Adopting a 2nd cat

[emilyjcat]

I have a male cat, Rocky, that is about 5 years old and I would like to adopt another cat. Rocky used to live with another cat a couple of years ago and they tolerated each other. The other cat died and now I would like to adopt another cat. I'm not sure if I should adopt a kitten or an adult cat. I'm guessing that Rocky would tolerate a kitten better. I'm also unsure if he would get along with another male cat or female cat better. I would like to get an experienced opinion. Thank you.

[jenluckenbach]

Adopting a second cat is a wonderful idea! Temperament of the new cat is MUCH more important than age. You would not want to get a cat with a very dominant personality. (and females can be VERY dominant). Your best bet is NOT a very young kitten. 6 months or older are usually accepted by the residents quite well. The babies (2 to 6 months) are usually too active for a resident adult, so unless you adopt TWO kittens, look for the older ones.
Best of luck, there are many deserving homeless cats just waiting for a chance at a forever home.

[smokey the elder]

I foster, and have constant social dynamics changes. For the most part, with careful and slow introduction, most cats will at the very least have a non-aggressive relationship, and often will become buddies.

[Merrybear]

We have a beautiful 5 year old male cat Mr Darcy, he was a rescue so we didn't know his history of any past cat "family", we wanted a cat to keep him company, so we got an 8 week old femail kitten Honeybear.

We kept then apart for 2 weeks, occasionally holding Honey for Darcy to see. This would result in hisses and Darcy going off in a huff for hours. After two weeks we allowed supervised visits, Darcy was curious, Honey was a little frightened, always ended in hisses and huffs and the occasional swipe by Darcy.

It was about 6 months later that Darcy finally started to come around, and would chase and tackle Honey in the garden. She was a little scared but enjoyed the fun. It was only about a year later that they were really relaxed together, but now "look out" for each other all the time, and stand up together against other cats.

I would say that Darcy definately responded better to a single little girl kitty (although if she was a little older we could probably have introduced them quicker) , as Honey had 2 male kittens Merry and Pippen. They tend to keep to themselves when it comes to playing and certainly challenge Darcy a lot more with swipes.

Still Merry and Pippen are now a year old, and the whole cat family are quite happy to sleep on our bunk beds together.

All I would say is IT TAKES TIME!!!! I at times used to despair at Darcy and Honey getting on, but they are buddys now.

Good luck!

[angela05]

I had a male cat for 3 years who was never around other cats. When I adopted him the shelter said he didn't get along with other cats. A year and a half ago, we wanted to adopt another cat. Of course we wound up getting two because the one we wanted had a sister (of course we couldn't take just one). So we introduced the male to two young and feisty girls. It was tough going at first. I mean tough! We tried everything to make the transition a smooth one. Separate rooms, brusing the new girls and then brushing the older male. It took time and there were rough moments, but those rough moments eventually turned into playing and now we have 3 loving cats. I never thought the male would get along with another cat, and that always prevented me from adopting more. But all it took was time (and patience) and it all worked out. Good luck!