Second Cat?

[babyg]

Hi, everyone,

Not here to talk about diabetes specifically; just a general health question maybe you all could help with.
My thirteen-year-old cat has been an only child her whole life. She has diabetes and also chronic pancreatitis. I've been working on and off the past several months getting her glucose better regulated since the pancreatitis flared up. Overall I would say she is doing good, but a work-in-progress.
My dad has a cat that is approximately three years old. My dad was recently diagnosed as having dementia, and is now living in a nursing home. I have been taking care of his cat at his old residence, and am debating whether I can integrate her into my home or whether I should return her to the no-kill shelter he originally got her from.
I had her checked at the vet. Blood work overall is healthy, but there are a few negative things that stood out that I am concerned about.
1) Her ears were super waxy; lots of brown stuff; she had an ear infection in one ear, for which I gave ear drops, and the infection is supposed to be gone now.
2) Her breath stank real bad and her gums are very red. The vet thinks she has gingivostomatitis, and gave me an antibiotic for it, which helped but didn't cure it, of course. I refused to do steroids because of the risk of developing diabetes. So she has an appointment with a dental specialist this week. Thinking she may need her teeth extracted to stop the inflammation.
3) She tested positive on the low end for the feline coronavirus. To my understanding, majority of cats do and that it is usually nothing to worry about; however, I am concerned about if my cat can catch it from her and could my cat later develop FIP from it.
I don't know if I am being neurotic and overprotective of my cat by greatly hesitating on bringing my dad's cat into my home to live with us. I brought his cat over briefly two times and they hissed at each other through the carrier. Since then, I have watched some YouTube videos online about how to introduce cats and realized I shouldn't have let them seen each other at all. I'm sure I could do the introduction much better now.
The shelter has a policy where they take the cat back with no questions asked; they said they would take care of all her medical needs for her mouth and that they would try to get her adopted out and I could visit her if I want until she gets adopted. They seem very nice, but morally I feel horrible at the idea of surrendering a cat and putting her into an environment like that. I was crying and just couldn't do it. But then I think to myself how my cat is the one I adopted and she must be my first priority as she is my baby.
So my first question is have you ever brought a second cat into a home where your resident cat was a solitary senior with health issues? Did that help or exacerbate things?
My second question is how real do you think the risks are to my cat's health? Should I be concerned about the feline coronavirus and her getting FIP? Could a new cat raise her glucose and throw it off track even more?
I need to decide soon whether to take her in or take her to the shelter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I cannot answer about the FIP portion since I do not have experience with that. However, barring that, I do think you could bring her into your household.

I am guessing neither cat has experience in a multi-cat household. So the introduction process may take more time to give them time to adjust to being with another cat. If you bring her into your home, you will need to keep her isolated initially. Part of the reason is to give her time to recover from her other health issues. If she does not feel good, being around a cat she does not know will stress her and delay her recovery.

Eventually the cats will start showing interest in each other. If you are able to separate them where they can still see each other, such as a screen door or baby gate, you will be able to determine how well they will start to get along. Most likely, there may be some initial hissing and growling, but as long as you are not seeing any aggression such as trying to attack each other, most likely you will be able to eventually integrate them.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Yes is is very likely that most cats have a coronavirus and I wouldn't even take that into account.
I have adopted many older cats but not when I only had a 1 cat. I always had multiple cats and not I have a 2 for 1 rule. I have to wait until two of my cats pass until I can adopt another. The only problem I have had is with twins, one who is diabetic. They sometimes gang up and attack. They have even done that with my dog. Otherwise I have not noticed any real problems. SOmetimes some cats seem to like one another but sometimes they just stay away/ignore one another.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

We have brought many new cats into multi cat homes and it usually works out. Most just pick a spot and tolerate each other but we have over the years had a few real bullies and once an alpha male that made a new addition's life a living Hell. This is just a once every five years thing, I don't want to discourage you.
Be realistic about what to expect. They might not be best friends but may appreciate the company. I wish more people were more realistic about a new pet's health like you are.
You only live once. Save a life now and Karma will be with you.

 

[babyg]

