Introducing another cat/kitten

Hello all,

We have a 6 month old female kitten called Millie who is now settled in well. However, as my partner and I both work full time she is on her own for around 10 hrs per day during the week. We are thinking of getting another cat/kitten to keep her entertained for times when we aren't around and I just wanted to know if this is a good/bad idea. Some people I've spoken to have said they can get very territorial and can fight a lot, is this common? Basically what advise can you give....?

a/ Are 2 female cats better than a male/female combo?

b/ will they start peeing more to 'scent' their territory?

c/ Our cat is 6-month old, is it better to introduce an older cat or one around the same age?

d/ do certain breeds of cat get on better with each other, than others?

Many thanks

Iain

I can't answer your questions... Yet.

I have a seven month old siamese boy named Duke. My husband is home all day and I work a 9-5. We give Duke plenty of attention, but its just never enough. Soooo... We've adopted a bengal from a breeder in Montana. He'll be about 16weeks old when he comes home to us next week. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

So far, here's the advice I received on the same questions you posted. (note, its just advice that I've been given by various cat owners/vets/breeders/etc.)

a/ Are 2 female cats better than a male/female combo? I've been told that two males get along best and a male female combo is better than two females. This is provided they are both altered. Unaltered cats is a whole new territory (excuse the pun).

b/ will they start peeing more to 'scent' their territory?Because she's still so young, probably not. Is she spayed? Has she ever sprayed before?

c/ Our cat is 6-month old, is it better to introduce an older cat or one around the same age?I'm not sure that an older cat would be able to 'keep up' with your kitten. I've been advised to get a kitten Dukes age or younger.

d/ do certain breeds of cat get on better with each other, than othersTo an extent, yes. I have a very active siamese cat. I got a bengal because they are also active cats. I was also considering a cornish rex, oriental short hair or another siamese... All very active cats. I wouln't be too quick to put a persian into the mix (and not just because I really don't care much for their look). I wanted a russian blue too, but I think they might be too laid back for my crazy meezer. What breed is your cat??

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The most important thing, however, is you cats own specific personality. Is she active? Does she climb and jump a lot? Does she play fight? Does she not like to be bothered when she's sleeping? Does she growl when she eats? Is she picky about her litterbox? The questions are infinate, but you know your cat. What kind of personality do you think she would get along with... Someone needs to start a 'kitty dating service questionare'! LOL!

Good luck and keep us posted!

My boys seemed to play together more. The girls just ignored each other but I always had more than 2 at a time so I don't know how they would have acted without the males around. It depends more on personality imo.

I'd be very careful about a male/female combo unless the female was large and strong and the male less so. Two females may wreak havoc, but are less likely to actually hurt each other seriously. I found they're pretty neutral to each other (after initial crazies!) and two males are good together.

Well she isn't really a pure breed (she was a rescue cat), basically she is black/white moggy. She is quite a social cat and will follow you around the house (when not sleeping) or she can disappear for a couple of hours and keep herself entertained. She isn't overly vocal, but she does have her moments. The main characteristics? Well she loves to play, with anything especially my hands/feet when I am sleeping, she loves climbing, toys, exploring the house, but her real favorites are playing fetch (I’m sure she wants to be a dog), hide and seek, and for some bizarre reason she loves sitting in the bathroom sink/bath/shower. She spends ages just looking at the droplets of water run down the bath/shower when we've finished. She usually wakes us up at about 6:00am and occasionally has moments of craziness when she sprints around the house. She gets most vocal when I’m on the Internet or watching a film and she wants to play. She just sits there meowing. Apart from that, she is fairly normal.

She uses her litter trays well (apart from when we first got her), so no unusual problems here. She doesn’t growl when she eats and is quite happy to be picked up when she is asleep, (she’s normally too sleepy to do anything about it).

She sounds pretty active. All the stuff you listed is actually normal for an active cat (like a siamese/cornish rex/bengal/abbysinian). My siamese does all that stuff too. You may want to think about getting an active kitten that can keep up with her. I think the general rule is that warmer climate, shorthair cats tend to be more active than colder climate longhair cats (though I believe Maine Coons are the exception to this). If you're looking to get a cat from a breeder, consider the breeds I listed above. If you're adopting from a shelter or rescue, ask the people there how the kittens temperament is and watch them play with the others.

Good luck!

I find that bringing home a male works a lot better then another female if the resident cat is female. Females tend to be more territorial then males (unless he's not neutered). If she is active, you want to match personalities, so find a male about 4-6 months old (neutered) that is medium-active.

Do introductions slowly. Put him in a room to himself for about a week (with litter pan, food/water). Your female will be upset at first - so expect growling, hissing, etc.

Then switch rooms - let your female hang out in the room the kitten was in and let the kitten run supervised in the house. Before they do face-to-face meetings, clip ALL nails Expect hissing, chasing, and maybe a little swatting but they should get along in a few weeks and start playing.

I find that if you get them to interact with a string toy, they accept each other quicker. And another trick is to sprinkle them with cornstarch baby powder so they both smell the same to each other.