count looking for a young cat to adopt. Naturally some shelters are better than others but I did find one shelter with 2 cats there that I really liked and think would fit in well here at home. Only thing is, there were at least 7 other cats there with runny noses, coughs and sneezing.
(these 2 seemed fine though)
It has me concerned that if I do bring one of them home then they will also bring with them some sort of virus and infect Pyewackett. Other than a slight eye infection 3 yrs ago, he's never been sick a day in his life.
Is this sort of "kitty cold" common in shelters and what should I look out for? I would never intentionally bring home a sick cat. The workers there didn't seem all that concerned about these sick kitties, they were left to run around with the healthier ones. Is that normal? Seems to me they should be kept separate from the general population.
I really want to rescue a shelter cat to be the next member of our family but now I'm getting hesitant about the whole thing. Anyone who can shed some light on what I should do and look out for would be greatly appreciated. TIA!
Click to expand...
Many shelters run on a shoe string budget...they do the best they can, however this traditionally does mean that they do not have the best protocols for ensuring against URIs etc.

Any kitty you bring home as a companion to your existing cat should be seperated for a period of time anyways so that you can do slow introductions and take the new kitty to the vet to ensure it is healthy. Any cat can develop a latent URI..which is why shelters and rescues cannot guarentee the health of any of their animals.

If you liked the kitty you saw at the shelter and can afford the adoption fee, I would then head directly to your vet's office and explain that you saw other cats who were exhibiting signs of a URI. The vet will most likely perscribe clavamox to be given to your new kitty. I would certainly limit the exposure to your existing cat until the new kitty has been given a clean bill of health from the vet.

Katie
 
tnr1

tnr1

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If they did develop a cold, you can contact the shelter and I think they'd be liable to pay fro the vet visit and medication (check with them on that, it's different over here).
Click to expand...
Not true....most shelters in the USA have individuals sign a contract stating that they understand that the shelter cannot guarentee the health of any animal in it's care. This then absolves them of any liability for covering vet and medical bills (most shelters in the USA are run on a shoestring budget and covering the costs of a sick animal would be impossible).

Katie
 
kumbulu

kumbulu

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Thanks for that Katie. Shelters over here struggle for money too. Maybe it's pet shops that pay, I'm not sure. That's why I advised checking up on that.
 
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tunaqueen

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Thanks for the replies, everyone. I know there are always risks involved, just didn't know if this is a common thing, which apparently it is. One shelter takes cautionary measures by providing hand sanitizers at the door of every cat room and stepping on a wet bleached towel before entering. Don't know how well all that works but compared to the others I think I would feel better adopting there, even if it's a false sense of security.
Regardless, I'll be keeping whoever I adopt separate during the introduction process so I'll be able to keep an eye on them and be sure Pye doesn't get sick. Again, thanks all!
 
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