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Recently I rescued a cat that has lived outdoors for the past 3 years. I have known, fed her etc since she was a kitten. I took her to the vet and at first she did not test positive for Giardia but a week later she did test positive for Giardia. I am reading about this on the site and have some questions as it seems like it is difficult to get rid of and has a "footprint" that can cause problems.
I live in a small house and have her in a bedroom away from the existing indoor cats. I am treating her with Panacur and am 3 days into her 5 day treatment. I am guessing she had Giardia when she entered the home and not knowing this I did not change her litter and litter box daily etc. So I greatly fear that there are Giardia cysts in the room. I threw out the bedding etc but who knows if I brought cysts into the other areas of the house not knowing that she had Giardia.
Now that I am treating her I am removing all litter and changing boxes to totally clean boxes. I am also bleaching the room as much as I can but it is difficult as I don't know if I am killing all the cysts etc. I fear these cysts and the fact she may reinfect herself. And I worry the cycle will never end. When she uses the litter box I try to immediately remove the litter, feces and the box. But she may have already gotten these Giardia cysts into her paws, her fur etc. Now she is having solid stools and not diarrhea so is that a good sign? Or can these cysts still get one her paws and fur etc (then of course around the room) even with solid stools?
I would like to integrate her with the other cats and let her have free roam of the house (she is really ready). But how can I ever feel secure that I have not missed any cysts that may lurch in the room? How can I be sure I have not carried any cysts from the room into the other parts of the house?
I just do not want to have the existing indoor cats subjected and infected by Giardia. I don't know if I would ever be able to rid all the cysts of this Giardia if that would happen. I read the site about this Giardia and I am very worried that the risks of integrating this new cat is too great to the existing cats health.
I don't want her to be in a room forever and I really don't want to release her back "onto the street". I want her to live and enjoy with the other cats. But I fear this Giardia greatly.
Am I overreacting? How can anyone really be sure that this Giardia is eradicated?
Any information, advice is greatly appreciated. I realize I have a lot of questions in this post but hopefully they can be answered or addressed. Thank you so much. I feel pretty frustrated and stressed about this situation and I love this new cat but I love my existing ones as well. And I really don't want Giardia to infect the other cats or even myself.
Thanks for any responses.
CRS
I live in a small house and have her in a bedroom away from the existing indoor cats. I am treating her with Panacur and am 3 days into her 5 day treatment. I am guessing she had Giardia when she entered the home and not knowing this I did not change her litter and litter box daily etc. So I greatly fear that there are Giardia cysts in the room. I threw out the bedding etc but who knows if I brought cysts into the other areas of the house not knowing that she had Giardia.
Now that I am treating her I am removing all litter and changing boxes to totally clean boxes. I am also bleaching the room as much as I can but it is difficult as I don't know if I am killing all the cysts etc. I fear these cysts and the fact she may reinfect herself. And I worry the cycle will never end. When she uses the litter box I try to immediately remove the litter, feces and the box. But she may have already gotten these Giardia cysts into her paws, her fur etc. Now she is having solid stools and not diarrhea so is that a good sign? Or can these cysts still get one her paws and fur etc (then of course around the room) even with solid stools?
I would like to integrate her with the other cats and let her have free roam of the house (she is really ready). But how can I ever feel secure that I have not missed any cysts that may lurch in the room? How can I be sure I have not carried any cysts from the room into the other parts of the house?
I just do not want to have the existing indoor cats subjected and infected by Giardia. I don't know if I would ever be able to rid all the cysts of this Giardia if that would happen. I read the site about this Giardia and I am very worried that the risks of integrating this new cat is too great to the existing cats health.
I don't want her to be in a room forever and I really don't want to release her back "onto the street". I want her to live and enjoy with the other cats. But I fear this Giardia greatly.
Am I overreacting? How can anyone really be sure that this Giardia is eradicated?
Any information, advice is greatly appreciated. I realize I have a lot of questions in this post but hopefully they can be answered or addressed. Thank you so much. I feel pretty frustrated and stressed about this situation and I love this new cat but I love my existing ones as well. And I really don't want Giardia to infect the other cats or even myself.
Thanks for any responses.
CRS