cat No. 2?

manhunter666

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Hi all,

I've been debating on whether I should adopt another kitty however, the trouble is if my cat will get along with the newer addition.

My cat came from the local shelter; he was put in there because he fought badly with another cat: he's an alpha and wasn't neutered then. The shelters' personality profile described him as ''menacing'' and recommended that he be a solo cat. He's extremely cuddly, good boy, has never growled or hissed at me, although he has bitten during play.

If I was to adopt, I would have to get a female kitten so as to ensure a submissive pairing, but I don't know how Figo (3-4yrs) would react. My family cats (mother and daughter) never got on, so I know what it's like to have feuding cats - not nice.

I would really like to give one of these kittens a home and new start, but I don't want to upset Figos environment or have an injuried, frightened kitten.

I think I've answered my own questionh here, but what do you guys think?
 

strange_wings

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Who told you that a female cat would be submissive?
It's a bad assumption if you're thinking it will work that way because the cat's female.

More often then not, female cats will rule the roost (so to speak) or will be complete terrors.

Submissive personalities can be found in either sex. You'd have to see how the cat you plan to adopt behaves with other cats - Does it take a defensive stance? Is it social with some decent social behaviors for getting along with other cats? - and so on.
The rest is up to you to properly, and slowly, introduce the cats. But if there is the chance that your older male is very alpha cat, you may want to be careful introducing him to a kitten - and keep a close eye on him.
 
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manhunter666

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I remember hearing the shelter saying this to another couple. You're right, gender doesn't equal submissive

Sorry.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by manhunter666

I remember hearing the shelter saying this to another couple. You're right, gender doesn't equal submissive

Sorry.
i have 5 cats - 2 on the dominant side [both females, one is top cat] & 3 more submissive [2 females, 1 male]. it's totally a purrsonality thing - i got the male, in part, because he was on the submissive side, & i already had a dominant cat.
the 2nd dominant-ish one is an accidental acquiring

 

missymotus

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I wouldn't judge his alpha behaviour, since he wasn't neutered then.

If you go through a shelter, hopefully they will be able to match you up once you explain what you're looking for. I also agree that it's the personality, not the sex that matters.
 

aswient

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In my house hold I have 9 cats and I don't know if its just peronalities or not but 4 are girls 5 are boys, all 5 boys are friendly towards each other, they play, with each other, the girls just tolerate each other. There are 2 brothers the rest of the boys were strays. They always got along after the initial introductions. Good luck.
 

goldenkitty45

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This is an iffy thing. There's a chance he's mellowed some and would accept another cat. In his case, it might be better to adopt a female kitten - won't guarentee anything as far as dominate/submissive; but most of the females I've owned are pretty dominate personalities. The males are the laid back ones.

With my 2 now (Ling is a year older then Charlie) - she was the dominate cat and Charlie is dominate - so they are often challanging each other for position. Will be interesting bringing in another Oci (Charlie's baby brother). Oci's tend to have a more dominate personality anyway


While you need to give them time, what happens if your male doesn't show signs of accepting the new kitten? I'm thinking maybe adopting a small/medium size dog might be a better idea for company then another cat.
 

emmylou

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I think the way he's behaved (well) in your home is the best indicator. What he did when unneutered was natural and to be expected... so I would ignore the label shelter workers applied to a cat that was in transition at the time. It's very hard to judge a cat's real temperament by how he acts in the stressful environment of a shelter. Now that he's home, you're seeing the true personality.

In terms of what kind of new cat to get, just play it by ear. It might help to get a bold kitten (of either sex), since the kitten wouldn't be threatened by the older cat, and I think adult cats find kittens easier to accept than strange adult cats.

I have a pretty tough alpha male, but he likes kittens and female adult cats. He bonded with a family member's male kitten when they were living together temporarily. Within a day, he was grooming the kitten, sleeping curled up with it and letting it climb on him and chew on his tail. That's unusually quick, so in your case I'd just go the normal route of making introductions slowly.
 

happilyretired

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I have struggled with the same issue (and posted several times about it on this board). My boy was adopted 3 months ago from a shelter, but he was actually very laid back (although at 5 wsn't neutered until I adopted him) and loving. I wanted an "only" and worried that I was depriving him in some way. But my worry was the same as yours; what if I upset him by introducing another cat? And I didn't want to have to "return" the second cat (since I bond very quickly).

Yesterday I had him at the vet (false alarm; I thought he had a URI), and spoke to the vet about an addition because the cat is so very attached to me. The vet assured me that he'd be happy with me alone (as was my previous cat) and that attachement to his human is part of his personality, not a sign of "loneliness." He certainly seems content.

So although everyone else here advocates multiple cat households, you might think about remaining single.
 

mews2much

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It depends on the Cat. I have 4 girls now.
Coco and Meeko have always been the boss cats.
I would hate for you to get another cat and your cat attack it.
I have seen it go both ways.
Im lucky all my cats get along.
My brother had to give to males to the pound because they tried to kill each other and even locked jaws.
He has 3 females and 4 males right now and he has problems.
He has two males in seperate rooms because they attack the other cats
The other two males are ok with the girls.
 
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manhunter666

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So although everyone else here advocates multiple cat households said:
I think you're right. Figo is very cuddly and sleeps on me constantly and is involved in everything I do - even the washing up! Deep down I knew the answer to this question, but I guess I needed to hear it from someone else!

Thanks for all your input everyone. Much appreciated XXX
 

junior_j

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Hello

Our first kitten Benson was so laid back and placid we had no problem getting his half sister a few days later , and although smaller his half sister is more alpha to him..

Then after a few weeks with Benson and Jinxy we got Jackson , and both Jinxy and Benson showed Jackson they were the top cats (so to speak) and the day after getting Jackson we got his sister Dolly , and then he became higher in the pack.. so i dont think there is a solid chain with kittens and cats and whos alpha or top of the pack.

So i would personally gone on what you know of your kitty and also try to get a cat which would match his personality.
It took 3 or 4 days for Jackson and Dolly to become part of the pack and settle down with the other two.. so it does happen.
Jess x
 
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