I think I'm ready to get Ally her friend

With Ally feeling great now, she's got a ton of energy.

At the same time, as of my trip last week, I now know exactly where I'm going to grad school for a JD/MBA (with the only exception being that I get off the waitlist at Duke or Vanderbilt - and I might give some consideration to Emory if I get in, but it's ranked the same as UMN Law and I like Minneapolis as a city more than Atlanta). Furthermore, I took care of finding an apt to live in that accepts up to 2 cats per unit (and is also actually quite luxurious).

I will be moving out there as soon as there is a vaccancy.

A vaccancy is expected within the next 2 months.

SO........ time to get Ally her friend. They'll both live in my bedroom until we all drive up to Minnesota in 2 months or so.

Ally is getting the last of her shots today. I will get her friend from the humane society. I gave some thought to it and I think getting another female, preferrably 8 weeks old or so would be optimal. With Ally being twice the age of the new cat, Ally will not feel threatened and the new cat will feel like she has a big sister to learn from.

In 2 months, the new cat will be comfortable with me and Ally and Ally will be comfortable with her. Also, by getting Ally a friend now, maybe the two of them can play and both get out there energy and be happy without exploring the rest of the house (unless I fence off the dangerous areas with chicken wire, which I am seriously considering doing.)

Last on the agenda - Ally needs to get spayed. The humane society will include spaying in the fee for adoption, so I don't need to worry about it with Ally's friend, but I need to find a reasonable way to get Ally spayed. I think the humane society will do it for $35, but I have to wait to talk to them. I will be happy to pay for any additional pain meds or whatnot that she needs during or after the surgery.

That sounds like fun!! I'm sure Ally will be so happy to have a friend I think we need some more pics of Ally- she must have grown a whole lot

she's BIG now. Not full-size, but at least 5 times her size when I first took her in.

I bet she is! Jake has gotten huge too...Its so much fun watching them grow!!

One thing standing in the way of getting Ally a friend is that I still need to get her tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV. I don't think it would be ethical to get a second cat if she has FIV as she could potentially infect the second cat.

Two things to consider. First, I know how it is to want to get a second cat NOW. But moving is going to be pretty nerve wracking for even one kitty. You might want to consider waiting until you get settled in in Minnesota. Just my opinion, but it might be easier on both you and the new kitty. (Not to mention poor little Ally, who has been through hell already in her young life)

The second piece of unsolicited advice I have to give is based on experience and what I've been told by other cat owners. Two females together can be very tough. They often don't get along well. (Just like some women ) A male kitten would probably be easier for a grown female to co-exist with.

All that being said, GOOD LUCK to you. You sound like a really nice, caring guy - it's nice to see those every once in awhile!

I was thinking the same thing about two female cats.If I were you i'd get a male b/c I think they'd get along better. It's up to you tho.

That was originally what I wanted to do, but I thought about it and decided it might be best to have Ally and the new kitten meet and live together here (for at least a month) where Ally is comfortable. Also, by getting it/him/her now, I can make sure issues like litter-box usage etc. are all A-ok before I move.

I will be moving very soon, so we're only really talking a matter of a month to two months, with it more likely being 1 month since if things go as planned, I will have an apartment exactly one month from yesterday.

I ultimately decided against driving them up. I decided I will drive up there, get the apartment set up with the basics and then have a family member or friend fly and meet me with the cats once I've got all of the cat stuff taken care of like cat-condos, etc.

I still could go the other way though and wait.

I'll give it some thought as there is merit to the points being made advising me to wait until I'm already there and settled.

I would prefer to get the kitten younger than Ally, so that there are no questions about who is Alpha or whatnot. If I get a kitten the same age as Ally, I worry they might start butting heads pretty quickly.

Basically, old enough to not need formula and able to eat solid wet food (that way Ally and the kitten can have separate foods for the moment since Ally prefers dry food and the kitten would prefer wet-food at a young age). Then, as they get to know each other and hopefully like each other, I'm hoping they'll be ok with sharing.

The only thing I'm unclear on is, if I get a kitten that is too young to be spayed or neutered from the humane society, but their adoption program includes spaying/neutering in the price (just at a later time), would that contract be transferable to another humane society location? Or does each location operate independently?

8 weeks old is usually old enough to be spayed/neutered at humane socieites, as long as the kitty is 2 pounds, which is usually the weight of a kitten at 8 weeks. Most of them do pediatric spay and neuter which is better for them because the smaller the organs are, the less blood, the more elastic tissue, etc, or so they claim - i know some people have disputed that on here. I mean my vet had pics of both adult testicles and 8 week old animal's testicles that she took after surgeries and you could clearly see that some of those tissues that attach them to the scrotum are not yet developed at 8 weeks making it easier to heal...

My girl was already about 3 1/2 when I adopted her....when I went to get her a friend about three months down the road, I was thinking another girl, but the shelter advised that a boy, around or a little younger, might be better, as girls can be territorial, especially vis a vis another girl.

Not sure if that would apply to kittens, but my girl definitely did not care for having an intruder around the first few days (and I did all the approved intro steps)...she kept chasing my boy off the bed, for example, and she's only half his size. They're friends now, but I attribute that more to my boy being laid back and just wanting to love everyone. Dharma was much more this is her house and her human and her food and her bed and her petting and only mommy can share for a while, but we ended up establishing our own routines.

Maybe talk with the shelter folks to get their takes on the situation - what I have found is that so many of us go thinking we're definitely getting Cat Type A, when Cat Type Q somehow reaches out to adopt us.

Some cats love the auto litter boxes, but don't be surprised if they don't (Petsmart usually takes them back if the cats don't adjust). Unless for some reason Ally is definitely an only cat kind of girl, just have patience during the introduction - and don't be surprised if the alpha roles change as they grow up. But I really think my two enjoy having each other around when I'm not home - and sometimes they ignore me altogether to play with each other. And, yeah, I'd love to see some more Ally pictures.

Ally at ~16 weeks old photo coming up tomorrow.

Just gotta charge the camera battery and get some good light.

Age does not always affect alpha status really I think it depends on the purrsonality of the cat.

Jack is the alpha here but he is actually the younger cat.

Leslie

Hi,

as Ally is so youg I'd advise you to get a second kitty asap , she needs a feline companion to play with cat style. I'm sure you do your best and play a lot with her but I'd also bet that you don't groom her like another cat by licking out her ears (yuck!) or go play hide and seek under the bed

At her age she should get on with another kitten within a few days- a kitten won't ba able to resist playing with another kitty.

Personally I'd say look for a kitten thats 12 weeks old and has been able to stay with its mommy and siblings and has been well socialized.

I'd also advise you to get a female cat if the humane society hasn't already neutered the cat already- that way you could take your time getting both neutered as an unwanted pregnancy would be a miracle

Also- the boys tend to play rougher then the girls, so maybe a second girl would be a good choice.

Christine

and so it was posted... and so it was done.

Ollie has been here for 30 hours. He can't be around Ally though for 9 more days b/c he has a URI.

(sorry this info is in so many threads. I'm just so happy to have Ollie, which is funny because I was not a cat person until Ally got me hooked shortly after taking her in).

Originally Posted by LawGuy

and so it was posted... and so it was done.

Ollie has been here for 30 hours.

He can't be around Ally though for 9 more days b/c he has a URI.

(sorry this info is in so many threads. I'm just so happy to have Ollie, which is funny because I was not a cat person until Ally got me hooked shortly after taking her in).

Click to expand...

Yeeeaahhhh..... you got suckered in!

Ally and Ollie? Too cute!