Animal Welfare Professionals

First time fostering and we got mama and five kittens. They all have symptoms of URI and I am giving them medication for it. I have two resident cats and keep the kittens and mama in a separate room. Been washing my hands after handling them as well as my cats but curious to know if that’s all the precaution I need to take or do I need to be changing my clothes and what not after each visit. 

Ideally a change of clothes would be most conservative, but this is not surgery, an oversized shirt (possibly man's old shirt could be used as smock to protect your clothes which could  carry bacteria.  A spare  set of shoes or slippers, only used in cat room might also be a good idea so as not to track outside contaminants in or bacteria/virus out. Coverups should be washed in hot water, with bleach frequently but not after every visit (in my opinion) this just would not be practical.   We do the best we can, but  if we try to be absolutely perfect we will burn out  which won;t  help the cats/kittens and for the most situations don't call for extreme measures.

Here is link to info

https://www.maddiesfund.org/upper-respiratory-infection-in-kittens-and-cats.htm

Thanks for what you are doing.

Your resident cats if healthy adults should be able to resist or fight off infection relatively easily but do keep them separated from cats.

Note I am no expert but have been rescue volunteer and foster,(both dogs and cats, mostly seniors), for many (over 20?) years.

Thanks for taking the time and responding. This was very helpful! 

Hi!  I've been fostering for many years & we have, on occasion, dealt with Upper Respiratory issues.  Many times the antibiotics helped, sometimes they just had to get through it (viral)!  One thing that our vet recommended was a good probiotic during the time they were sick. 

As for cleanliness, we bleach EVERYTHING here (whether they are sick or not).  I put all their toys in linen laundry bags, bleach all rags, towels, bedding, cubbies, anything we use when they are sick (old tees, old shirts) in a HOT bleach wash.  We do this all the time, just as a regular course of action.  In addition, between litters, we use a bucket of hot water with bleach & wipe down the cages & let them air dry.  I also make sure that their bowls are changed & washed in our dishwasher daily.  We also wash our hands ALOT.

When we have sick babies, and we have a few around here every year, I make sure to keep up with their weights, we weigh them at least once a week & if I don't see them eating daily I reweigh.  We also do our best to snuggle with them as much as we can when they are sick.  My husband is wonderful with the little's who are sick - he gets them right up in the crook of his neck & puts a little rag or piece of a baby's blanket over them (they calm right down & snooze for awhile).  They really bond with him & he just loves it!!!

We also give them as much high calorie food as possible when they are sick - mother's milk, canned kitten food (as much as they will eat) & make sure the Mom is well hydrated and fed with kitten food, too.

Just as an FYI, Clorox wipes will fit into a Swiffer mop - it is a nice thing when you are worried about viruses & germs!