lonely w/out my boy

i'm lonely w/out my boy angus and have been looking to adopt a new cat. i went to an adoption day last saturday and met a boy, kenny dance, who seems to be content with just humans, and he'd be a good pick b/c i can only have one cat.

a friend is trying to find a home for a cat she took in last year. the cat does not do well with the other cats in the house and keeps herself quarantined in a bedroom upstairs. she reminded me a lot of angus...she sat on my chest and licked my wrist. my concern with her is that she's overweight. i'm wondering how challenging it is to change a cat's diet? angus ate innova and was given around four treats a day, sometimes more if i clipped his nails or groomed him or if he found a bug in the apartment or something. angus was a skinny boy and i was able to keep a bowl out for him that lasted two days. i know i'm not likely to find another angus and i will take the cat that chooses me, but any advice on diet would help.

food changes for most cats are easy ... you just do it slowly.. ie get a bag of current food and feed it only for a few weeks then mix in small amount of new food for a few days then increase new food every few days till all on it ...
as far as nails , all 5 of mine are regularly trimmed and the hunter still get their prey

I'll make a suggestion from my experience. I had my girl Bathsheba for a little over 18 years before I lost her (she adopted ME), and my vet told me to wait before getting another cat. But two months later, I adopted my boy Grigio from a shelter. I had read that it's best to choose a cat UNLIKE the one you've lost, so I deliberately chose a male shorthair (my girl was long haired).

So I'd adopt the girl if I were you. As the other poster has noted, managing her diet should be no problem, and it's possible that she's gained weight because she's not getting enough exercise. I think by feeding her carefully and playing with her frequently, you'll not only have a healthy cat but the two of you will bond well.

Good luck with your choice--a new cat is exciting--and you're right; it's not a replacement for the one you've lost, it's simply another animal to love.

My Callie girl was overweight several years ago. It took more discipline on my part to help her lose weight than anything else. Changing her food was easy, but I had to do it slowly like Sharky suggested. You might find that if you adopt the little girl, she'll become more outgoing and cat-like, curious, playing, jumping, exercising herself, than she was in a multi-cat home. This will help her lose weight as well.

When I adopted Dante at about 4 years old, he was overweight, and he actually gained weight the first few weeks I had him (anxiety eating, I think - he couldn't believe the food wouldnt' go away if he didn't eat it all up all the time!). With the vet's help, we figured out measured portions of wet and dry that seemed to work to reduce him to a much healthier weight. And, I do try to make sure both cats play a bit every day with me, as well as whatever they do when I'm not home. Just take it slow - and the right cat will find you.