Adopt another cat?

[girlsmiley]

Hi guys.

If you didn't already know I have a cat. She turned one in March. She's my first cat ever and I love her. She's my little mate. When we got her she was skinny and had fleas and worms and all sorts of stuff, but she's all good now. Shiny, beautiful, cute, spiteful, petty and horrible.

Thing is, she isn't as playful as she was as a kitten. I know this probably sounds silly but I wonder if she's happy. Which brings me to the adoption part. I'm thinking about adopting a kitten.

I thought about getting a cat the same age but I'm scared they will fight, so I'm thinking maybe a kitten? A companion for her. I'm not sure if cats even want companions

How do I find out if my cat will get along with a kitten? Do I take her to visit some?

 

[loquere]

Get a puppy.

 

[girlsmiley]

Talk to people at your local animal rescue, I'm sure they would gladly advise you....two cats are definitely better than one

I'll try again. Their line has been busy all morning.

 

[girlsmiley]

Good luck

I have two 'rescues' ...love 'em

Did you adopt them together or separately?

 

[Saint_Ann]

2 cats + 1 litterbox = https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/c2R-hdYf0x4cQS3WDpUy-uRKqXA0eEsZZXjFeJ41n6cRcVCdLrUfvKmbsIYStCOOtj_N3HuheO8XcAm4e5kYmYvRYt5CRDQA_zzsWS_iXjDGznPZi2ja7CSyUkLNDfc6Wm8hUTM-ozuZdOjCu03_AzbbxOMm​

 

[Jada59]

I don't think the age of the new cat matters.

What you have to do is keep them apart for about 10-14 days. That was the time frame I got from the cat adoption place, but we only waited about a week because things were going well.

Put the new cat in a small room. We used the bathroom. Had to have two litter boxes for a little while because we normally just have the one in the bathroom.

Doing this will allow the original cat to roam pretty freely. It will also give each cat a chance to get used to the scent and sounds of the other cat.

Be sure to spend time with the new cat but not so much time that the original cat gets jealous.

Both cats will become curious about each other and the day will come that they will want to see each other.

Introduce them slowly. As in... Open the door a tiny bit so they can see each other. You might do this several times over the course of a day or two. Monitor this as their may be some hitting, hitting, ect. If this happens, shut the door.

When you think they are ready to meet, open the door and stand by. It might go well, or they might try to fight. If they try to fight, tell them "no". The new cat might retreat into the room to feel safe.

From there, you can sit down and call each cat over by name. have one sit on one side of you and the other on the other. Try to show them that you love them equally.

Also have some sort of toy with a string so you can stand up, use the toy and have both cats interact with you at the same time.

 

[FataMorgana]

They all lose some playfulness as older, I'm sure she's happy. But if you want another probably a kitten is best. Full grown cats usually have to establish hierarchy and territory stuff so a kitten is less threatening.

I didn't want Pip on his own so brought two kittens in. At first I thought I'd made a terrible mistake cos he hated them. I was worried he'd either hurt them or run away. But then he got curious and within two weeks were playing together. They love one another madly now.

I think a kitten is your best bet for harmony, she's still a kitten anyway. Older cats can get annoyed at kitten behaviour!

Good luck petal.

 

[PetBlk]

After a year your cat should have you well trained by now: tickling her behind the ear, bring her food when required, giving her her favourite chair/ cushion, chasing off any annoying dogs etc etc. If you buy a bell to warn off birds, it goes round her neck not yours.

 

[SpeareChucker]

Having interacted with you over some time now,



I would say, yeah, you could use a new familiar.

That and you will probably end up as a cantankerous ol' crazy cat-lady...

 

[colddiesel]

Probably better to get another female or maybe a castrated male. Toms tend to spray a lot and smell awful. Younger might be better too - leaving your present cat as boss of both yourself and cat 2.

In the semi desert area where I live there are a lot of feral cats; they are really vicious and terrorize any domestic cats.

 

[HisArpy]

Talk to the animal shelter people about a TEMPORARY sheltering of a kitten with an eye towards adopting the kitten permanently if things work out.

They'll explain to you the process to see if your cat will accept the kitten.

As an aside, many cats will go through life quite happily without a feline companion in the house. They are solitary creatures by nature.

 

[With_David_Bowie]

Get something that A: Isnt a cat, and B: Deserves love.

https://www.gapnsw.com.au/

I hate animals. The ex racing dogs are perfect, except if you're a cat fetishist you have to walk em daily.

