New kitty

[Tina and Gracie (GA)]

Ok, I have already received advice from another member, but I wanted to open up the thread and get a few more opinions.

I have the option to adopt another kitty. The cat is a male and not updated on shots (the least of my worries), as that just requires a vet visit. He is fixed.

Gracie has been my only cat for the last 5-6 years. She owns the house, and lets face it she owns me too! She is currently OTJ.

The primary concern is disrupting her environment. I don't want to make her mad, or cause her stress level to go up.

I think it would be nice to give Gracie some companionship, but at the same time I'm questioning it--like how do I know she really wants company. Maybe she likes running the apartment and having to herself. I wish she could just talk to me. Haha

Any thoughts?

@Kris & Teasel @Rachel @FurBabiesMama @Critter Mom
only tagging @Djamila as I don't want her left out.

 

[Smokey and Jessica]

Can you do a trial first?
I know my cat wouldn’t have it! He tolerates dogs, likes them even once they know he’s boss, but would fight another cat.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

I like to have two cats, because it seems to me that they should want a friend, but some cats do not like having another cat around. The hard part is, you really cannot know whether Gracie will like having one or not until you have one. I have been fortunate that the cats I have gotten always did fine together, but my husband had a cat when we got together, and one of my cats hated him. When he was here, she stayed in a bed in a dining room chair almost all of the time. I felt so bad. He tried to harass her on occasion (he did not do that to my other cat and was otherwise a good boy), and she would scream and run off. He was very old and ended up dying. She was so much happier when he was gone... she was a totally different cat! My family had two cats (siblings) and one of them was not happy, always stayed to herself. When my sister moved out, she took her. She became a totally different cat as well. So clearly excited and happy to be free of her brother cat.

I am not trying to be negative. Like I said, I personally like to have two cats. I am just saying that it is true that not all cats like to be with other cats.. at least not with specific other cats. So, you do take a bit of a risk when you bring home a new one. On the flip side, Gracie may love it. Can you foster the other cat for a while to see how it goes?

 

[Tina and Gracie (GA)]

Can you do a trial first?
I know my cat wouldn’t have it! He tolerates dogs, likes them even once they know he’s boss, but would fight another cat.

Ugh. It's so hard to know. I brought Gracie in when I still had my other cat. Gracie paid no attention to her, but my other cat HATED Gracie.

The cat lives with a dog and does great. The owners don't have another cat, so they are unsure how he'd do.

I don't know if can do a trial, it sounds like a moving situation.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Very hard to say. I've had many multiples of cats over the years. Most were OK with each other but I had one who wasn't happy with others. She was a "difficult" cat in many ways and did NOT like sharing her space. A lot depends on the personality of the cat, how dominant/submissive they are, their age, etc.

 

[Tina and Gracie (GA)]

I like to have two cats, because it seems to me that they should want a friend, but some cats do not like having another cat around. The hard part is, you really cannot know whether Gracie will like having one or not until you have one. I have been fortunate that the cats I have gotten always did fine together, but my husband had a cat when we got together, and one of my cats hated him. When he was here, she stayed in a bed in a dining room chair almost all of the time. I felt so bad. He tried to harass her on occasion (he did not do that to my other cat and was otherwise a good boy), and she would scream and run off. He was very old and ended up dying. She was so much happier when he was gone... she was a totally different cat! My family had two cats (siblings) and one of them was not happy, always stayed to herself. When my sister moved out, she took her. She became a totally different cat as well. So clearly excited and happy to be free of her brother cat.

I am not trying to be negative. Like I said, I personally like to have two cats. I am just saying that it is true that not all cats like to be with other cats.. at least not with specific other cats. So, you do take a bit of a risk when you bring home a new one. On the flip side, Gracie may love it. Can you foster the other cat for a while to see how it goes?

I'm not getting her from a shelter. I'm getting her from a person. I don't know if I could foster. I suppose I could ask, but he can't take her back.