How risky is it to introduce two healthy, vaccinated kittens?

I'm glad you are doing your homework before bringing new fur babies into the situation. Most shelters will routinely deworm their pets and test for leukemia and FIV. So you definitely want to make sure these treatments/tests are run prior to adopting the new kittens. Its not unusual for new cats and kittens to break with upper respiratory infections within the first 2 weeks of being adopted. Herpes virus is very common in cats (some estimate 80% of cats carry the virus) and it comes out in the stress related to being in a shelter and being rehomed. Now, this is not going to happen to every cat/kitten but its not unusual. Therefore, your best chance to avoid this would be to get a cat/kitten that has been kept in a foster home. It will likely still have herpes but the environment should be less stressful, therefore less risk of the virus becoming active. Keep the new pet separated for 2 weeks. That way if it does have an outbreak, you will at least have it contained. You could also put your cats on 500mg of lysine twice daily to help booster their immune system. Kittens get 250mg twice daily. Please post again if you have any further questions!

Kittens can take weeks to get to know each other although some never settle down as friends. I would recommend keeping them isolated until fully vaccinated and also tested so as not to spread viral infections unknowingly

While technically they are at risk, they are adults that have been vaccinated so it is less likely they will contract the virus. Cats at greatest risk of infection are those that may be exposed to infected cats, either via prolonged close contact or through bite wounds. Such cats include: 1) Cats living with infected cats or with cats of unknown infection status 2) Cats allowed outdoors unsupervised, where they may be bitten by an infected cat 3) Kittens born to infected mothers Kittens are much more susceptible to infection than are adult cats, and therefore are at the greatest risk of infection if exposed. The degree of virus exposure sufficient to infect 100% of young kittens will infect only 30% or fewer adults. Nonetheless, even healthy adult cats can become infected if sufficiently exposed. It is best to separate the cats. If it turns out that sister's cat has FeLv, it is not an immediate death sentence. Retrovirus-positive cats may live many years without related illness.

Yes, they should both definitely be kept separated until the other can has had his second vaccine. That's to make sure they are both afforded immunity from serious disease and cannot pass it to each other. It's only temporary. I know Rusty is lonely and bored, but it won't be forever, and then they can play with each other :-)

This is great. I would freshen up your Angora cat's vaccination and when you adopt your new kitten, make sure it is examined, wormed and vaccinated by your veterinarian. All should be well then. Oh, and there will be a lot of hissing and spitting....do not despair. It will take time but eventually they will at least tolerate each other or even like each other. Make sure you give your older kitty just as much loving as up to now so she does not feel neglected.

Hi there! It's wonderful that you are adopting and fostering kittens! Thank you for helping these animals in need. If you plan to only have the foster kittens for a week I think it would be safest and maybe easiest to keep them separate. Often times shelter and rescue kittens can come down with upper respiratory infections and sometimes it can take a couple days for the symptoms to appear. So even though they may appear healthy initially it is possible they may be sick a few days later. The other concern would be parasites such as worms, coccidia and Giardia which can be shed in the bowel movements. So if they are sharing a litter box they are are increased risk for that too. If you wind up keeping the foster kittens longer than the week and if they haven't shown any signs of upper respiratory infection (sneezing, runny nose, discharge from the eyes, coughing) you could consider introducing them with supervision. I would also recommend having a fecal checked by the rescue on those kittens and Bob as well before letting them play together. With young animals it's always better to err on the side of caution as they can get much sicker, much faster, than an adult cat. I hope you find this information helpful. I wish you and Bob and your foster kitties all the best!

Feline leukemia is spread mostly by fighting and breeding and most mature cats have some natural immunity. There is always a risk if you haven’t had the kittens tested so I would request a Felv/Fiv test and if they are negative then your cat should be safe to play with them. I don’t wait until they are six months to test kittens. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Munchie.