Isolating New Cat

[rosegold]

Hello all! I'm adopting my second cat and I have so many questions, so expect several posts asking for your expertise in the next few weeks

I visited the new kitty again today at the shelter and it's pretty clear she has some sort of upper respiratory infection. Loooots of sniffles (though I didn't see any discharge, sneezing, or coughing). Other than that she still seemed pretty perky and interested in food, so I'm hoping there's nothing more serious going on. Anyway, at this particular shelter, they don't really have the space to isolate all sick cats. So she's in a room with about 7-8 others, a few of whom also seemed a bit sniffly.

So I'm looking for advice on how to bring her home while protecting my resident cat from catching anything. Unfortunately, I don't have a spare room in my apartment as it's a large open-style loft. Using the bathroom isn't really an option for a number of reasons. So I'm planning to keep her in a large dog crate until she adjusts and gets the all clear from the vet. But... is this enough? Will my resident cat be in danger from sharing the air, even if there's no contact between them yet? My resident cat had titer tests last year with her previous owner but otherwise I haven't taken her for any vaccinations. Should I do that?

I'd really appreciate your advice in this situation!

 

[rubysmama]

Congrats on the pending adoption of your 2nd cat. Sorry she appears to have a URI, but that is very common in shelters. My Ruby was sniffling and sneezing the first time I saw her at the shelter, and came home with eye drops, and has never had an issue since.

I'm not sure how contagious an URI is, but since cats in shelters all seem to catch it from each other, I think you are right to be concerned about your resident cat. If it were me, I'd call my vet and get their advice.

Another concern is your lack of a spare room to isolate the new cat when you bring her home. Even if she was completely healthy, all the cat introduction advice does say to separate them, so I'm not sure about keeping her in a dog crate in the open.

You've probably already read them, but here are the TCS articles on cat introductions, in case you missed one. Good luck. Keep us posted.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
The Multi-cat Household

 

[rosegold]

Thank you! I think I’ll talk to the vet and maybe the shelter again about it. Maybe I can offer to pay for the shelter to take her for a vet check before she comes home just to make sure there isn’t anything else going on.

I know, it is really unfortunate that I don’t have a spare room for introductions... But based on the two cats’ personalities and the fact they’ve both lived happily with other cats before, I’m crossing my fingers that the crate method will work out.

 

[rubysmama]

I'll cross my fingers for you too.