Adopting a kitten

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AnxiousJ
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Adopting a kitten

Postby AnxiousJ » Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:13 pm

I am two years post infection and have tested negative multiple times. We are considering adopting a kitten for my almost 12 year old daughter. We have two dogs (I've always had dogs). However, the only thing that is stopping me is that damn post infection "what if". I have some concerns about the litter box and the potential for a cat climbing counter tops (which I find really gross). Regardless, I probably would not have had these concerns pre c-diff. It would definitely be indoor and even though it is frowned upon, I would most likely have it declawed. My daughter who is responsible has vowed to take care of the litter box with gloves. Are cats more likely to spread germs than dogs? While I am negative, I like many of you worry about the potential of antibiotic use in the future and worry about a future recoccurance. Is this a terrible idea? I don't know if these are valid concerns or if I'm letting anxiety get in the way. Any post infection cat owners out there?

roy
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby roy » Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:30 pm

If your obsession with germs means you would mutilate a cats feet for your own peace of mind you should not get a cat.

roy
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby roy » Fri Aug 17, 2018 3:31 pm

your Daughter could be 27 And you will probably be a Grandmother before the cat dies

beth22
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby beth22 » Fri Aug 17, 2018 5:01 pm

Personally, I would not get a cat, but I don't really like cats much anyway. I prefer dogs.

Mindy
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby Mindy » Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:41 pm

Declawing a cat is actually cutting toes at first knuckle. Ouch.

CorgiGal
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby CorgiGal » Tue Aug 21, 2018 10:00 pm

My family has cats and I work with cats on a daily basis in my job. So far, *knock on wood*, no problems.

My only worry has been cat bites. Cat bites are typically treated with augmentin, which is a high offender for C.diff from what I understand. However, in the event that happens, doxycycline is also a treatment that works and the doctor should be open to it with augmentin being such a high offender.

If you are worried about potential germs, your best bet would be to get an adult cat, not a kitten. Kittens are more likely to carry toxoplasmosis, bartonella, and intestinal parasites compared to adult cats. But odds are, since you already have dogs, your "germ count" won't be all that much different adding a cat to the list.

Also please don't declaw your cat, especially when you have dogs in the household. It is very painful, especially when the cat is already an adult at the time of declawing. Many shelters will carry cats that have already been declawed by a previous home, and might be something to look into if this is something you really, really want.

AnxiousJ
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby AnxiousJ » Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:06 pm

Thank you all so much. I have been reading a lot about little plastic nail covers that can be placed on the nails so that made me happy. CorgiGal, Thank you for the information. When you say cat bites are you talking about indoor and vaccinated kittens? We would have her vaccinated and tested for toxoplasmosis too. She’s 5 weeks old and IF we get her it won’t be for another month so she would be fully vaccinated and tested. I guess my concern is risk of infection from a scratch and also the potential of spreading spores from jumping on counters. However, I am two years out, negative and clean my house well and still bleach the toilet. I bleach the kitchen counters and other bathrooms that I do not use once a week. I wash my hands well too. I am sure there is also a potential risk with a dog or any animalreally, but I’ve had dogs forever and they cannot jump to high spaces so to me it isn’t as much of a concern. Also, thank you Beth, Roy and Mindy.

CorgiGal
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby CorgiGal » Wed Aug 22, 2018 7:42 am

Unfortunately the bacteria in cat bites don't change with vaccination, but this is definitely more of a concern if a cat really bites, like into the muscle, versus a small play nip that barely breaks the skin. Just something to keep in mind (it's always on my mind!). Scratches can always get infected, but usually just some soap and water and a little bit of neosporin takes care of those, unless it's a truly deep scratch in which case your doctor should be consulted.

Toxo testing is really good at saying if a cat is positive, then it really is positive for toxo, but if it is negative it could just mean your kitten hasn't expressed the antibodies detected by the test yet. Fortunately, it takes 24-48 hours for the oocysts to sporulate in the cat feces, so if you are cleaning the litterbox every day, the chances of getting toxo are extremely small because you are removing them before they are able to infect anybody.

