Advice on adopting a cat that recently had giardiosis.

The reddit app didn't let me add flairs somehow?

Tldr: found kitty online through local blackboard thingy. Personality fits perfect, hit it off in our meeting. Extensive online info about kitty did not include recent (negative test 1 month ago, quarantine not over) giardiosis which took me aback as special meds and chems are needed to kill them. Also further medical treatment because of the infection is in his future. Am I overreacting about the risk of reinfection? Is adopting a good idea?

Through an online local 'pinboard network' in my city I found this sweet, energetic 5year old tomcat that is looking for a new home in November. So far he is everything I looked for: as I have no possibility of letting a cat outside, I looked for cats with any kind of sickness/injury whatever that would prevent them from being able to go outside anyways. I work from home and want a cat that likes to interact with me. He checks both those boxes. The meeting with his current owner went overall good, she seems nice and her home clean as a first impression. All cats well taken care of. The reason she is looking to rehome him is because her two cats don't accept him and he also acts aggressive towards them (she got him from a small cat-saving organisation, who advertised him as very friendly and social... Oh well. Two existing kitties are normally social, but of course don't like the aggressive behaviour) Here comes the BUT. In her Ad or post about him she only mentioned his existing liver condition (seems cool, she will get him surgery this week which she will pay and he will be healthy afterwards she says) and two formerly broken front paws, which are the reason he can't go outside, as he needs to not overexert them and is generally wobbly on his feet. So, we sit down with her and then she proceeds to tells us after a while that he had giardia when she got him in June and claims she got rid of them. She tested him last in August which was a negative. The thing with giardias is, the motherfuckers don't die. They live for three months in basically any enviroment and are HARD to get rid of. You can transfer them by touching the cat or anything they touched and then touching another cat. Only ten giardia cysts are needed for infection and millions just live in your carpet once you get them. You need to buy a special cleaning agent that can kill them, any conventional disenfectant does not kill them. They die only from 70° Celsius upwards, and You need to wash bowls and litter boxes daily with boiling water. Washing your hands does not kill them. I just have to trust she did all of that well enough. The cats need to take some very strong anti parasite and anti biotic combo that ruins their digestive flora (there are only two options, equally bad available in Germany). So as she not mentioned doing it, and it is necessary after those meds, I will need to do a regenerative bowel treatment with him (so additional costs).

So my concerns are:

• I'm quite taken aback that she never mentioned the giardia beforehand in her ad. Now I just have to trust that she cleaned the sofa we were sitting on well enough (because quarantine for the cysts is not over, as it's been only around a month after the negative test and they can live up to three) and hope I don't infect my mother's cats when I see them?! This is a bit overstated but I would have liked to know beforehand...

• costs of his bowel treatment and if I'm unlucky he'll have bowel problems for life (currently still is gassy and doesn't digest well, which is normal after the meds but that means something needs to be done)

• risk for infecting again through the environment even after a negative test is high. additionally in some cats, giardia are impossible to kill as they can hide out in the gall where the meds somehow don't reach them, so it's not completely unlikely they'll be back, even after a negative test.

• I live in an old apartment with hardwood floor throughout, for rent. I cannot use the extremely aggressive cleaning agent in case of infection. I won't have a quarantine zone available for him. I fear that It will be very hard for me to get rid of them should they return.

I have not personally dealt with giardia before, I just read about them and a vet once explained them to me in another context. SO has anyone had experience with giardia in cats here? The current owner seemed to downplay the amount of work needed or how infectious they seem to be. Am I too paranoid and possibly not giving this very sweet kitty (we really hit it off in our meeting) his deserved chance? Is adopting him a good idea? I'm just thinking to simply stick to looking in local shelters again, as they are always upfront about every health issue and I have only had good experiences so far. So far I've just haven't seen a compatible cat there yet...

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