 

[stickygirl]

A friend went through tearful hell because she adopted two cats and they fought constantly, but I like the sound of Jada's plan. There's also a slightly mean stereotype about women with two many cats... something about one cat being ok, any more and she's neurotic.... unsurprisingly that came from a short bloke who's a bit of a tosser.

 

[girlsmiley]

They were adopted together...both older and had been mistreated, so very nervous but they've learned that they can trust (took 2 yrs though)

I can only speak for my local 'rescue' centre but they will only allow an adoption if they feel confident that the cat will be safe and looked after so, if you are considering another cat, I would hope that your local centre would take the same approach

My go-to cat org helped me a lot when we first got our cat. I told them I don't really know anything at all about cats, and that some fucking arsehole had dumped her in a park and she had worms and stuff. They sent me a whole bunch of reading material and a special code for a bunch discounts at the vet. Immunisations and spaying and microchip etc. They're actually really good and care a lot about cats.

There's a bunch of paperwork you need to read and complete, and an interview process. An interview with everyone from the household, so we'll all have to go in. So they're pretty thorough which is good.

They all lose some playfulness as older, I'm sure she's happy. But if you want another probably a kitten is best. Full grown cats usually have to establish hierarchy and territory stuff so a kitten is less threatening.

I didn't want Pip on his own so brought two kittens in. At first I thought I'd made a terrible mistake cos he hated them. I was worried he'd either hurt them or run away. But then he got curious and within two weeks were playing together. They love one another madly now.

I think a kitten is your best bet for harmony, she's still a kitten anyway. Older cats can get annoyed at kitten behaviour!

Good luck petal.

Ugh. I don't know why but reading your post almost made me cry LOL thank you. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Experience.

After a year your cat should have you well trained by now: tickling her behind the ear, bring her food when required, giving her her favourite chair/ cushion, chasing off any annoying dogs etc etc. If you buy a bell to warn off birds, it goes round her neck not yours.

You don't know me! Okay, maybe you do because I do all of those things.

I tried to put a collar on her, but she wasn't having it and I was actually worried she was going to hurt herself, so no bell. She loves to stalk the birds. Sits on my fucking plants and wiggles her tail lol. I tell her she better get off my plants and she just looks away in disgust. Bitch.

Having interacted with you over some time now,



I would say, yeah, you could use a new familiar.

That and you will probably end up as a cantankerous ol' crazy cat-lady...

I was cantankerous before I had a cat, so.

Probably better to get another female or maybe a castrated male. Toms tend to spray a lot and smell awful. Younger might be better too - leaving your present cat as boss of both yourself and cat 2.

In the semi desert area where I live there are a lot of feral cats; they are really vicious and terrorize any domestic cats.

I'm a bit sad I had her desexed now because she doesn't get to have her own kittens, but maybe if we adopt one that will be nice for her.

 

[girlsmiley]

Talk to the animal shelter people about a TEMPORARY sheltering of a kitten with an eye towards adopting the kitten permanently if things work out.

They'll explain to you the process to see if your cat will accept the kitten.

As an aside, many cats will go through life quite happily without a feline companion in the house. They are solitary creatures by nature.

Is that how it works?

I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with that. I don't like the thought of returning an animal to a shelter. I just don't think it's something I could or would do unless it was life-threatening.

 

[girlsmiley]

Get something that A: Isnt a cat, and B: Deserves love.

https://www.gapnsw.com.au/

I hate animals. The ex racing dogs are perfect, except if you're a cat fetishist you have to walk em daily.

So, like a cake?

 

[girlsmiley]

I don't think the age of the new cat matters.

What you have to do is keep them apart for about 10-14 days. That was the time frame I got from the cat adoption place, but we only waited about a week because things were going well.

Put the new cat in a small room. We used the bathroom. Had to have two litter boxes for a little while because we normally just have the one in the bathroom.

Doing this will allow the original cat to roam pretty freely. It will also give each cat a chance to get used to the scent and sounds of the other cat.

Be sure to spend time with the new cat but not so much time that the original cat gets jealous.

Both cats will become curious about each other and the day will come that they will want to see each other.

Introduce them slowly. As in... Open the door a tiny bit so they can see each other. You might do this several times over the course of a day or two. Monitor this as their may be some hitting, hitting, ect. If this happens, shut the door.

When you think they are ready to meet, open the door and stand by. It might go well, or they might try to fight. If they try to fight, tell them "no". The new cat might retreat into the room to feel safe.

From there, you can sit down and call each cat over by name. have one sit on one side of you and the other on the other. Try to show them that you love them equally.

Also have some sort of toy with a string so you can stand up, use the toy and have both cats interact with you at the same time.

There's plenty of room. Two spare rooms, a spare bathroom and quite a big laundry downstairs. I read that cats like to have their own things, so there'll be two of everything.