We definitely wipe down our kitchen counters every morning with some disinfecting wipes (and bleach, if needed) before preparing food, just because you can't control where your cat wanders at night, haha.

roy
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby roy » Wed Aug 22, 2018 9:01 am

To be honest if your worried about germs that much then a cat is not a pet you should consider.
Why introduce something into your house if it's going to be a source of worry?
I like cats!
Could not eat a whole one though.

AnxiousJ
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby AnxiousJ » Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:21 am

Thank you CorgiGal and Roy! Roy, I do agree with you and am beginning to rethink this a little. I have always had dogs and am not really a "cat person" but our almost 12 yr old daughter is, so that is the reason I am even contemplating it. She has been asking for years and bc we have a friend who has kittens to adopt she is beside herself and willing to do whatever it is to adopt. That being said, you are right. I'm not entirely comfortable with the potential risks and and rethinking if it's worth the stress and worry. I may talk to my pcp but I do agree and appreciate what you are saying. I have improved dramatically since my illness with the anxiety I developed, see a therapist. I am healthy, no immune issues, relatively young(ish). I just want to be able to distinguish between valid concerns and just not doing something due to anxiety I developed post infection.

justme
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby justme » Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:10 pm

I love cats! My Charlie aka Chuck is an 11 year old Russian Blue. He is strictly a house cat and has been declawed on the front claws. I see nothing wrong with having a cat nor having them declawed (but only if they are inside and never go out except to the vets). To clean up the potty box, we use "one use" plastic gloves. When my Chuck passes on, we'll get another kitten (I don't care what breed or if it is mixed) and it will be declawed and strictly a house cat. Dogs are great too, but they have to be walked and require and lot more work (they also try to eat the furniture and are hard to house break). Everyone has their preferences and I prefer cats. Any pet one gets has to be trained not to eat or scratch the furniture, not to jump up on sinks, etc. Yes, there are some risks, but they can be managed. Just be vigilant to guard against potential problems and enjoy your precious pet (whichever you choose).
Aloha,
Anne

AnxiousJ
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby AnxiousJ » Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:42 pm

Thank you, Anne! Do you mind if I PM you? How do I go about doing that?

justme
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby justme » Wed Aug 22, 2018 5:33 pm

Hi Anxious:

To PM me just go to where it says "private messages" (upper right) and address it to "justme".
Aloha,
Anne

AnxiousJ
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby AnxiousJ » Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:44 pm

justme (Anne),
I tried to pm you but don't know if it went through. I saw it in my "outbox" but not from my "sent".

Thanks!

AllisS
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Re: Adopting a kitten

Postby AllisS » Sat Sep 01, 2018 1:03 am

I've had cats my entire adult life, i.e., for decades. With the exception of my first two, when I was in my 20s, all have been front-declawed -- not because of any concern about having to take antibiotics in the event of a bite or scratch, which I never thought about until I had C. diff five years ago, but because I've had lymphedema in one arm since I was about 30. The first cat, whom I adopted while she was only around one year old, from a shelter, was front-declawed by the shelter vet, who didn't consider the procedure cruel or particularly painful and said she'd done it on her own cats; as another poster stated, declawing, if done, is best reserved for young cats. This cat, like subsequent ones, was indoor-only; it shouldn't be done on a cat that will ever go outside, and you should be confident in your ability to keep the cat indoors. The next two cats, including my current one, had already been front-declawed, by previous owners, before I adopted them, and I had to search online for such cats and go rather far geographically to get each of them, as the Boston area has become very rigid about not allowing declawing -- even of cats that are not in no-kill shelters and will probably be euthanized if they can't find a home (including with someone who might declaw them) -- so one must either lie about their intentions (something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing) or look for an already-declawed cat. Leaving the back claws intact is a good measure for the remote chance that the cat should ever get outside accidentally, as it affords some protection.

All of the above said, while front-declawing greatly reduces the potential for being clawed -- back claws aren't generally in play, e.g., if you have to pick up the cat for some reason -- there's always the potential that a cat will bite. That depends more on the cat's personality than anything else. I've never had a cat do more than nip a little, and that's usually only if the cat is provoked (though that, too, depends on personality).

Cats are great companions, but they certainly bring a measure of anxiety, for reasons ranging from the cats, themselves, contracting illnesses common to cats to the potential for injury to the owner. As for their climbing on kitchen countertops, which is unhygienic, kittens can usually be trained to stay off of them -- at least, while the owner is around!
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm


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