So I have a wonderful cat. She never uses the bathroom outside of the litter box. She never claws at our furniture. She plays with our two dogs and is the sweetest thing.
I want another cat for her (and me), but H is afraid that we're pushing our luck and the new cat will be a terror.
What would you do? Get another cat and risk it or stay in the safe zone?
Here's a pic of the baby I want-
Eta- this is a P&R because I like to torture myself with chem lab.
Has your cat been around other cats before? The fact that she's ok with the dogs is good, but not necessarily an indicator of how she'd be with other cats. Is this new cat ok with other cats and dogs?
We got a second cat and it was a fucking mess. It took awhile to introduce them, which is perfectly normal, and they became friends for several months then one day something changed and they wanted to kill each other. It was so strange and we never did get past it (even though we tried everything). We had to keep them separated until one of them died. Biggest PITFA ever. I'm sure there's a ton of postitive stories for my one but that was my personal experience.
I think UWR got a second cat and it was rough for awhile but they worked it out.
eta: additional details, our original cat was older, maybe 11 at the time, really sweet natured and affectionate and social, especially for a cat. The new cat was a kitten. Both were female. They got along great for maybe a year- like they would sleep together and the older cat would mother and clean the younger cat. Then one day it all changed, the only thing different that happened was that I got pregnant. I have no clue if that had any bearing on the situation.
Has your cat been around other cats before? The fact that she's ok with the dogs is good, but not necessarily an indicator of how she'd be with other cats. Is this new cat ok with other cats and dogs?
Everyone is a rescue so we have no clue about anyone's past. Our cat, Mia, has never been around cats before (that we know of). Not sure about the new cat and the shelter is closed right now.
Well your cat sounds like a sweetheart, so as long as the other kitty is cool being in a home with other animals I think it'd be worth a shot, but I'm a biased crazy cat lady. Keep in mind that sometimes it can take a while for them to get used to each other.
I introduced a second cat (adult) when my perfectly behaved wonderful cat was 7 years old. They never adjusted. I read the books on introducing, faithfully researched everything and they hated each other from day 1. Eventually they could eat near each other and walk past one another but my original cat started pissing everywhere and it never stopped. Even after cat #2 passed away and she's been doped up on prozac she's only marginally better. Like eb, I'm sure there are 1000 great stories to my one bad one but just beware that it isn't always a happy ending.
Though I do think she would have adjusted better to a kitten vs another adult, male cat. I won't press my luck now and will just wait until she passes before getting any more.
We've introduced three additional cats to our first cat in the last 6 years. I wouldn't say any of them really love each other, but very rarely do they actually fight. They pretty much all just coexist and are as happy as can be just interacting with us.
Just a thought about this particular cat...tri-colors (calicos and tortoiseshells) have a reputation for having what is called "tortitude." They tend to have more of an attitude and are more active. However, I have two of them and love their personalities.
ETA: I obviously support getting her, as I have 4 of my own cats. And currently 2 foster kittens...the more the merrier!
I wouldn't get a second cat when you have a cat who is perfectly happy and, frankly, an angel. As others have stated, getting along with dogs does NOT indicate that your cat will get along with another cat. Cats are extremely territorial.
I am coming off of a 2 year stint with an adopted cat from hell though. Even my angel cat is happier now that demon cat's gone; I didn't realize how stressed out my "good" cat was by demon cat.
It was an adjustment for cat #1 and they're still not the best of friends. But it made cat #1 more active again, and he got over it with a limited amount of sulking.
Post by juliagoulia on Sept 2, 2014 13:39:22 GMT -5
We introduced our second kitty about a year after the first... It was ugly for months. H was furious with me because he thought first cat was being scarred. Then one day they were fine and now they're best buddies. My vet said it may have been because they're both female? Said male-female tends to be easier. I don't want to scare you- just know that there may be an adjustment period and it may even be an unpleasant one (our first cat basically only hid under our bed or hissed for months.) we also tried introducing them slowly and stuff but it really didn't make a huge difference. They just had to work it out.
Post by orangeglow on Sept 2, 2014 13:41:28 GMT -5
1 to 2 was easy peasy.