From what I've read in this thread, it'll take a little while for my cat to love a new kitten. But that's OK.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Brains_N_Boobs]

Why not get a duckling?

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AshamedScratchyFerret-size_restricted.gif

 

[SpeareChucker]

...


I was cantankerous before I had a cat, so.

...

I know.
It inspired my post.

 

[SpeareChucker]

Why not get a duckling?

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AshamedScratchyFerret-size_restricted.gif

That must be one well-fed cat...

 

[girlsmiley]

Talk to people at your local animal rescue, I'm sure they would gladly advise you....two cats are definitely better than one

I had a chat with one of the adoption organisers last week over the phone.
She was very helpful. Appointments are fully booked for the next three weeks, so we can't get in yet. I'm kind of glad, in a way, because my cat has been very sick. I think she ate something she wasn't supposed to. Three visits to the local vet. Very hard on our poor cat. I had a wee cry in the garage when we got home. I was worried she might die and the way she looked up at me at the vet. Ugh. The hissing and growling and meowing from the injections. It was fucking horrible. But she pulled through and she's back to her perky self mostly. Hates boiled chicken.

Adoption:

The lady said the whole family goes in for an interview and we bring a blanket home and see how our cat reacts. From there, we can foster a kitten. I told her that I'm not very comfortable with the idea of fostering because I don't like the thought of returning her to a shelter if things don't work out. She explained that even if things didn't work out, the kitten would love to be cared for and looked after and away from the shelter for a little while. She said they do not put cats down, so if we had to return the kitty that it would be safe and would go to another family.

So yeah. I'm okay with it now. Now we wait.

 

[FataMorgana]

I could never foster, couldn't give it back even if it was a little wanker. We have a fostering service thingy for animals when we put folks in our hostels at work. Last year this horrible druggie couple had to have their cat fostered. It had obviously been beaten, was thin and full of fleas, so I told the cunts one day it had escaped and ran away. They went ballistic at me but I just let them rant on. She has a lovely home now thank god.

People are scum.

 

[HisArpy]

I had a chat with one of the adoption organisers last week over the phone.
She was very helpful. Appointments are fully booked for the next three weeks, so we can't get in yet. I'm kind of glad, in a way, because my cat has been very sick. I think she ate something she wasn't supposed to. Three visits to the local vet. Very hard on our poor cat. I had a wee cry in the garage when we got home. I was worried she might die and the way she looked up at me at the vet. Ugh. The hissing and growling and meowing from the injections. It was fucking horrible. But she pulled through and she's back to her perky self mostly. Hates boiled chicken.

Adoption:

The lady said the whole family goes in for an interview and we bring a blanket home and see how our cat reacts. From there, we can foster a kitten. I told her that I'm not very comfortable with the idea of fostering because I don't like the thought of returning her to a shelter if things don't work out. She explained that even if things didn't work out, the kitten would love to be cared for and looked after and away from the shelter for a little while. She said they do not put cats down, so if we had to return the kitty that it would be safe and would go to another family.

So yeah. I'm okay with it now. Now we wait.

Good things come to those who wait.



Or so I hear.


P.S. If the adoption is successful, be prepared to have your hallway turned into a racetrack. Oh, and anything fragile should be stored out of the house for the rest of your life.

P.P.S. Kitty laser. Just sayin'.

 

[Saint_Ann]

There's been a jet black stray lurking around. I could ship it to you.

 

[girlsmiley]

I could never foster, couldn't give it back even if it was a little wanker. We have a fostering service thingy for animals when we put folks in our hostels at work. Last year this horrible druggie couple had to have their cat fostered. It had obviously been beaten, was thin and full of fleas, so I told the cunts one day it had escaped and ran away. They went ballistic at me but I just let them rant on. She has a lovely home now thank god.

People are scum.

They call it fostering, but it's just trying to adopt. A step in the adoption process. It goes like this. Interview, where they give you a blanket to bring home, and then foster if they think you're okay. You pay a fee, to help towards the care they've given your kitten. Medical expenses. Microchip, desexing, immunisations etc. If your kitten is happy with you, he or she stays. The only way I can imagine returning a kitten is if our cat tries to kill it. Otherwise, it will stay forever. I'm hoping our cat loves having a friend, but I'm preparing myself for a fight LOL. Kitty will have their own room and box and food and fountain. I have it all ready now.

Yeah, I don't know how people can do that to animals. When our cat was sick I came across a video where a woman left her 3-legged dog in like a carpark or something and drove away. Just left it there. I felt like I was going to be sick. What a fucking monster.