Advice from fosterers please

[Booktigger]

I always keep fosters isolated for the first two weeks, but Casey is going bonkers trying to get out. She has no signs of fleas or cat flu and apart from her skin infection got a clean bill of health - would you let her out sooner than 2 weeks? do you isolate for 2 weeks, and if not, have you ever had any probs? I only have 2 vaccinated cats, the fosters aren't.

[smudgley]

I don't mix any of my foster cats at all.
Therefore they are isolated the whole time they are with me.

[Booktigger]

I had that intention when I first started fostering. I tend to get a lot of long term fosters though - my first foster was here for 4 days before they had to 'swap' him for a cat and kittens that needed the space, other than that, the shortest has been a month, longest is Tom - 7 months and he is still here, but it was agreed that he would be integrated and allowed outdoor access.

[Booktigger]

Well, the cage will get its first use shortly - she is too desperate to get out in there, it isn't fair on her, so am going to put her in the cage in the front room for about an hour to see if it helps. Tom isn't helping, he keeps sleeping on the cat bed that is near the door!!

[smudgley]

Mine are all in cat pens - except I currently have a mom & kittens in the conservatory & I have 2 feral kittens in a pen in the garage so they can watch the world go by. Hubby spends a lot of time in there & they can see him pottering about, also the kids go in there & play sometimes, so they are seeing different people.

[Bengal Cat Rescue]

I usually keep my foster cats seperate for the first two weeks, however once they've been flead, wormed and had there vaccinations I have mixed them with my cats.

It does depend on the cat, my latest Savy is mixed withm ine and loves Gilbert. She was hysterical while she was seperated as she loves people soo much and now my Bengal.

[Bengal Cat Rescue]

Meant to say I have mine in a big crate in the lounge after health checks etc. I let them out for an hour or two while mine are out and watch how they react to mine while in the cage. Take it from there but its really a case by case for each foster

[Booktigger]

WEll, putting her in the cage didn't work - although could have been cos I had slipped down the stairs while carrying her litter tray down (didn't want to confuse her by giving her a clean one) - so had to hoover a large amount of wood based litter, some had been used!! My stairs don't have backs on, so had gone everywhere and am sure I will be finding it for days. So, as a result of the hoover going on, Tom had taken himself into my room, and Molly and Pebbles had taken themselves to bed too. She briefly met Ginger on the stairs, but no one else was downstairs, so she just made even more noise. She is really fussing for about 10 mins after being left on her own, but she has only been here a week, so I don't want to let her out - have only done it with two cats, and they had both been mixing with other cats at the rescue so I knew they could be trusted. Fosters aren't vaccinated either though.

[Booktigger]

Put her in the cage again tonight, but sat in it with her, and she wasn't happy. Molly did come down, and came near, but got spat at. She showed a bit of interest in Tom, but as usual he pushed too far (he always does), but after spitting at him, she started wheezing a bit. she is just so desperate to get out of the cat room though, I don't know what I am going to do with her.

[Booktigger]

Tomorrow is D Day. She hates the cage, although I have left it up in the front room just in case. Brought her down last night to go in the cage, and all the cats were upstairs or out, so I let her wander round. She got up the stairs before me and met Tom, just sniffed him, but as usual, he went too far and she spat at him. She has met Molly too, and did swipe at her. So I don't know what will happen tomorrow. She is getting worse cooped up though, her miaows now sound like a sqwaking baby!! And she attacks the door a lot - there is carpet protector infront of the door though, so i think it sounds worse than it is. IT is another 2 weeks before she can go on the rehoming page as well.