2 to 3 is still a struggle some days and it's been 7 months now. BUT, cat 3 was 6-7 when we got her. She almost gets along with our first cat, but her and cat 2 still have it out a couple times a week. That said she is the sweetest snuggliest big girl ever and we adore her. We just have to keep food and water separated and sometimes they just fight.
Post by juliagoulia on Sept 2, 2014 13:44:54 GMT -5
Oh and to answer your other question- cat #2 is so annoying! Lol. We love her but yes, she is an exponentially bigger pain in the ass than our first. She watches us sleep and licks our eyelids. And purrs soooo loud, all the time. She really is a doofus.
We introduced our second kitty about a year after the first... It was ugly for months. H was furious with me because he thought first cat was being scarred. Then one day they were fine and now they're best buddies. My vet said it may have been because they're both female? Said male-female tends to be easier. I don't want to scare you- just know that there may be an adjustment period and it may even be an unpleasant one (our first cat basically only hid under our bed or hissed for months.) we also tried introducing them slowly and stuff but it really didn't make a huge difference. They just had to work it out.
I thought of sticking to all female because I'm terrified of a boy marking their territory. Is this not true?
We introduced our second kitty about a year after the first... It was ugly for months.
I thought of sticking to all female because I'm terrified of a boy marking their territory. Is this not true?
I think the marking is more of an issue with intact male cats- but I can't say 100% because I've only had my two girls. I know I have had a couple friends who have had issues with cats going outside the box and they were all female cats- so I think it may even be possible with females? (1 was a medical issue-bladder infection, the other friend's though was a behavioral issue and feliway helped).
We have a 7 year old perfectly behaved kitty. She is so sweet and affectionate and spoiled. About a year ago we got a kitten, a girl. It did take a few weeks for them to get used to each other, which was fine because I was waiting on kitten to get all of her shots and dewormed before introducing them anyway. My older cat hissed and growled at the bathroom door (where we kept kitten).
I think it took about a month for everyone to get along well. There were no fights but my older cat was pissed and would run away from it. She wouldn't be affectionate either if the kitten was around. Now they get along great. They play and chase and sleep together. My older cat is basically my younger cat's favorite thing ever lol.
We definitely had a happy ending but I've heard horror stories.
I feel bad, I don't want to discourage you from getting the cat. Is this from an animal shelter? Can you introduce them and see how it works out? My kitten was a gift from BIL (he knew we were thinking about a kitten and okayed it by H first), a friend of his found a stray that had kittens so we had nowhere to "bring her back" to. But I'd think animal shelters deal with kind of thing a lot and will give you some leeway, right?
We have a 7 year old perfectly behaved kitty. She is so sweet and affectionate and spoiled. About a year ago we got a kitten, a girl. It did take a few weeks for them to get used to each other, which was fine because I was waiting on kitten to get all of her shots and dewormed before introducing them anyway. My older cat hissed and growled at the bathroom door (where we kept kitten).
I think it took about a month for everyone to get along well. There were no fights but my older cat was pissed and would run away from it. She wouldn't be affectionate either if the kitten was around. Now they get along great. They play and chase and sleep together. My older cat is basically my younger cat's favorite thing ever lol.
We definitely had a happy ending but I've heard horror stories.
OMG squee! Cute babies! Okay, I'm only going to show H your post. Kthanx!
Last pic is really old, gray/white cat died:( solid white is with my mom and we have newer, younger cat, seen in the other pics.
I have an all white cat too. He was sent from hell to test me. He was our second cat. Our first cat hated him and even though she died in Jan he is still a fucking stress-ball nightmare.
I feel bad, I don't want to discourage you from getting the cat. Is this from an animal shelter? Can you introduce them and see how it works out? My kitten was a gift from BIL (he knew we were thinking about a kitten and okayed it by H first), a friend of his found a stray that had kittens so we had nowhere to "bring her back" to. But I'd think animal shelters deal with kind of thing a lot and will give you some leeway, right?
I've known the owner for years from being active in the animal community around here (is that even a thing?) so I do think she would let me test the cat out for a few days/week first.
We actually did the same with Mia. I only wanted her if my dogs were okay with her so we did a test period for about a week before we paid for her.