Thinking about getting a new kitten

Until recently, mine has been a three-cat household. Sadly, I lost my two older cats within 4
months of each other, so now my Tortie is an only child.

I want to adopt another cat, will probably hold off until after the holidays though, but I have
been looking through Petfinder the past week, so I might breakdown and pull the trigger earlier.

Anyway, I have always had my heart set on a Russian Blue, but my head is telling me that there
are plenty of kittens out there that need homes, so I am really undecided right now.

My tortie (Touche the Terror Cat) is very headstrong and very much an 'alpha' cat. As a matter of fact, she is curled up fast asleep on MY pillow as I write this.

I've heard that Russian Blues are generally stubborn as well and that a RB might not be a good match with Touche.

Anyone have experience with Blues?

Thanks

Do you want a purebred, or do you just like the color? We've had some very nice ones that could pass for a Russian Blue at our shelter; one I had to resist very hard myself. He captured everyone's heart, whenever they picked him up.

Originally Posted by Möbius

Anyone have experience with Blues?

Click to expand...

I am not familiar with Russian Blues but did do a quick google search...
from what I read, it sounds like they are intelligent, sensitive kitties.
You might want to start another thread in the Breeders Corner forum, with your question about a Russian Blue's temperament.
If you are flexible, mrblanche's idea about looking in shelters might be a great solution for you.

I can hardly wait to see what lucky kitty you choose.

I had a friend who had a purebred Russian Blue, he was the greatest cat, so I guess I actually want a clone of him.

I guess my questions are these:

-Would my 'alpha' get along better with a kitten or another adult cat?

I could see her getting really annoyed with a kitten, especially if it was
extremely playful, but then I think that a kitten would 'learn its place'
more quickly than an adult cat.

-Is it better to get another cat now (while she still used to sharing 'her space'
with another cat) or wait a few months?
Or, might she be better off being an only child?

-Is there any appreciable difference in behavior between a neutered male and a spayed female?

All my cats were/are spayed females, Touche has never been around a male cat. (She's an old maid! )

-Are there any breeds that are 'mellower' than others, or it is basically the personality of the individual?


I would appreciate any input.

Thanks

hmm I'm not expert, but personally I would look for a gray kitty without a home, but instead of going to a breeder or a a shelter I would look at (and talk to) people who foster them. If they have had them living with them, they will know their personally.

How old is your cat? I was thinking along the same lines when I got Mai Sai (for my room mate's cat) and thought that a male kitten would be best. As it turns out, there was to much of a age gap. While Tess is learning (after about 3 months) to not mind him, she isn't really playful with him. This said, I do think you should get a cat younger, but only about a year or two, maybe three.

As far for if it would be good to get a cat or not, I would ask how she was with the other cats? Did she seek out their company? Personally I like having two cats just because I dont feel so bad when I have to be away.

I hope everything goes well, let us know how it turns out!

Touche is about 8 yrs old. I got her as a kitten and brought her into a house
with one cat who disliked other cats (even her own sister) and another cat that
was so timid that she was afraid of her.

Roxy never warmed up to Touche, but she eventually learned to tolerate her,
(most of the time, that is.) We got to the point where there was a peaceful
co-existance between the two for the most part, though there was always the
occasional hissing match or fight to deal with.

Roxy outweighed Touche by about 5lbs, so Touche usually wound up having her
fuzzy little butt kicked whenever she started something.

Little Girl did groom Touche from time to time, but was always submissive to
her. Touche never returned the favor (at least, not that I ever saw) and it
seemed that she tolerated Little Girl in the same way Roxy tolerated her.

When Little Girl got sick, Touche started getting nasty with her (hissing and snarling)
toward the end and I had to squirt her with the water pistol to get her to leave
Little Girl alone on several occasions.

So, in other words, Touche has never really had a positive experience with another cat.
I would like her to have a 'buddy' if for no other reason to keep her occupied while I am
at work or travelling (I go away overnight maybe once a month) -and- so she doesn't
keep following me around the house like a lost soul, like she has since Little Girl got
really sick about a month ago.

Touche still a very active and playful cat, so I'm leaning towards getting a 3-6 month old kitten.

Or, maybe she'd have fun with a Rotweiler as a playmate!

I have two girls, brought home 1 year apart seperately. Both young.

It took them several months to get along this well, and we still have a ways to go I think if your cat is 8, then try to get a 4 yr old. You are probably right, a kitten would be too 'bouncy'.

Of course you must get a fixed cat. People kept telling me to get a male because they are more loving in general, but I have no experience with male cats. At all. Every cat is so different it is hard to hand pick its new best friend.

And maybe being alone would suit your cat just fine too? Unless it is looking sad and lonely (the cat, not you) wait a while. My cat was happy being an only cat, but I wanted two. So she is getting used to it. Slowly.

Follow your heart, Good luck!

My local shelter has a 1yr old Chartreux, fixed/declawed, gets along well with other cats.

I'm going to look at her tomorrow night.

Originally Posted by Möbius

My local shelter has a 1yr old Chartreux, fixed/declawed, gets along well with other cats.

I'm going to look at her tomorrow night.

Click to expand...

This sweetie sounds promising.

Knowing how to introduce your kitties is the best way to have a smooth introduction...
Below is a link to an excellent article (pdf ) by Marilyn Krieger - Certified Cat Behavior Consultant who was a guest expert here recently.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=176798


Below is a link to a thread with more info about scent mingling...
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=131270
Scan the whole thread.