Getting a friend for Ally

I plan to get a second cat so that Ally and the second cat can play, be friends, and keep each other company.

My family does not want a second cat in the house right now, so it will have to wait until I've taken Ally with me to law school and am living in an apartment by myself.

I expect Ally to be about 7 & 1/2 months old then. I would try to get a cat that is around that same age.

How do I go about doing this to pick a cat that Ally likes and that likes Ally? I think I prefer for it to be another girl. At 7 & 1/2 months, do cats bond well? Also, would taking in a cat at that age likely result in a more distant relationship with the new cat than what I have with Ally b/c I ended up with Ally when she was only 4-5 weeks old versus the new cat which will meet me for the first time at a considerably older age (still younger than 1 year, but likely older than 3 months).

I have 5 girls and it has worked out fine.
My oldest is almost 17 and youngest is 6 months.
Its hard to say how she will act.
Cleo plays with my 2.5 year old the most.

Aww that's such exciting news that you've decided to get another kitty!!! Maybe if you adopt a little kitten, it might help better with integration?? I dunno...others can help more, I've never faced such an issue, and that's unfortunate- I'm always so jealous of people who have more than one But I am excited for you ..

At 7 months old getting a friend for Ally is a good idea. In my experience, trying to integrate a female older cat is hard as females tend to be more territorial, so getting a friend for Ally while she is still a kitten should work out well. If you are adopting, work with the kennel staff. Tell them a little about Alley - is she shy or playful - then ask the staff if they have a kitty that matches the temperament of your kittie - you don't want to adopt a kitten who is aggressive and very playful if your Alley is shy and reserved. Try to be as specific as possible to the kennel staff Re: Ally's personality - after all they do work and care for their shelter cats on a daily basis and should be familiar with the personalities of their little clients.
Don't worry about your Alley forgetting about you when she finds her little friend - at the end of the day it will be your love that she will seek

Sorry your the misspelling - I mean Ally not Alley (I have "fat" fingers tonight )

I purposely got Bugsy for the same reason, to give Lucky company... It has worked out great! Lucky is 11 moths old, and Bugsy is around 2yr old. Since Lucky has a shy personality, I made sure to get a cat that was NOT an alpha cat, NOT aggressive, and somewhat shy as well. I also though they would compete less for attention if I got a male, instead of a female...
Lucky is today actually closer to me than before Bugsy - she is definitely the queen of the house, and has flourished A LOT since Bugsy came home...
I would advise to get a cat that will allow Ally to be the #1 in hierarchy. Good Luck!!

We got Sterling to exercise Punkin, and they were both adult, although Sterling was a very young adult (maybe a year, maybe less). It takes a while, but it usually works itself out.

You should be planning on getty Ally spayed as soon as possible. The less she is exposed to adult hormones, the less she will have those territorial drives that female cats are famous for.

You should be planning on getty Ally spayed as soon as possible.

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She's still too young. She's about 11 weeks old. I think I should wait until she's about 4 months.

ohh getting a second cat is a GREAT idea. I got a second one when I moved into my own place and it has worked out great!

I got moo as a kitten while I was lliving at mom and dads. When I moved out he got depressed since he was always playing with my mom's cats. So I got a little rescued feral kitten and it was LOVE at first sight. OF course moo growled and hissed at Tilly for a few days until he proved he was alpha cat then the next thing I knew they were curled up together in moo's basket. I don't think the age difference was much of a problem since Moo was 2 years old when I got Tilly. (She was around 4 months I think since she was a feral it was hard to guess her age)

PLus I found that having 2 kitties is great when I'm having a bad day I get two purring balls of fluff next to me instead of one. and Moo is really happy now that he always has someone to play with.

I getting a friend for her is a good idea.

