I have both long haired and short haired cats. They all shed. Sometimes short haired cats will shed just as much or more than long haired cats. Usually short haired cats are easier to groom than long haired but in my case all of my cats are fairly easy to groom. Good luck with finding a short haired kitten.

I also think that you'd have no problem introducing a male cat 1 year old or younger. Sunny and Cirrus were 8 months old and my newest furkid was 1 year old when I adopted them. You can also tell more about their personality too.