Help: Stopping Viral Infection from Spreading

katastrophe

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
3
Purraise
3
Hi Everyone,

I recently took in two stray kittens. One was relatively healthy all things considering but the other one had his rectum hanging out, was really thin, and both eyes were shut with discharge. The left eye is almost missing (doc said it will re-appear?). Both kittens, according to the vet, possibly have viral infection.

Now I have 11 cats at home and so I kept the other two upstairs(outside, like in a rooftop) in a laundry area of sorts but it gets cold up there. I want to keep them inside the house but I'm scare my other cats will get infected. Will keeping them in a separate room keep the virus from spreading?

Please help. Thank you!
 

Sammygirl95

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
17
Purraise
12
When we adopted our kitten, he had a couple of infections and we kept him quarantined in a separate room from our other cat and everything was fine. I would say if you really want to be safe, maybe put a towel in the crack of the door so that the other cats can’t stick their faces in the crack.
I also recently learned from our vet that stress can cause viruses to appear in cats. So if one of your other cats does get sick (not saying that they will) it might be from the stress of having the new kittens in the house and not having access to whichever room they are in. I’m not an expert but I hope this helps! Good luck with the new kittens! I hope they get healthy soon.
 

Jcatbird

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
10,301
Purraise
58,378
Location
United States
I have brought in sick kitties too. Isolating them will be important. You don’t mention if you know which virus. I have an Felv ( very contagious if the illness is active) cat in my house but I keep him away from the others and practice careful hygiene. Washing hands, keeping food and litter strictly separate as well as toys and bedding. Bedding is washed often and bleach used. I also wear loose clothes over my other clothes when handling any sick kitty and I shed them before handling any other cat. It’s kind of like you would see at any doctor office. Washing up well and lab coat. I just wear old shirts that belonged to my husband. They are large enough to fit over other clothes. Get the little ones in a safe place and healthy. Immunizations when they can have them and Spay or Neuter when they are well enough. I also have a cat with FIV and heart worms but no other cat has gotten sick. Depending on what virus they have, if your others are immunized, your vet may give permission later for safe intermingling. Let me be very clear though, You really need good advice from your vet before anything like that. I’m so glad you rescued the little ones. You are saving their lives.
Welcome to the site! :welcomesign:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

katastrophe

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
3
Purraise
3
I have brought in sick kitties too. Isolating them will be important. You don’t mention if you know which virus. I have an Felv ( very contagious if the illness is active) cat in my house but I keep him away from the others and practice careful hygiene. Washing hands, keeping food and litter strictly separate as well as toys and bedding. Bedding is washed often and bleach used. I also wear loose clothes over my other clothes when handling any sick kitty and I shed them before handling any other cat. It’s kind of like you would see at any doctor office. Washing up well and lab coat. I just wear old shirts that belonged to my husband. They are large enough to fit over other clothes. Get the little ones in a safe place and healthy. Immunizations when they can have them and Spay or Neuter when they are well enough. I also have a cat with FIV and heart worms but no other cat has gotten sick. Depending on what virus they have, if your others are immunized, your vet may give permission later for safe intermingling. Let me be very clear though, You really need good advice from your vet before anything like that. I’m so glad you rescued the little ones. You are saving their lives.
Welcome to the site! :welcomesign:
Thank you so much for your response! :)

The vet didn't recommend any tests to confirm if there really is a viral infection, just said that there could be based on the symptoms. I feel bad leaving them upstairs but I feel scared for the other cats. I went back to the vet earlier and they just told me to keep them separate, didn't give much tips. I learned a lot from you, thank you again!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

katastrophe

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
3
Purraise
3
When we adopted our kitten, he had a couple of infections and we kept him quarantined in a separate room from our other cat and everything was fine. I would say if you really want to be safe, maybe put a towel in the crack of the door so that the other cats can’t stick their faces in the crack.
I also recently learned from our vet that stress can cause viruses to appear in cats. So if one of your other cats does get sick (not saying that they will) it might be from the stress of having the new kittens in the house and not having access to whichever room they are in. I’m not an expert but I hope this helps! Good luck with the new kittens! I hope they get healthy soon.
Thank you responding! This helps a lot. The more tips I get, the better and safer for them. I hope they get healthy too. :)
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,442
Purraise
33,216
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
Hi. As Jcatbird Jcatbird mentioned, I too would be focused on the viral aspect. You might ask the vet about what virus they suspect. Are your other cats all vaccinated? If these two new kittens should have a virus that the other cats have been vaccinated for, that greatly reduces the risk of your resident cats contracting the virus. And, it might be worth it to ask your vet about testing for FIV/FeLV BEFORE they go through being vaccinated. For many virus', once vaccinated there is no way to tell whether or not they actually had a virus beforehand as the vax produce antibodies that 'mimic' the virus. All of this varies, depending on the virus involved, so you probably need to have a detailed discussion about all of this with your vet - he certainly knows more of the viral particulars/specifics than I do.
 
Top