Hi, I have a 3 year old moggie. My colleague is retiring and moving to a new home. Sadly she could not take her cat with her and I offered to take him. He’s lovely, quite a chatty thing but also pretty lazy. I’ve kept indoors for now to make sure he’s settled and attached.
However he had cat flu in the past and apparently often gets flare ups a few times a year. He’s already had one due to the stress of moving and his eyes get very weepy (needs to be wiped several times a day so he can see), he was sneezy, and he had little appetite.
From what I can see he is a carrier of the flu. Of course most cats get vaccinated for the flu but I’ve read some that say most cats have cat flu so it’s not a problem to let him out, and others that it might be better to keep cats inside If they are carriers? It’s only a couple of posts or comments on sites, NONE of the shelter websites that talk about cat flu mention keeping flu carriers indoors at all!!!
I have a vet appointment for his round of vaccines soon so will ask then and listen to the vet ultimately of course, but I’d like to hear your experiences?
Of course if I need to I’m happy to keep him inside. I would keep him indoors during flare ups any way to make sure his eyes get the proper attention. If he’s indoors all the time then he won’t be so upset at not being allowed to go out when he has flare ups. I also don’t want to endanger random cats or make him more vulnerable to flare ups if being outdoors is more stressful. But I don’t want to restrict him unnecessarily if he’s safe going outdoors!
He was indoors only with my colleague but only lived with her for a year and a half, and his previous owner let him roam. So he’ll be happy either way.