When were you ready for another cat?

[KittyKatLover]

I was wondering, to all those who have lost a cat friend, when, if ever, were you ready to own another?

Recently, I have lost my precious kitty, Magoo, and I'm still very upset about it. One day, I would like to open my heart to another cat, but I am definantly not ready now, and I don't feel as if I will ever be. I had Magoo ever since I was little. I know there will never be another Magoo, and I would never want or try to replace him. My mom says that it might help to get another cat , but I'm not sure. I was wondering if anyone would like to share their experiences on this matter. Thanks!

[catlady1945]

When our beloved Ella died, we had adopted within the week. We went to our local shelter and adopted one of their cats as a tribute to Ella. Ginger did not replace our Ella because her personality is completely different.

[kuhio98]

When Kuhio died after 17 years, we adopted Halo within a month. It helped us with our grieving so much. We slipped and called her Kuhio from time-to-time, but she didn't mind. I wasn't sure I was ready but Bob (hubby) said he couldn't stand coming home to an empty house (I'm away 2 weeks out of the month). Halo was joined by Cammie and then by Pepper. Bob and I are now outnumbered by felines in the house! :eek:
It was the best thing he ever did. It helped to be able to talk about how alike and how different Kuhio and Halo are. It helped to remember all the great times when Kuhio was a kitten, etc. Yes we cried, but we laughed even more. Each night I whisper to Halo and thank her for coming to heal our broken hearts. Being a cat, she ignores this, of course. :D
The only thing worse than losing Kuhio would have been to have lost her and never opened our hearts to another homeless baby in need of love.
Take your time, you'll know when the time is right -- or you won't because THEY'LL find you when the time is right. ;)

[catnapper]

Everyone grieves in their own time and way. When my RB Cindy died, my parents made me wait almost 6 months to get Nicki. I have always said that when Nicki leaves me that I'll need a new pup to help me heal within a week. To me its very cathartic to have a new pet to worm thier way into your heart to fill the vast emptiness left behind. Think of all th daly things Magoo shared with you, and think of the bareness of those things without Magoo there. A new cat might do some of those things, might not, but a new cat would be doing thier own little daily rituals and help fill the void left behind.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I have to agree with everyone above. You have to make that decision on your own. I lost Tubby on Dec. 11, and I adopted Jack on Jan. 4, so it wasn't even a month. There is no way that Cracker Jack can replace Tubby, but he does help fill the void left by the absence of the daily interaction with Tubby. Our house seemed empty with Tubby gone, and now, even though CJ is still relegated to the bathroom and bedroom and doesn't have full run of the house yet, the house just seems more alive again.

I do believe that getting another cat will help you to grieve for Magoo, but will also help you to get on with your life too. If you're not sure, just go to a local shelter for a visit. Nothing saying you have to bring a kitty home. If no one "speaks" to you, then it's not time yet. But it might just happen that one of the little lost souls there will reach out and grab your heart before you even know it.

I also know Tubby would have wanted me to share the love I have to give with a kitty who hadn't been as fortunate as he had been.

[smokey the elder]

I foster cats, so when I lost Pixel, there was a suitable foster called Bubba who'd been pitching forever to stay. So he did!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Dear "KittyKatLover" (sorry, cannot remember your real name)

You will fell it when the time is right!! It is so hard to loose a beloved cat, isn't it:( ! I lost my sweety Sydney in 2002. He was in a cat-hotel while we were in France. He died there....:( :( .
We found out this terrible news on a saturday-morning.
MY husband wanted to get another cat as soon as possible. He started looking on the internet and viewed pics of available cats in shelters nearby. At first, I refused to look too.
Then Sydney came home, and we buried him in our garden, in the middle of a flower-bed.
From that moment on, I felt I needed a new cat. So we went to one of the shelters, and found Maya ( correction: she found US!!).
Maya is NO replacement for Sydney!! But she sure helped me to let Sydney go to the Rainbow Bridge!!

you can read the whole story here: The Pet's House (http://users.pandora.be/bernardgabriels/)

[kimlovescats]

Even though I have a house FULL of cats (I do rescue) I still felt a huge emptiness when I lost my heart kitty (shhhh, favorite) Tucker on November 8th. I grieved and grieved, and still do .... but I really needed to try and find another kitty in need who was as close to Tucker as possible. I searched all over the internet for a Tucker look-a-like from the area shelters. Finally I found one right here in my own town's high-kill pound. I went to meet him, and brought my Ditto home on December 2nd ... so not quite a month after losing Tucker.

