Is she happy on her own?

[moosmom]

I'm so sorry to hear about Ellis' passing. I think right now at Penny's age, adding a kitten to the mix would only create stress. Unless Penny is showing signs of depression, not eating, walking around the house looking and crying out for Ellis, I'd leave it be. She and Ellis were good together because they were mama and son. If you DESIRE another kitty, then great! Just make sure you introduce them gradually.

[Catlady711]

As the owner of a 16 1/2 year old in a multi-cat household here is my opinion..

At Penny's age adjusting to a new, particularly young and energetic, kitten would be stressful for her. With Penny's advanced age she will soon, if she's not already, be experiencing the enevitable effects of aging; stiff joints, decreased hearing, & eyesight. Those things will make it more difficult for her to interact with an exuberant kitten.

My honest opinion is that Penny has had a good many years with her son, but now may be the best time for Penny to have all that love and attention to herself and to console her loss in her geriatric years. As her body gradually slows down, her health may require more medical attention/special foods, and she may have special needs as she ages, which would be difficult to accomodate if there is a kitten in the house also.

[x.Anni.x]

I'm so sorry to hear about Ellis' passing. I think right now at Penny's age, adding a kitten to the mix would only create stress. Unless Penny is showing signs of depression, not eating, walking around the house looking and crying out for Ellis, I'd leave it be. She and Ellis were good together because they were mama and son. If you DESIRE another kitty, then great! Just make sure you introduce them gradually.

To be honest I'm not sure where she stands, since she's started to notice his dissapearance she's found some strange /new habbits.
Like she will meow and meow to be fed, she'll get fed, eat a tiny bit, walk off then meow and come back and eat some more. And she also meows so much more now. She used to be quite quiet most of the time but now she's very loud. And I'm not sure if it's just something I started to notice or if she has changed.
She also has a lump in her kidney and the vet isn't sure what it is or if it's harmful or not so I guess im expecting to loose her in the not so distant future. Even if the lumps not harmful it will still grow and eventualy she wont be able to eat, unless the lump is removable, but we wouldn't know unless she had an operation and thats a big ordeal for an old cat.

So I really don't know whether a kitten is apporpriate or not. I'd love one obviously, but I want wants best for her. I don't want her to have the last part of her life alone after she's lived most of it with feline company!

Well I guess I'll have to see what all of you say, I'm sure you know more about cats than I do.

Thanks for responding.

[kimlovescats]

I'm so sorry about Ellis's passing. It does sound like Penny is mourning his loss. The extra crying and wandering around is her feeling a bit out of sorts without him there. I agree that with her current age, and the fact that she is missing her best friend, that you should give her some undivided attention for her remaining days. Once she passes on, then you will have plenty of opportunity to take in one or even two new babies and pamper them for many years as you have with Ellis and Penny!