I need advice! Any would be appreciated...

HI...I currently am loved and owned by a 4 yr old Golden Retreiver and a 2 yr old kitty. (among others..hamster, bird and fish). My Golden has the sweetest and kindest disposition without one ounce of agression ever...I adopted my MALE kitty when he was 4mos old . I was really scared of having a cat who was spooked and afraid and not people friendly. This was my first cat and the only expereince i had was with my brothers cat who was soooo unfriendly. Well, was I in for a surprise. My kitty has never hissed, follows me everywhere, greets me at the door when I come home and is the most friendly cat I have ever met. He lets me cut his nails, kiss him up, etc...Don't get me wrong, he plays with my husband and play bites him...(never anyone unless you are playing with him) and is very very playful. NOW, here is the dilemma...I have the itch to adopt another kitten. BUT, after reading these forums, everyone talks about such issues. I am scared to do an injustice to my perfect kitty. Would getting another one upset him? I wanted to adopt another one due to the fact that 1. there are so many that need a home and 2. I thought it might be fun for him. I am not too worried about my Golden as he accept anything. I am now scared after reading these threads, about fighting, etc....What should i do? Does it make a difference that my kitty is a neutured 2 yr old male, maybe another male would be good? Any suggestions....THANK YOU!!!

As a young male cat I think he's more likely to be accepting of a new kitty than say my Frankie who was a single (female) cat for 6+ years before I got Wickett. Anyway, you might consider adopting an older cat soe your resident cat isn't annoyed by kitten antics. Of course, id he's very playfull he might enjoy the company of a kitten. You could also try fostering to see how he handels another cat in the house and if that works out you could adopt (or maybe keep fostering?).

I'm biased to male cats, so would vote for a second male. Adoptions have been down this year in shelters, so there are probably a lot of older kittens (6-9 months old) from last spring's kitten season. That would be a great age for a 2 year old - not so tiny that they would be fragile, and old enough to really ramp up play.

If you are concerned about behavior in an adoptee, find a shelter where they do in home fostering, where the foster parents know a lot about the personality of the kitten/cat. You want to find one used to other cats, one that is playful and loving.

Hey.. I figured i would tell you that, my Monster's behavior didnt change a bit when i brought Mittens into the house. Ive heard that male cats are more accepting of other cats, and that females usually like to be the only cat. But there are acceptions. I think that if you get a older male kitten, and do proper introductions, things should work out. Good luck..

Adoptions do seem to be down. I've seen some cats that would normally be kept for a fairly long time being put to sleep when the got a little sick, since we have so many waiting in the back room for their chance up front.

A new kitten or cat is not likely to change your cat to any extent. It MAY make him more active. There are lots of variables. Talk to the people at the shelter, and they can often point you to a cat or kitten that is the most suitable for you. (For example, we have a dog that we test cats with for dog tolerance, and we have a cat to do the same for dogs.)

My oldest cat Molasses was 8 years old when I brought in a stray cat, Toby. Molasses loves him, they are always wrestling and are always together.

Most neutered males accept a newcomer with little problems. Its the females that tend to be more territorial and take longer to accept the new kitten/cat.

Just be sure that the new kitten is neutered/spayed and at least 10-12 weeks old (no younger) when you get him/her. Do normal isolation and introductions slowely.

I wouldn't base the decision on gender. Between myself and 2 friends we have 6 male cats and 6 female cats. 4 of the 6 males are the ones who are the least excepting of newcomers.

I would get a shelter kitty that has been with a foster who can tell you the kitty gets along with other kitties. But remember there are never any guarantees...

Gender at least in my house is not a issue..

Zoey wanted her brothers out within hours of arrival to play with ....

I vote you get another cat pretty soon. But don't worry about gender. Do worry about personality, you want to consider the best match for your current cat. Make sure the cat is altered and healthy and make sure you do proper slow introductions for the highest success rate.