It has been amazing how much like Tucker my Ditto is .... hubby and I were just discussing that this morning! I truly feel that God sent him to me, to help me feel as though I still have a part of my Tucker. Oh, he also came from the same pound as my Tucker did ... so I was thrilled to be able to save another like my Tucker from risk of death at the pound!;)

You need to do what your heart tells you ... perhaps you will want to find another very much like your Magoo, as I did ... or maybe you will want one completely different, for a complete fresh start ... but whatever you decide, the joys of saving another kitty and the love he/she will bring you, will ease the pain but not kill the loving memory of your beloved Magoo!;)

(((HUGS)))
Kim

[Craftlady]

3 months after RB Butterscotch passed away we were at PetSmart getting our cat food. We always stopped by the adoption area to say "hi to the kids". We werent looking to add but 3 kitties in our house works. Eleanor adopted us. It was that way with all our kitties. Not looking, they adopted us. :)

[jenluckenbach]

You will know when the time is right. But I agree, another kitty to love DOES ease the pain of loss. I too have a house FULL of cats, but when one leaves me there is an emptiness. I usually fine a new love very soon (1 week to 1 month) after a passing.

[catcrazylady]

I have to agree with everyone here that getting another cat can help ease the pain of your loss. You can never ever replace your precious Magoo but I like to think that my cats have taught me about love and sharing. There are so many needy cats out there that would love to have a home and would be a great companion. You will fall in love with the new kitty for who it is and not as a replacement for Magoo.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[catmandu]

About a week,after Pouncer,becme an Angel,m brother asked me,if I wanted Dylan,the Orange Cat.I was reluctant,after,after the first 3 Days,was ready,to give upas he and Scrappy fought,all the time.But I persevered,and now Michael Dylan,is my favorite Cat,and my longest,in tenure,since 1993.

[jazzzytina]

After Pep passed away, of course we already had Sasha and Vivi, but we got Emily quite by accident several months later.

If I had only had one pet, and it passed away, I probably would have gotten another one within a week. Something to love helps BOTH of you, especially if you adopt from a kill shelter. It's definitely the way to go.

Hope that helps. I'm so sorry about your beloved Magoo.

[KittyKatLover]

Thank you to everyone who posted. It helps to hear from others who have experience in this matter.

I think that another cat would help to ease the pain of losing Magoo, but I know am I not ready yet. I still have my bunny, Nibbles, whom I love very much, but rabbits are of course much different then cats. Magoo and Nibbles were good friends, and they would often play 'tag'. Magoo would chase Nibbles and then Nibbles would turn around and chase him. It was so cute and fun to watch. :)

One day I think I'll be ready for another cat, and when I am, I plan to adopt an older cat from a shelter. I know that the older ones are often passed by, and I would like to give one a chance to have a loving home.

Thank you everone for sharing your stories.

[manda_moo87]

When my dear Perkins passed away immediatley I wanted to adopt a new cat, but my Mom didn't want to rush things so we waited. As time went on I began to miss my boy so so much and knew he could never be replaced and I didn't know if I could ever love another like I loved him so I began to drift away from the idea of getting a new cat.

Then the day after my 17th birthday (a month and a half after Perkins died) our next door neighbor came over with some photos of her Grand-daughter's cat, Squeekers. She needed to rehome her and immediatley thought of us, knowing we had lost our boy. I looked threw the pics and thought how beautiful she was... but it scared me to think of owning any other cat. They gave me a few minutes to decide. As I looked at these pictures over and over again something hit me and I knew I had to get her... and I said yes, it was the best decision of my life. :)

You'll know when the time is right. :)

So sorry to hear about poor sweet Magoo.