I'm thinking of getting a second cat... need some advice!!

firedancer722

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I'm sure there are lots of posts on this, but when I tried to search, it kept coming up as an error...

Anyways, I have the most wonderful, sweetest cat ever in my boy, Bodhi. He's 8 years old and I adopted him from the shelter about 5 weeks ago. I guess I caught the cat-love bug cause I have been wanting to get another one for a few weeks now. I even fell into the evil trap that is Petfinder and have fallen in love with another Maine Coon boy (a stray cuddlebug at the local shelter where I got Bodhi). I went to see him today - hoping that I wouldn't like him and I could be done with this notion, but I fell in LOVE.


So, here is my dilemma. I am really scared of Bodhi not liking a new addition. And, I'm afraid he will change the way he acts towards me. Right now, he's just the way I would want a cat to be. He sleeps in the bed curled up next to me, he loves to be petted and held, and he behaves so perfectly. I'm worried that if I bring in another cat, Bodhi will change and become less than the perfect boy he is. Is this even possible?? I just don't want to traumatize him. My other thought is that Bodhi came from a home with a lot of other cats, and sometimes i wonder if he doesn't miss having feline companions, especially when I'm gone to work all day.

What do I do?
 

laureen227

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how did Bodhi get along w/the other cats where he was before? that'll tell you whether he can adjust to a new friend.
if you decide to add to your family, follow the guidelines for intros here, & things should go just fine!
 

mews2much

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I would go for it but go slow.
I have 4 cats and another one coming soon.
How old is the cat you might get?
Mine are 16.8,8.6,2.3 and 1.3 and all get along well.
 
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firedancer722

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The other cat is a 2 year old male stray. He is very laid back, much like Bodhi.

I'm trying to remember but I think Bodhi's previous owner stated that he got along fine with other animals and kids when she left him at the shelter.

Do you think Bodhi's behavior towards me would change any with the addition of a new cat?

Thank you all!!!
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by firedancer722

The other cat is a 2 year old male stray. He is very laid back, much like Bodhi.

I'm trying to remember but I think Bodhi's previous owner stated that he got along fine with other animals and kids when she left him at the shelter.

Do you think Bodhi's behavior towards me would change any with the addition of a new cat?

Thank you all!!!
probably - but it'll change thru the years, regardless. he'll just have another kitty to snuggle with when you're not around... besides, after you get another, they may very well BOTH sleep w/you - i usually have more than one in bed w/me.
 

cheylink

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I think that maybe you should give it more time, wait till you know and trust one another better. Getting along with other animals and kids is different then living with them.
 

zorana_dragonky

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I would go for it. Follow the directions for intros that Laureen linked to and take it slowly. Don't get another kitty if you don't have a room to close the new one off with, so that he and Bodhi can be slowly introduced... But if you do, many cats really enjoy having a kitty companion when they are properly introduced to each other.
 

brokenheart

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In my experience he may be mad at you for a few days, even with a slow intro, but once they accept each other, he'll be back to his old self. And they're great company for each other -- and having the second relieves you of constantly having to keep the first entertained.

Plus, you're saving another cat! That's awesome!
 

sakura

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I adopted my 2nd cat only 5 weeks after adopting the 1st, but I was looking on Petfinder for the 2nd one after only maybe 2 weeks.
Best thing I've ever done.

Just do your research on cat introductions, take things slow, and things should go fine. They are both adult cats and seem to have similar personalities, so I think that will help.

My 2 are complete opposites and the older one hated the kitten. They've never been friends but they co-exist just fine and occasionally sleep near each other also. I love sleeping on the bed at night with 2 kitties next to me.

Congratulations on the new cat!! Yay for giving another kitty a much-needed home.
 

lizellie

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I've done this several times...I had a cat that was four years old when we adopted a three month old kitten...there was a lot of hissing and growling...but eventually the older cat treated the younger one as her baby...and they were always curled up together...when Tabytha died at age 21 in 2004, Shamu went into a depression and herself died in 2006 never having recovered from Taby's death...I had gone several times to see if I should bring a another cat, but was unfortunately also mourning...not only Taby's death but my mother's death in 2005...the point is that these two at first hated each other but grew to love one another. In 2006 I adopted a 2 year old cat and a 8 week old kitten, both females. I kept them separately and only let the kitten out when I was around to supervise. I traded bedding on a daily basis so that they would keep smelling each other...the kitten wasn't have a problem, the older cat was. I would also bring the kitten out in a carrier and let the cat approach slowly...yeah there was some more hissing and growling but in a week the kitten was cuddling up to the cat...they aren't as close as Taby and Shamu were, but Lizzie and Ellie get along well...they have now even adapted well to the little 4 year old poodle mix dog I adopted a month ago...take your time and let them get to know each other with supervision...they will adjust...don't force it ever...
 
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