Thats why I bought Holly, and though Kitty hated her at first, now its so great

I second what everyone else has said... getting a companion for Ally is a great idea! It will give her some company and stimulation when you're not there, and I've realized with my two that Bodhi is getting a LOT more exercise now that Siddha is around. They play together and wrestle all the time. I'm not sure if that's a "boy" thing or not, but I doubt it. Anyways, I've always heard that with kittens, two is better than one.

Good luck!!

How would I go about getting a second feral kitten 4-6 weeks old?

I've had great success with Ally and she has really bonded with me. I also like knowing that she will have a hugely better life than she would have had. I'd like for her friend to be a former feral as well. The best age to rescue a feral is 4-6 weeks before they've gotten too used to be wild and not trusting people. When I move away, how would I go about finding a rescued feral kitten to adopt?

You never know if two cats are going to be friendly toward each other until you actually put them together. You can't choose a cat you know will bond with Ally. Properly introducing them puts the odds in your favor. Google "new cat introduction" for articles; I think there's one or maybe two in the TCS behavior library (top of page) That being said, I think your chances of having a happy cat family are best doing it the way you're planning on doing it: when she's still young, and after moving to your own residence.

I don't know about another feral kitten, though, it seems to me that might be one factor against you. Cats develop their socialization skills very early in life. If you get a kitten from a domestic litter you know they're already accustomed to human contact. They aren't born trusting only to lose it later, as your last post seems to indicate; they are born naturally equipped to be wild. So it seems to me if you want the best chance of success, you get a kitten that's been with humans since it was born.

They aren't born trusting but if you get them at an early age they will get used to human contact quick and will be possible for them to be quickly socialized to be used to human contact..If you get a kitten at four weeks though, it might take a lot of care. It might not be able to eat solid food, it might cry and demand attention 24/7. My kitten was 5 weeks when I got him and he cried nonstop as soon as he felt that there is no one sitting beside him, and had to be fed with kitten milk replacer at first. It was heartbreaking to hear him cry and luckily I got him during my winter break so I was able to be with him non stop and care for him properly. So that could be an issue, but if you are willing to put in all the time then I think it's a good idea

Ally was feral.

Originally Posted by LawGuy

How would I go about getting a second feral kitten 4-6 weeks old?

I've had great success with Ally and she has really bonded with me. I also like knowing that she will have a hugely better life than she would have had. I'd like for her friend to be a former feral as well. The best age to rescue a feral is 4-6 weeks before they've gotten too used to be wild and not trusting people. When I move away, how would I go about finding a rescued feral kitten to adopt?

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That's a great idea!

There is likely a feral rescue or TNR group in your area. A Google search might turn one up. Your local shelter can probably put you in touch with one also. They are always looking for good homes for the litters of feral cats.

I think if you look on some of the feral/stray cat sites they may have a list of "feral cat rescue" people or Trap Neuter Release programs in your area.

You could contact a rescue group from those lists and let them know what you are wanting to adopt.

As one that does TNR in my area I can say that we are always looking for someone to adopt a former feral kitten. You just never know how the kittens will respond until you (as a rescuer) start working with them. They will have the knowledge to advise you and help.

Try Alley Cat Allies. This is their inquiry form http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=444

You could also ask the office staff at local low cost spay/neuter clinics. That's where the rescued ferals are taken. They could put you in contact with someone.

I hope that helped some. Bless you for wanting to help the helpless.

You girl is the cutest. I have a warm spot for the tabbies.

Hmmm. Keep in mind that Ally will be 7-8 months when you're in a position to adopt another kitten/cat. I think what is best for HER is a little pal who is ready to play. Also at the age at which you rescued her is much too young really to be away from sibbies and Mom. She was in dire straights and needed to be saved.

When you start law school, are you going to want to be doing the bottle-baby thing? Are you really going to have time? A properly socialized kitten or young cat would be best IMHO, ready to go, ready to love people, and hopefully ready to get along with Ally and vice versa. You would still be doing a wonderful thing.

When YOU are ready, maybe you can foster feral kits. That would be huge!

Just my 2 cents.

All good points and something to think about.