Getting along with other kitties

Okay I have had my cat for 16 years and I moved in with my aunt about a year ago. She has a 3 year old cat. Usually my cat Bud stays with me downstairs and is not allowed to come up becasue my aunts dogs are not well behaved and attack him Anyway, lately I have been trying to get Bud and my aunts cat Gaby to get along. Bud loves Gaby but the feeling isn't mutual. I really want Bud to have a friend that will stay with him downstairs while I am at work so he won't be lonely.

I also would like to keep Gaby as my own since she never got any attention or love from my aunt who is not a cat person. I feel like I can never socialize Gaby. She seems to like me for the most part, probably because I am the only one in the house that ever gives her any attention whatsoever! It makes me so sad. No one pets her or notices she's there! They just feed her and change her litter. I think I need some pointers on how to make the tranistion. I don't want to force her to go downstairs but she won't do it on her own and I don't want her to hate me for always bringing her down there when she doesn't want to go. She is a little jumpy around people. What can I do?

So the cats have been introduced to each other right? How do they react? Hissing, growling, swatting, even fighting to an extent are all normal. This can go on for awhile before cats get used to each other enough to coexist. I do worry though because of the age of your own cat. Make sure she is comfortable and happy first. Keep introducing them based on her needs, if she really doesn't mind the other cat keep going, but if she is freaking out, then leave her by herself downstairs.

Cats adopt us, we do not adopt them. Gaby does not seem to be suffering from being ignored by your aunt. But she is the resident cat and Bud is the newcomer. What Jen says is true. Bud is your first concern. I am sure he cares more for you than he does for Gaby so if he sees you paying more attention to her, it will hurt him more than you think.

At that age bringing in practically a kitten might be a little bit tricky. Your other one is used to having the attention and this could be really hard! If you bring gaby as a treat every once in a while, maybe she will start to go upstairs by herself to be with you. That happened to one of my moms cats! Work on it slowly, dont rush the older one though, its easier meeting people when you're young, when you're older you really dont get out much!