Should I?

I have been debating getting another cat for quite some time now and the same cat I have wanted since April is up for adoption still(I don't know how). She is a 5 year old dsh/tiger mix that has the most adorable eyes. Looks a lot like tomnus actually(at least I think so my SO doesn't think so). I have been applying for a lot of jobs lately so money really shouldn't be a problem once I land one of two of them but I am worried about Tom. He has been acting really weird lately(see my other post) and I have tried to bring in another cat before and all they did was fight. No blood was ever drawn it was more of a hissing, meowing, nipping kind of fighting.

Their are a couple of reasons for this that I could think of:

1) The cat was younger and very small so Tom probably felt dominant
2) This is Toms house, he knows it, so he was probably protecting his territory
3) Both were male cats so I am sure that might have been part of the problem also.
4) Introduction was NOT done properly. I basically shoved them in the same room and said "Hey coexist".

He does VERY well with my parents cat, but my parents cat is about twice the size of tom and has never been to my apartment which rules out 1 and 2. Every time I bring Tom to my parents home(which is every time I go home) Tom rushes out of the cage and rubs up against my parents cat and purrs louldy. Then my parents cat starts to lick tom...its really adorable. I always laugh because it looks like Tikki(my parents cat) is trying to eat Tom...and which Tikki's appetite I wouldn't put it past him...lol.

Anyway more on point, It would be an older female cat that I have time to introduce properly into the envornment and it does look A LOT like tom so I think it might go better this time but I don't want to do it if its not going to work.

So should I get her or not? I am going to hopefully start working here and I am doing summer classes Monday-Thursday so I will be gone alot once I get them introduced so they will be alone and I want to feel safe in knowing that their won't be any problems.

If you guys want a picture of her here is the link to the humane society adoption site. The name is Shannon

http://www.dbqhumane.org/AdoptablePe...ts.cfm?Pet=Cat

Also would any of you know if it would be possible for me to bring Tom into the humane society to see how they interact before I adopt her? I don't know of the society would do that or not but I think it would help.

I know my towns SPCA allows dogs to interact so you can see if your housedog will get along with the SPCA dog. Not sure about cats though. Our SPCA has a massive outbreak of Feline Respiratory so probably not cats. Also I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think you will get a good view on how they would act if you bring your cutie there. He may be nervous and maybe even associate the scared nervousness feelings he will get with the new cat… maybe, donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know much about that.

My opinion on animals has always been to have two or more. Just for the fact that life is busy, I was just telling my boyfriend today at lunch that after work, chores, etc I really only have 2-5 hours a day to myself. So 2+ animals is great IMO so they are not too lonely. Most people donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have happy harmonious houses. My sister and my momâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cats all hate each other. They avoid each other and occasionally thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s some hissing, but at least they are not bored or lonely is what my sister says LOL. Its only when the fighting gets dangerous that itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a bad idea.

She certainly sounds sweet LOL says right in her bio she is a snuggler. She is so cute too!!

I would try it, if you think you are financially and emotionally ready to get another cat then go ahead. Just try the introduction methods on the site.

Do you think that it being a female cat will make it a little better. Tomnus is nutered so I know he is a lot more passive than if he wasn't and doesn't have much of a sex drive(not what I'm getting at anyway) but at least it would be a male dominance thing. At least thats the way I am viewing it. I really really want her but...I don't know...I don't want their to be an issue between the two of them because this is a VERY small apartment(1 bedroom 1/2 kitchen, bathroom, and living area is all I have). So if they don't get along they are stuck in close quarters with eachother for a long time unsupervised and that to me spells trouble. It being an older bigger different gendered cat would, at least to a novice like me, make it seem like they should get along better. I have not seen her in person yet which is good because I have a feeling it will just make me want her more.

I also am worried about adopting with these people again. Its a great agency but I have adopted with them before and returned the cat after a day(upon advice of some of this sites members) and they were NOT happy with me so I don't think the adoption will go as smoothly if I try again.

I would get the female. My Brothers Males are in seperate rooms because they try to kill each other. They are fine with the females though. My brothers Males are fiixed and they still hate each other. One Male stays in the bathroom another Male in the beroom and another in the livingroom with the females. He is in a 1 bedroom apartmnet. I had one Male an the rest are females an they all got along fine. If you get her o not take her back. Cats do fight at first.

