Cat flu - rescue kittens

[halesie]

Hi all, please would you talk to me about experiences of cat flu and the effects it has on cats who've had it?

A local rescue has some amazing kittens but they've had cat flu (I don't know which strain though) and I'm not sure if it would work here as a couple of our neighbours have cats.

My main worries at the moment are whether the kittens would be ill time and time again (and whether an insurer would exclude any flu symptoms?) and whether they could pass it on to other cats in the neighbourhood if they fight - eg if one of ours bit another cat? And whether cat flu is likely to shorten life expectancy (they're moggies so no particular other health concerns).

We have youngish children and lost our two elderly moggies in the last couple of years - the children were devastated so we also don't want them to worry that we have poorly cats who we could lose at any time soon.

And I'm sure there are lots of other questions I should be asking the rescue, a vet or the insurers - have I missed anything obvious? I have at least read the Cats Protection guidance on cat flu so have a little bit of background.

Thanks very much.

Generally speaking the cats get better and that's that. Sometimes it can have a long term effect on a eye (usually just the one) if it wasn't treated early enough. Sometimes strange things like having dental problems earlier than you would expect is blamed on having had flu as a kitten.

They wouldn't be going out while ill, so passing it on shouldn't be a worry.

Really you just need to be willing to give them tablets/eye drops.

Sometimes they have symptoms when young and after vaccinations and with age as their immune systems mature, they are absolutely fine. It's very common for stray kittens born outdoors to have it so I wouldn't panic.

we got siblings from a "rescue" (it turned out she was unofficial) who developed flu a few days after we got them home. it was touch and go while they were tiny but no lasting effects. this was in the days before insurance was widespread though, so i can't answer that bit.

Thank you all, that's very reassuring. Will take a look at the insurance and maybe speak to lovely local vet

Some cats can develop chronic cat flu....this can be quite detrimental to their overall health but if these little ones have had it once and are out of the environment then there's a good chance they'll be fine.
My cat was exposed to so much cat flu as a kitten and young cat that she has been badly affected. Her eyes are constantly runny and one gets regularly inflamed. She sneezes and coughs ( the walls next to where she sleeps are revolting after a day or two). She has never to my knowledge infected another cat, but perhaps when she's actively fighting it at any point she may have enough of the virus in her system to pass it on.
She is about 10 now and has been 'dying' at least twice a year. She has outlived all our other cats despite this.

That wasn't to worry you. I read it back and it seemed a bit of a buzz killer for your kitten excitement. I think I was trying to say that even if the kittens were to get ill in the future then there's no reason you cant enjoy a happy life with them.

Our kittens had cat flu before we got them.

They’ve not had it since we’ve got them and are both healthy and crazy (spent this morning trying to coax one down from the top of a high wardrobe, she scrambled up the open bedroom door and leapt across to the top of the wardrobe for some unfathomable reason).

Insurers won’t insure against cat flu for us tho.

Main thing is to get them straight to the vets at the very first signs of cat flu. Once their nose gets bunged up and they stop eating it’s harder to treat them at home.

I tend to also keep mine indoors when it’s cat flu season. Ours are indoor cats anyway so they’re fine with it.

My cat had cat flu as a kitten (or at least that's the vet's best guess - she was a stray) as she has had a few dental problems (she's had some teeth out and now has special dental biscuits) and was poorly a few times when younger. She is now nearly 12 and other than having more eye gunk than your normal cat (it doesn't help that she is bad at cleaning her face) I don't think you could really tell that she's ever been ill.

Certainly not by the way she was play-biting me earlier when I interrupted her chasing her tail! She was about to fall off her cat tree and when I went to rescue her, she decided attacking my hand was more fun.

Thanks foxpox - I'm glad you posted. We lost our very old boy a few months ago to cancer and we all felt (still feel) pretty bruised by the experience, it was so sad. I don't want the children to grow up worrying - they have enough on their plates already.

fuzzywuzzy and lostplatypus judging by the rescue pics at least one of the kittens would be just like your crazy cats! She was over halfway up the side of the pen "wall" Have had a ridiculously clever (half Siamese) crazy cat before and she was amazing... poss not the right choice for my older parents as I was leaving home though