How to quarantine a new kitten in a cage with an existing house cat?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Viruses can be contagious, especially if the healthy cat is unvaccinated. It is always best to keep a new cat separate from your other cat for about 2 weeks (most viruses show up in 7-10 days) and if Sifu is sick I would definitely separate them until Sifu is feeling better. Monitor Sifu, and if he isn't eating/drinking or is having trouble breathing then have him back to the vet. Once he is feeling better then get him vaccinated and then introduce the two. A cage in the same room won't separate the viruses, ideally, they would be in separate rooms where the water from the sneezing won't be inhaled by your healthy cat. Best of luck with them!

It would be prudent to keep him separated from your cat until he is examined by your veterinarian. The kitten should be dewormed, given flea medication if necessary and vaccinated before he is introduced to your cat. A blood test for FeLV and FIV is also recommended.

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!

Dewormers generally work pretty quickly, I would recommend keeping them away for at least a week. There are several respiratory infections cats can carrier and infections can spread quickly between cats especially from a shelter. That 7 day period will give you time to schedule an appointment at the vet to make sure the kitten is healthy and make sure there is a feline leukemia and aids done to make sure she is negative.

I am not sure what you are concerned about as far as safety. I do recommend keeping new kittens quarantined away from other cats for 2-3 weeks so you can monitor them for any illness that could be incubating. It can take time for cats to adjust. Getting a new cat is like getting a new roommate. Sometimes it is a perfect match and sometimes you can't wait to move out! Giving them time and space to adjust is the best thing you can do right now. You will need to have separate spaces, each space with its own food, water, and litter box. Sometimes using a feline pheromone diffuser can help with stress, like Feliway or Comfort Zone. Here is an article you may find helpful: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-steps-to-introducing-your-cat-to-a-new-feline/

I would recomend keeping both cats seperate until they have both been tested for feline leukemia and parasites. If Lenny is negative and has had vaccines he shouldn't pose risk to the kitten. At 8 weeks the kittenis ol enougjfor a first vet visit and they can advise if any further separation or quarantine is recommended.

How lovely of you to take in Haliegh! Because she isn't vaccinated, keep her indoors at all times and keep her isolated from any other cats in your home. Be sure to practice good hygiene after petting her, and washing your hands thoroughly after cleaning her litter box. She may not be used to small children, so only let your children interact with her when you are observing them. Be sure to have them wash their hands as well right after petting them. Enjoy your new cat, I hope this helps!