I also think it will help that Shannon is 5 year sold. The other attempted adoption was only about 6 months(if that he was TINY). I don't know...it is very tempting...If I get a call back for an interview I might have to stop at the mall and take a peak at her. She would have to be front declawed(as mandated by my lease) and it doesn't say if she is or isn't. My girlfriend LOVES her as well just from the picture. Tom has been rather lonely lately and I think it would help for him to have someone to play with. I just want them to be able to play and not have to worry about them killing each other. If I do get her I am definatly keeping her shut up in the bathroom that way Tom can get used to her sent though the door. Every time the door to the bathroom is shut he has to investigate so I know he will be at the door smelling it. I might also try to get her sent all over a blanket and let him have it so he gets used to it.

I would not get her then. Declawing a Cat is torture to the Cat. My Aunt made that mistake once and the Cat fell an got hurt very bad.

A blanket is a great idea. I did that when we were getting my dog. We had to wait for him to get fixed so we had a week where we went to the SPCA just to walk him. Every time I went I brought a small towel that I wrapped around his collar like a bandanna and every so often id give him a rub down. I would bring the towel home and put it on the floor where the cats would lounge on it.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if I have really good cats but we didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t introduce the dog to the cats, we just brought him in. While they hate him, there was never any crazy, wild attacking, or hissing, actually nothing at all happened LOL. Bugsy will swat if he comes too close but its almost a lazy swat, like he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really care. So I think it could have been that towel.

Hi there! It is certianly a joy having more than one cat. They usually like to keep each other company. Just do your research about introductions.

Also, please don't get her and than declaw her. It is a seriously painful and mutilating procedure....totally unnecessary. There are some really wonderful cats that have already been through this bad experiance and need good homes.

Keep looking and while you look, keep learning how to introduce and deal with a multi cat household. It is worth the effort and patience!

I was looking at your link after I posted I do alot of things backwards!

Just wanted to let you know that they have A TON of cute declawed kitties! Woo hoo!! Go take a look. I am jealous too...they have a pure breed siamese!

I think I might just lie to the apartment people and not declaw her. If I get another one I'm pretty sure she is the one I am going to want. I have to get a job first though and I didn't get any call backs yesterday...which I was kind of hoping for one but...so goes this crappy market. If I can't get a job then unfortunatly Tom will have to stay single(so to speak) though when I asked him if he wanted a sister last night he did look kind of excited. Shannon is just the most beautiful cat I've seen(sorry everyone) and it just breaks my heart to see older cats in shelters. Its one thing to see kittens their because they are probably to young to remember being free but older cats....yeah it just breaks my heart.

Originally Posted by algebrapro18

I think I might just lie to the apartment people and not declaw her. If I get another one I'm pretty sure she is the one I am going to want. I have to get a job first though and I didn't get any call backs yesterday...which I was kind of hoping for one but...so goes this crappy market. If I can't get a job then unfortunatly Tom will have to stay single(so to speak) though when I asked him if he wanted a sister last night he did look kind of excited. Shannon is just the most beautiful cat I've seen(sorry everyone) and it just breaks my heart to see older cats in shelters. Its one thing to see kittens their because they are probably to young to remember being free but older cats....yeah it just breaks my heart.

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Yikes! Declawing is horrible and she is waaaaay too old to be declawed, besides. Just keep her nails trimmed and make sure she has lots and lots of appropriate places to scratch - praise her, reward her, etc.

Adding another cat to our home was the best decision we made.

We got Jack at about 10 weeks old as a stray. He became very very dependent on my husband and I, and although we enjoyed the attention, it was very hard for us to leave Jack alone--because we knew he was lonely.

Almost 3 weeks ago we brought Harley into our home. Our biggest fear was that Jack would resent us and/or not like having a housemate. Harley fits in perfect here and Jack and Harley are getting along great. They play all day long and have even gotten to the point where they are started to sleep closer and closer together--as I speak they are laying about 2 feet apart in the hallway.

The cost of keeping two as opposed to one really hasn't changed. Alittle extra for food, a little extra for litter.

Leslie

Originally Posted by Jack31

The cost of keeping two as opposed to one really hasn't changed. Alittle extra for food, a little extra for litter.

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Don't forget twice the normal vet bills, not to mention anything out of the ordinary and another litter box.