What kind of kitty friend is best for my cat?

My cat Shelly is about 18 months old, whom we adopted 9 months ago. She is very sweet, very playful and active. Several times during the day, and especially at night, she runs around like wild, ears back, "meowls", stops short and then off she goes again. I feel so bad because she seems like she's looking for something, or someone, even though we play with her and give her lots of love and attention. Is she acting like this because she's an only cat and needs a friend, or is she just letting off excess energy?

Unfortunately it would be kind of hard to get another cat because of room, or am I overestimating the amount of room 2 cats need to be happy? We're a family of 5 living in a 1500 sq foot home. I want my cats to be indoor only, but I also want them to have room to roam around, act crazy and each have their own "turf" in the house. I guess that goes for us humans too! I so want to have another cat now, but my husband (who also loves cats), says wait until next year when we get a bigger place. Sigh!

1500 SF is plenty of room for two cats. I live in a 800 SF, 1 Bedroom duplex, with 2 cats and a small dog. They have plenty of room to run around and play in!

I have three cats in 1100 SQ. I have a lot of vertical space (cat trees) for them and they seem to be doing fine. I say get another cat!

You could definitely get another buddy for your cat with the amount of space you have! We have 8 cats & we have about the same amount of space that you do. Depends on your situation, everyones different... But we built everything up high for our cats, so they have their privacy & their own space.

All cats need a friend.

Seriously, you have plenty of room for two cats. I say go for it.

Given that Shelly is a spayed 18 month old female who has been an only cat for about 9 months, what age and sex cat would be a good friend for her? She's very playful, so she'd probably want a playful friend also. Should it be a younger or older female or male? A male kitten maybe? What do you think?

I think I'll post this as a thread of its own also.

I thought I saw a thread about this a little while ago, but I can't find it!

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a friend for my cat. She's 18 months old, spayed, and very active and playful. She plays so much that 5 of us humans are apparently not enough for her. She runs around the house several times a day, scratches at the windows and sliding glass door and meows mournfully. Other than that, she is a loving cat to all of us but only a lap cat to her meow-me (me!).

What kind of friend should we get for her? A young neutered male? Another female?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I would suggest from personal experience to get another female cat who is a kitten. You are usually best to go with introducing a younger cat to an older cat which is already there. If you have got a female already then you are best to stick with another female cat. An older and a younger male cat is also okay for getting along with each other. The reason for getting a younger cat when an older one is already established is because they will need to work out the cat household hierachy between the two of them. One cat will end up being a bit more dominant over the other because it is the natural order of things. Our older cat Bageerah will periodically put the younger one Gizmo back in his place if he gets to be too much of a pest or take over his territory. If your other cat is already playful then another playful cat would make a good companion for her. Hope that this helps.

Females tend to take longer to accept a newcomer and most are willing to accept a younger neutered male then a rival female. So I'd look for a medium-high energy young neutered male to adopt.

Just take introductions slow - she won't just be there with open arms to welcome any pet you bring in

We got Charlie at 4 months old. The dog and the cat were friends within the first couple of days. Ling took weeks/months before she decided that Charlie was not so bad.

Originally Posted by azcarol

Given that Shelly is a spayed 18 month old female who has been an only cat for about 9 months, what age and sex cat would be a good friend for her? She's very playful, so she'd probably want a playful friend also. Should it be a younger or older female or male? A male kitten maybe? What do you think?

I think I'll post this as a thread of its own also.

Click to expand...

The general rule is that 2 of different genders is best. There are those who insist it isn't a good idea to get 2 females but in my experience and the experiences of 2 friends of mine who have recently added females to households with males, females get along best. I don't think gender really matters. It all has to do with the individual cats personalities.

I strongly suggest you get a second (of approximately her age) cat from a shelter and one that has been fostered at someones house with other cats. The foster should be able to tell you if the cat gets along well with other cats.

Remember, there is no guarantee that a second cat will become great friends with the one you have now. They may not fight but they may not play together either.

Firstly, I've merged your two threads. We prefer not to have several threads started for the same issue.

Secondly, I agree with our old-timers ( ) - If you currently have a female, a younger neutered male would probably be better but not so young that he would be too kittenish and a pest to your female. Female cats tend to not be as accepting of other female cats.

I say don't look at sex. Sex matters little to none, so long as they'll fixed.

Look for an active, but not overly active kitty. Look for one similar in activity level & purr-sonality as Shelly. I'd look for a kitty in the 1-4 year old range.

Originally Posted by anmccleod

1500 SF is plenty of room for two cats. I live in a 800 SF, 1 Bedroom duplex, with 2 cats and a small dog. They have plenty of room to run around and play in!

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i have 5 in a 927 sq ft house... & part of that is inaccessible to them [laundry room]. they also have a floor-to-ceiling cat tree, plus 3 smaller cat trees.
BTW - Firefox is available for adoption [hint, hint]

After showing him this thread, and much discussion in the family, DH said that if we can find another cat that would be a good fit for us and vice versa, we can get one!!!

I have to admit though, it wasn't THAT hard to convince him - he was a cat person before I was - even before we married 22 years ago!.

I will check out the organizations that foster cats in our area. I'm so excited I can't keep still !!!

YAY!! Another kitty gets a forever home!

Good for you, and good for the new kitty who will be rescued! I agree with those who have said to get a younger male.

This morning I went to Petsmart to see the cats they have up for adoption there, and of course found a real sweetheart I'm thinking of adopting. (See my other thread "Orange Tabby Personality?").

I will, of course, post pictures when we get our other kitty.

Originally Posted by azcarol

This morning I went to Petsmart to see the cats they have up for adoption there, and of course found a real sweetheart I'm thinking of adopting. (See my other thread "Orange Tabby Personality?").

I will, of course, post pictures when we get our other kitty.

Click to expand...

I love all colors of cats but for some reason I have a soft spot for the orange ones. I'm sure everybody will be looking forward to your pics. How exciting!