Nervous Foster Mom here -- cats in my garage! Need advice!

[Doody]

This is my second time fostering. First was a mom and four 8 week old kittens. They were all a piece of cake and got adopted quickly. Today, I went to a yucky house and picked up two supposed 6 month old kittens and a pregnant mother. I say supposed because they (males) seem rather large for 6 months. The rescue I foster for took the pregnant mother. They inspected the two males and found flea dirt on them -- great. Fleas, for some reason, are my worst nightmare.

They were treated with Capstar and Advantage Multi six hours ago. They are comfortable in a crate in my garage right now. It is 56 degrees in the garage and probably won't go down past 50 overnight (garage is insulated).

I really want to bring them in, but I feel like I should wait until morning because of the possibility of fleas. Also, she told me to flea comb them, and I plan on doing this in the laundry room (where there is better light) -- I just want to be sure that no live fleas will still exist.

I also would like to see them eat and use the litter pan in the crate in the garage before I bring them in. Will they be ok in the 50 degree garage overnight??

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Is the laundry room somewhere you can put them in for the night, and keep them out of the rest of the house? You are considering bringing them into that area tomorrow anyway, right? How big is the crate - big enough to handle a food area than can be fairly well separated from the litter pan? If so, perhaps you can add a blanket or some towels for them to lay on. Even though the garage is insulated, the floor has got to be pretty cold as I am guessing it is concrete.

 

[LTS3]

Overnight would be fine. Maybe place flattened cardboard around 3 sides and the top of the crate to block drafts? Put old towels on the bottom of the crate to insulate from the cold floor. Is it too late to go out to the pet store and buy a heated pet bed or mcirowave pet pad? If stores are still open, head to the nearest chain pet store and look for something inexpensive. I would not use a heating pad or blanket meant for people. Those can get too hot for pets even on the lowest setting. It's not recommended to place such pad between the folds of a towel or something to prevent burns, both for people and pets.

 

[Doody]

So, our garage is insulated and attached to the house. No drafts at all. Door opener (in the garage) currently says 57 degrees. I have a small ceramic heater going in there, but will not keep it on all night (it would make me nervous). So, I just shut it off and put a thermometer near the crate . Will check in hour or so what the temp says on both the garage door opener pad and the thermometer.

Crate is plenty large, with a large litter pan (one cat is sleeping in it) -- and a tray on the bottom. I put a towel on the bottom as well. Before bed, I will cover the crate with a blanket too. They have dry food and water in there but neither one has touched it.

As I said, I'd like to see them use the litter pan before bringing them inside anyway.

It's 32 degrees outside right now and only going down to 28 degrees (coldest) overnight. Will update shortly!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe offer some canned food too?

 

[Doody]

So without the heater running, its 53 degrees in the garage. I am also going to put a thick, heavy comforter over all sides but one of the crate.

I feel so bad leaving them out there, but I have non one home to assist me in combing them and re-positioning the crate. Will be able to do first thing tomorrow.

So... in our experience will Capstar plus Advantage Multi do the trick if they have/had any live fleas on them? Reading online, it says 100% effective after 12 hours....

 

[Doody]

So without the heater running, its 53 degrees in the garage. I am also going to put a thick, heavy comforter over all sides but one of the crate.

I feel so bad leaving them out there, but I have non one home to assist me in combing them and re-positioning the crate. Will be able to do first thing tomorrow.

So... in our experience will Capstar plus Advantage Multi do the trick if they have/had any live fleas on them? Reading online, it says 100% effective after 12 hours....

PS: last time I went in the garage, the one cat was eating which was nice to see!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am inclined to think you might want to treat the room you are going to bring them into, just to be on the safe side. To me, that would mean removing all fabrics/clothing, other than perhaps the items you need for the flea check and for their bedding if they are staying in that room. If they are going to remain in that room, then I would also go ahead and treat the rest of the house too. It's tricky because you can always have them jump on you/your clothing and then transmit them and eggs to other parts of the house. Understand, I am very skeptical about the ease of getting rid of fleas after having been through a bout that lasted over 4 months (and, I may still have them 2 months later) in my house and on Feeby. The only difference was that she was all through my house before she or the rooms were treated. You have a better chance at keeping them at bay since there are no fleas currently in your house. I will say, I personally don't believe any treatment is 100% effective!!!

Glad the temp wasn't so bad in your garage, and that you actually saw one of the cats eating!!!