# Feral kitten (FIV/FEL testing)



## Kimfdj (Dec 29, 2019)

Hi, there. A feral mom and approximately six week old kitten were living under my friend’s porch. We trapped Mom and took her to county services to be spayed on Thursday. They are short staffed so she probably won’t be released until Tuesday or Thursday due to the holiday. 
We hasn’t seen the baby in a week and since we live in an area with a lot of predators, thought the worst. The kitten showed back up under her porch tonight calling for mom. We baited the traps with smelly tuna and are very hopeful that we will catch him tonight.

If we do catch him, I will bring him to my house and keep him crated until county services reopens on Monday.

I have two adult cats in my house. Do I have to keep the kitten in a quarantined room bc it hasn’t been tested for FIV/FEL?
My cat experience is pretty minimal. My cat was a stray that adopted me. She had three babies in my garage. I kept one and my Mom adopted the other two. We adore them and I wouldn’t want to risk exposing them to anything. Thanks for any advice.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

You should keep the kitten separated for several reasons. He could have fleas, an infection, a disease, but mostly because cats have to be introduced slowly and cautiously. Since he's probably leaving on Monday, there isn't time for a proper introduction and I wouldn't risk your cats catching anything from him.

What you've done so far with the mother is great. I hope you're able to catch the kitten and reunite them.


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## catsinthegarden (May 19, 2019)

You and your friend are so good to rescue those cats. I hope your shelter can find them a home.

Having just gone through a ringworm episode (caught from foster kittens), I strongly recommend keeping the kitten confined in a small space, like a bathroom, that you can clean easily if necessary. Also, don't handle the kitten without gloves, and don't let it crawl all over you unless you're wearing something you can remove before going back into the rest of your home. You could check it over first with a black light, but even that's not 100% reliable.


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