# Too soon for a new cat??



## SpaceyKP (May 8, 2010)

Can it be too soon to adopt a new cat? Leo has been gone only a few days, so I don't want to get a cat now and feel like I'm replacing him. But at the same time, I feel like his passing gives a chance for another shelter cat to have a home. I love rescuing animals from shelters so they can have a good home and a spoiled life. I've only been in this situation once before, but my dog had passed and the next day a kitty came home with me. Having a different type of animal never made me feel like I was replacing my dog. (We didn't actually get another dog until over a year after my dog passed.) I didn't have the quite same attachment to Leo as my dog because of different situations and length of time together, but I don't want to resent a new cat because I start to feel like its a replacement for Leo. I also do know how it would be if I got another kitten. The last thing I want it to lose another kitten to FIP so soon after Leo. (The hope with getting young animals was to not have to deal with losing them for quite awhile.) How would getting a new cat affect the two I still have? They know Leo is gone and are still looking for him around the house. Could they reject the new cat, especially if it were a kitten, because they were looking for Leo and got some new stranger? 
I think, no matter what, I am going to sign up to foster kitties for the humane society. But I just don't know what to do about getting a new family cat.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I would wait a while. Cornell recommends at least a month ASSUMING you clean as they recommend. I would do that and wait at least 3 mos. FIP sucks and you do NOT want a repeat!



Cornell said:


> If there was only one cat in the house, and you lost her to FIP, it's wise to wait at least a month before bringing another cat into the household to be sure the virus, which can survive for several weeks, has died out. To clean up a household, a very effective cleansing solution is four ounces of household bleach to a gallon of water.


http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/fip.htm


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Oh -- and oops -- you still have 2 cats? Personally, I wouldn't risk it no matter what -- you can have your current 2 cats tested, but the "test" is really just a titer, and your kitties will probably titer as having been exposed to the virus (since they were) and you cannot know if they are carrying it or not.


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## SpaceyKP (May 8, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I've found plenty of sites on FIP, but I hadn't found anything yet saying to wait some time before getting another cat. One thing that does worry me is if Leo was exposed to FCoV from one of our cats, and not prior to coming to our house. I've tried not to think about that though because I'd feel terrible if he passed away from FIP because of a cat I exposed him to because he could have had a long and healthy life otherwise. I've cleaned off the solid surfaces in the house already and washed the beds (and looking for a good cleaner for the carpeted cat tower). But I guess I should call the vet and ask about FCoV tests for my cats. He is doing an autopsy on Leo and I asked only to be given the results if there was any reason to worry about the other animals or myself and my husband getting sick. The vets never really seemed worried about my other cats getting FIP, probably because Leo came from the city animal shelter (the same one my other cats are from) and could have easily been exposed there. All the vet did mention is that the vaccine for FIP is still controversial and not necessarily effective.


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## lisab3410 (Oct 2, 2009)

I'm really sorry about Leo - how sad for you!

Do you mind me asking what FIP is?

x


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Is that Leo in your icon?


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## SpaceyKP (May 8, 2010)

That is my Leo in my picture. That was taken the day after I got him when he was about 2.5 months old. 

FIP is feline infections peritonitis. FIP is caused when a feline coronavirus mutates and/or the cat has a compromised immune system and it becomes the FIP virus. The virus actually uses the white blood cells, which should be getting rid of it, to travel throughout the cat's body and attack their organs. FIP is not too common. Only about 5% of cats get it, mostly kittens who don't have developed immune systems, and its most common in mutli-cat households or shelters and baby kittens get it the virus from their mothers. Unfortunately FIP is basically 100% fatal, and 95% of cats with it die within a couple weeks, or even a couple days. I guess the 5% who live longer are typically mid-life cats with stronger immune systems who get FIP treated early on. There's really no real test for it, the only way to get a confirmed diagnosis is through autopsy, and there's no real treatment for it. There's a vaccine which is only kind of effective, but not really proven. It's a really sad disease and really heartbreaking because you basically have to sit aside and wait for it to take over or put your cat to sleep.


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## melvinator (May 13, 2010)

I feel very very sad for you.  
My cat has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called pemphigus foliaceus.
We are still battling with it. I hope he never gives up because I won't. 
Feel better!


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## love.my.cats (Jan 29, 2009)

Sorry to hear about Leo  


I think only you know when you're ready for a new kitty. Everyone is different. Some people need time to grieve and others cope better if they fill the 'gap'. Nothing can ever replace a pet we have loved and lost but we can certainly share the love we still have inside us with another animal who needs loving. Sometimes that makes it easier. 

However, if there was a medical condition and it is recommended you wait a period of time before getting a new kitten, I'd definitely wait. 

As far as your other cats go, it's hard to say exactly how they'll react, just treat it as a brand new introduction and take things slowly.


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