Aids HIV FAQ

need with on foster care for kittens

Question:

i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

FIP is the one I’d be concerned about because the tests that are available are not good. Susan L. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster >program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny >kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could >bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to >test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . >thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

> i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster > program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny > kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could > bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to > test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . > thanks a lot        Jade

Good for you!!  The SPCA should be able to answer your questions.  But wanted to tell you a quick story: Shortly after I began to foster animals, I took home a brother and sister that were very very sick with what the vet thought was an upper respiratory illness.  I asked if I should keep them separate from my own cats.  Her answer:  "it’s up to you, but you don’t need to.  It would probably only affect your cats as a cold, and you might not even notice".  I decided to play it safe anyway and kept the kittens in isolation (my bathroom) for well over a month. Finally they’d seemed well for long enough that I let them interact a bit. As it turns out, the female kitten became ill again, and she got so bad that I ended up having to have her euthanized.  I found out that there was an epidemic of FIP going around and that my dead kitten tested positive for it.  Now I had one symptomless kitten at home and my own two who had now been exposed to this deadly disease. I don’t know how, but all of mine (inc the surviving kitten, whom I kept as they were going to euthanize him assuming that he had FIP) later tested +ve for coronavirus but -ve for FIP.  I also found out that many other foster persons cats were now testing +ve for FIP. Moral of the story – isolate *any* and *all* kittens that you have in a separate room, away from your cats, for the protection of both your cats and the kittens. You’ll be amazed at how rewarding fostering will be. Take care,           -Jen

Response:

i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

FIP is the one I’d be concerned about because the tests that are available are not good. Susan L. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster >program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny >kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could >bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to >test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . >thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

> i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster > program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny > kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could > bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to > test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . > thanks a lot        Jade

Good for you!!  The SPCA should be able to answer your questions.  But wanted to tell you a quick story: Shortly after I began to foster animals, I took home a brother and sister that were very very sick with what the vet thought was an upper respiratory illness.  I asked if I should keep them separate from my own cats.  Her answer:  "it’s up to you, but you don’t need to.  It would probably only affect your cats as a cold, and you might not even notice".  I decided to play it safe anyway and kept the kittens in isolation (my bathroom) for well over a month. Finally they’d seemed well for long enough that I let them interact a bit. As it turns out, the female kitten became ill again, and she got so bad that I ended up having to have her euthanized.  I found out that there was an epidemic of FIP going around and that my dead kitten tested positive for it.  Now I had one symptomless kitten at home and my own two who had now been exposed to this deadly disease. I don’t know how, but all of mine (inc the surviving kitten, whom I kept as they were going to euthanize him assuming that he had FIP) later tested +ve for coronavirus but -ve for FIP.  I also found out that many other foster persons cats were now testing +ve for FIP. Moral of the story – isolate *any* and *all* kittens that you have in a separate room, away from your cats, for the protection of both your cats and the kittens. You’ll be amazed at how rewarding fostering will be. Take care,           -Jen

Response:

i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

FIP is the one I’d be concerned about because the tests that are available are not good. Susan L. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster >program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny >kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could >bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to >test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . >thanks a lot        Jade

Response:

> i have two grown cats in my home.  i want to become involved with the foster > program at our local SPCA . i am interested in helping take care of tiny > kittens.  i am worried about what possible diseases these little guys could > bring into my home.  ie.  aids, feline leukemia, parvo.  is there anyway to > test for this when they are so young.  does any one have any input on this . > thanks a lot        Jade

Good for you!!  The SPCA should be able to answer your questions.  But wanted to tell you a quick story: Shortly after I began to foster animals, I took home a brother and sister that were very very sick with what the vet thought was an upper respiratory illness.  I asked if I should keep them separate from my own cats.  Her answer:  "it’s up to you, but you don’t need to.  It would probably only affect your cats as a cold, and you might not even notice".  I decided to play it safe anyway and kept the kittens in isolation (my bathroom) for well over a month. Finally they’d seemed well for long enough that I let them interact a bit. As it turns out, the female kitten became ill again, and she got so bad that I ended up having to have her euthanized.  I found out that there was an epidemic of FIP going around and that my dead kitten tested positive for it.  Now I had one symptomless kitten at home and my own two who had now been exposed to this deadly disease. I don’t know how, but all of mine (inc the surviving kitten, whom I kept as they were going to euthanize him assuming that he had FIP) later tested +ve for coronavirus but -ve for FIP.  I also found out that many other foster persons cats were now testing +ve for FIP. Moral of the story – isolate *any* and *all* kittens that you have in a separate room, away from your cats, for the protection of both your cats and the kittens. You’ll be amazed at how rewarding fostering will be. Take care,           -Jen

Response:

Filed under: Aids