I have a sad meezer

On Wednesday we had to have our grey/white male Ashten put to sleep because he was very sick and couldn't even stand up. He had been sick with hyperthyroidism for a long time. Siam, our siamese, was walking around yesterday just howling. We have been giving her extra attention.
Siam and Ashten had been together for years, and of course Siam is understandably bereft (as we all are ). We are going to go to the shelter to get another kitty for Siam sometime in the near future. We want to make sure to get a cat she likes, and were thinking of bringing Siam to the shelter with us to pick a kitty. Do you think this is a good idea? We can't do rescue because this kitty will be an indoor/outdoor kitty, and the rescues won't adopt to you unless you are going to keep your cat indoors (and I can't blame them). Thanks for your input.

I do not necessarily think it's a good idea to bring Siam. Basically, it'll scare the living daylight outta him & chances are he'll be freaked enough to not care about anything but getting out of there. You know Siam's purr-sonlity, so pick a feline with a similar activity level who has a similar purr-sonlity.

So sorry about your loss.

At first I thought it was a good idea, then after reading the previous post, I thought Siam will probably think that your going to put him in there.

How about taking a pic of Siam and bring it with you!

I know it sounds stupid, but, it is the next best thing to having your cat with you. Hold the picture while your looking. Your cat will let you know which kitty he wants via intuition.

Siamese tend to be very "emotional" cats so its not surprising at the reaction.

But I would NOT take her to the shelter to pick out a new brother/sister. They are not dogs and they don't just meet and greet. They meet and HISS.

So I'd look for a brother/sister that is similar in personality of the one she lived with. Keep in mind that females tend to be more territorial and take longer to adjust to a newcomer. I'd look for a neutered male to bring in the house.

Thanks for your replies. Siam is rather skittish in new situations, so you're probably right about her being too stressed to care about picking out friend. Hmm I am already looking at kitties on the shelter's website . They are all so cute. I will post pics of new kitty when we eventually get him. We were already planning on getting a neutered male because Siam would NOT take kindly to another female. We we got Siam and Ashten, we currently had a 15yr old calico and we were woken up during the night to a horrible crashing in the kitchen, Siam and Misty (the calico) were having a bad fight. Misty and Ashten never fought though.

But anyways.

Also, most shelters don't allow other cats in for visits. It's just dangerous because disease & illness can spread SO quickly in a shelter. But it was a sweet idea! I get nervous too about finding a buddy for my little guy. I want to make sure it's one he loves.

And I am so deeply sorry for your loss. Poor Siam must be so broken hearted. T_T If you want to get a shelter pet, you may want to try Siameserescue.org. Maybe they can help match you & your baby with a perfect new companion?

My best to you and your family.

I'm so sorry about your loss. That's a very hard decision to make.

Maybe you could take something that smells like Siam with you. I've never tried it or even talked to anyone who did but it might be worth a try.

Were it me though, I'd just trust my instincts. You know Siam better than anyone else does, even the other cat!

I am sorry for your loss. I went through the same thing this time last year, when Wellington lost his brother Napoleon and howled for weeks, despite having the other cats as company. He only wanted his brother. Then a kitten turned up in my barn, I brought her in and named her Biscotte, and Wellington immediately 'adopted' her. They became inseparable while she was small, and still have a close bond. So you never know who is going to like whom. I agree with the advice on getting a male, maybe a youngish one who is not an obvious alpha, so that he will not fight for dominance in Siam's territory. Good luck.

Sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is.

But good for you for adopting a shelter cat. I know our shelter is PACKED to the brim with cats... so bad that we have to have a "two for one" adoption day next Saturday just to unload some!

Don't bring your cat. You'll just traumatize him. Actually, it's not even allowed at our shelter to bring cats in due to health risks. Not saying that all shelter cats are sick, just you never know what's floating around a building with 30+ cats. Plus, we can't risk introducing an illness to our shelter and contaminating our whole crowd.

But good luck to you anyway. The shelter people should be able to give you good advice on which cats get along with other cats, etc.

I would spend A LOT of time at the shelter with prospective cats. That way you can evaluate their personalities. It might be best to pick a cat that has a personality similar to that of the kitty that passed away, since you know that Siam gets along well with that personality type. I would also try to get a cat that is somewhat submissive (not sure if thats the word i want to use, but..) When you bring a cat into a home with a cat who has been there for awhile, you want the first kitty to remain the "dominant" kitty in the house. If the new cat tries to challenge that, there could be problems. Also i read that when you bring a new kitty home, you should pet and comfort the old cat, rather than the new cat. This establishes who is "#1 kitty" in the house.