We just got back from the dental vet. She said my dad's cat either has periodontal disease or stomatitis. They recommend partial extraction first because cats can't be under anesthesia too long plus sometimes a partial is all they need. A partial can take 1-2 visits and cost 2,000-2,500. Takes about 2 weeks or more to heal each time. If the first partial isn't enough, then the rest of the mouth will be another 1 to 2 visits and another 2,000-2,500. Afterwards, majority of cats are fine, but a few may still need medicine afterwards to manage inflammation. Some cats need meds their whole life. Overall, it can get VERY expensive and mean a lot of lost time at work. That's not even counting if there are complications. The vet said stomatitis is a very frustrating condition. Seems a HUGE commitment. I don't know that I can reasonably do it as I am the only breadwinner and it's just me, plus it's been difficult enough taking care of my cat with all her health issues. I've risked losing my jobs before with her alone and taking her to vets for stuff.
Which again, the thing I mainly worry about is my dad's cat being positive for feline coronavirus and potentially passing that on to my cat. I think I'm a very risk averse kind of person, and that scares me the most.
I greatly appreciate everyone's answers here. I'm thinking about it but I'm most likely going to have to take the cat back to the shelter this weekend. The shelter said they'll take care of her mouth and then work on getting her adopted. It is such a heartbreaking decision. I don't know how I'm going to do it.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Don't let guilt play any part of this. I avoid shelters in general so I don't end up on Hoarders. Never mind the health costs, 15+ years of shots, litter, food and possibly boarding can easily add up to a good down payment on a house. "Pick your battles" means something, we can't all save the world. Pick your corner and your battle and your soul will still end up in a good place. Anyone who passes judgment on you hasn't been there.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Check with the shelter or your local humane society if they offer low cost vet options for the dental. They may have some recommendations that could save you money, especially if you would consider keeping her.

I recently needed to have my kitten Billie spayed. My vet quoted over $500 for it. I took her to a low cost clinic that I have used for cats I have rescued and it cost me $90.00. Big difference.

 

[babyg]

"Pick your battles" means something, we can't all save the world.

Thank you for this. This is how I've been feeling lately, overwhelmed at how I can't seem to "save" everyone and make everyone happy. I tell myself that I'm not Jesus and can't save everyone, and even He can't exactly save everyone either. I'm trying to accept this. It was difficult having to place my dad into a nursing home, and it is difficult looking to take his cat to the shelter today. With my dad, I felt horrible about putting him into a home and was scrambling to find any other feasible option, but short of quitting both my jobs and becoming his full-time 24/7 caregiver, there was nothing else I could do. Now with his cat, short of risking my own cat's health, I feel like there is nothing else I can do.

I thought about the costs for her surgeries and decided ultimately I would be willing to make it work somehow, but the main deciding factor for me is the positive 1:400 coronavirus titer. I talked with several vets; one said he wouldn't worry about it at all, and most people seem to take the same viewpoint...an internal medicine specialist acknowledged that yes, there were risks and no one could predict what could happen...and my primary vet seems neurotic like me. One idea was to separate the cats to where each would have their own half of the house and never interact, but the vet said she recommended I wash my hands and change my clothes after interacting with the corona cat, and that I should have her retested in a few months to see if the titer goes up or down. It doesn't seem fair to me that my dad's cat couldn't freely roam the house like a normal cat, and changing my clothes every time I go in and out of different parts of the house seems nonsensical long-term.

I texted all my siblings to see if anyone would be willing to take our dad's cat, and no one responded except for one brother to say "No Thanks." And a couple of these siblings are the same ones who foolishly talked my dad into getting a cat in the first place, yet none of them will step up and accept responsibility for her.

At the end of the day, it seems to me to come down to how risk-averse a person is. Some people would go ahead and take comfort in the fact that maybe 13% or so of cats with Fcov develop FIP, but I personally feel like even if the risk is small, the consequences if luck runs against me could be devastating. It's not like I'm taking a tiny chance of my cat just getting sick; I'm taking a chance of her getting sick and dying. I'd feel horrible if the odds were not in our favor. I'd be worrying about her all the time. I feel like I have to put my own cat first.

I'm hoping that once my dad's cat's mouth is fixed, that with the upcoming holidays, she will get adopted quick because more people will be looking to add a pet to their family. I plan to keep tabs on her and visit her occasionally until I know she's finally going to a good home.

I hope I'm making the right decision. Like with my dad, I feel like I can't win no matter what, but for some reason it's harder with the cat because animals are helpless and can't understand things. Just wanted to come back and update on this in case anyone else in the future finds themselves in the same boat and is wondering what the end result was, plus I needed to vent and try to find a sense of closure.

I appreciate everyone's responses. If anyone has any other knowledge on Fcov or any other ideas I hadn't thought of (though believe me, I have been brainstorming and researching like crazy!), I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

FWIW, I had a cat who was diagnosed with coronavirus. He never transmitted the virus to my other cat and they were snuggle buddies. It is a low probability event but, as you rightly note, it depends on how risk averse you are. We also knew a heck of a lot less about coronavirus at the time (as it was well over 20 years ago).

