What Kind Of Danger Does An Unvaccinated Stray Pose To Indoor Cats?

crispylettuce

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tl;dr: Do I need to wait until I've brought this stray cat to the vet for shots before I let him into my house with my other cats?

I live out in the country currently with my two indoor only cats. There are numerous pet and feral cats in the area, and we regularly leave food out for the feral ones. One stray cat in particular is actually quite friendly and comes to the house for food and pets/scratches every single day. Over the summer, I've been slowly earning his trust because I'm hoping we can officially adopt him in the future.

Anyway, it's getting colder and recently he's been showing interest in coming inside the house. I would love to let him, but I know he's unvaccinated so I'm worried about whether he could pass anything to my indoor cats. (Even if they aren't in the room with him, which they wouldn't be at first.) My cats ARE both vaccinated, so I would think that they're protected against the most dangerous diseases/etc, but I just don't know the full scope of parasites/diseases/etc that are at play here.

Of course I do want to get him to the vet for shots and sterilization too, but that's a whole other ordeal, haha. In the mean time I just want cultivate this relationship I've built with him and also to work on the one we're building between him and my indoor cats. (They've seen each other through the window and have smelled each other's scents, but they've never met properly face to face. But if I let him come inside we can start working to that goal.)
 

shadowsrescue

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You really want the new cat spayed/neutered, vaccinated and SNAP tested for FIV and FELV. It could be dangerous to your other cats to allow them to have contact.

Cats forgive quickly. It will make the integration process much smoother if you get him neutered sooner than later. It can take a few weeks for hormones to settle down. You also don't want him to spray in the house if he starts to mark territory. Waiting will cause more harm than good.

Thank you for caring for this sweet one. You will give him a much better life!
 
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