 

[Jackie and Biggie]

I am not sure that 13% statistic is accurate. Most of us have multi-cat households and never factor in Fcov status. The number of cats whose Fcov mutates to FIP is very small and most have been exposed. There is treatment for FIP now, though it’s not FDA approved and it’s very expensive. It’s not necessarily a death sentence, though I wouldn’t want any cat to get it since the disease is awful. Have you considered what it would mean to your dad for you to care for his long-time companion? That might help you decide as well. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[babyg]

It was (and still is) a very difficult decision, but I gave her back to the shelter. I've already visited her a couple times and plan to visit her every weekend until she gets adopted. She seems very relaxed and happy over there. They have a nice setup for the cats. I miss her terribly though and feel so heartbroken. I got really attached to her the last couple months with taking care of her. I think I'm way more upset about it than my dad is. He always complained about her all the time over normal cat things she would do. I wish the FIP treatment were easily and readily available so that FIP didn't have to be feared anymore.

 

[Jackie and Biggie]

She is on the young side, so she I am sure she will acclimate. She’s lucky she had you to care enough to put a lot of thought into her future. It sounds like the rescue she went back to is also doing right by her. I hope her mouth pain and issues subside with the dental. It sounds like it will work out for her!

 

[babyg]

Wanted to follow up on this now that it's been a couple months later. I don't know what I expect or am looking for anyone to say, if anything. Just airing out my thoughts/emotions, I guess.
My heart has been breaking over this cat ever since. I visit her every other weekend, and last time I saw her she was batting at other cats and tries to get away from them. I was told she has the typical tortie attitude, but I hate seeing her stressed out. She hasn't had any dental work done, and looks like barely any of the cats are getting adopted. I'm beginning to think she's never going to get out of there. Then a friend of mine is basically blaming me, saying I should have tried to get her into a foster home situation, but yet that very same friend told me in the beginning of all of this that all the foster places were full and not accepting new cats and that it could be hard to get in, so... and I didn't have the luxury of time due to the situation with my dad.
I'm so upset over this cat situation because I love cats so much and I want to adopt her, but my vet advises against it because my dad's cat could infect my cat with the feline coronavirus and my cat is older and already has health issues. As I've said before, we're worried the virus could cause my cat to have more issues with diarrhea (we just got her diarrhea due to chronic pancreatitis under control) or even worse: die from FIP if it mutates. I'm especially worried about FIP since senior cats are the next most vulnerable population to it. I've tried to think how I could bring his cat home yet keep the cats separated, but then think 1) how fair is that for her to be basically confined to one room (even though it would be a very decent-sized room), and 2) how feasible is it all when I'd have to be careful not to transmit the virus on my hands or clothes between interacting with each cat. I'm really trying to do the best I can for the cat while also doing the best I can for my own cat. I guess has anyone ever been in a situation where they really wanted to adopt a cat but felt like they couldn't because of concern for their existing cat(s)? My vet tells me not to beat myself up over this and that I did the right thing for my cat, but I feel horrible. I really love that cat too.

 

[Jackie and Biggie]

It is really sweet of you to visit her. This is heartbreaking! Perhaps it would be worth getting a second opinion from another vet or two? I really don’t think he gave you sound or accurate advice. At least you could see what other vets think and then decide.

ETA she may well act more aggressive with other cats because her mouth is hurting her. It is common for cats who are in pain to be more on edge/prone to snap. I hope she can get help with her mouth soon. Perhaps the rescue could do a go fund me or other fundraiser (yard sale, etc) to help raise funds for her dental?

 

[babyg]

Update...she's still there at the shelter. and last I checked she had an upper respiratory infection, to boot. I want her to be happy and have her forever home. This just doesn't get any easier.
My own cat has had more recent health issues..so like I mentioned before, I worry my cat's health would be jeopardized by bringing another cat home.
I just wish I could update this thread with news that my dad's cat has finally been adopted. I keep praying her special person will come along and snatch her up already.
This whole thing's got me thinking now that I need to make better plans for my cat in case, God forbid, something happened to me and I couldn't take care of her anymore. Obviously my siblings wouldn't since they wouldnt take my dad's cat, as we saw. Anyone ever do a trust or set up something somehow for your pets in case you died, etc.? No one likes to think morbidly, but I'd hate for my cat to end up like his in a shelter or even worse, put down. Maybe I'll make a separate thread just for this very topic.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

cat who was diagnosed with coronavirus

The problem with this is getting mocked if you even propose the idea of zoonotic transmission, like cats sucking the breath from babies. Salmonella is zoonotic as is MERS. It doesn't fit the profile here but getting rabies from transplanted organs is not a myth. The general public should have picked up on this from mad cow disease but we never listen.
The odds may be up there with getting hit by lightning and although our vet has had Covid twice I'm not about to mask our cats and the dog. We've all taken animals into our homes out of compassion and trying to make the world just a tiny bit better. I just wish more people realized we share this beautiful planet with other living things and we've really made a mess of things.
You'll know the end is here when Elon Musk starts taking down payments for his plan to colonize Mars with one million (sanitized and genetically screened) people by 2050. Maybe he thinks Total Recall is a documentary. For now I'm happy with one cat at a time.