Adding another cat to the house?

Hi! I am pretty new to the forums, and not the most knowlegable about cats. My question is, I love cats and would like very much to have another at some point.

Right now I have a mix breed american shorthair...he is pretty docile, about 4 years old, and rather large, not overwieght (no fat on him, lots of muscle) but almost 19lbs...a very big kitty. He is attached to me, and doesnt spend much time with my wife or 5 year old daughter. He freaks out if he is left alone with no one in the house, or when I am at work. Now, I would hope that another cat would help entertain him, as the apartment is rather boring, but I am afraid that because he is spoiled and hasn't had to really share my attention, that he would have difficulties with another cat intruding.

our neighbors have one of his kittens(he sired a litter before he was fixed), and it is 2 years old now, and he has no problem with him comming over to the house, even when strays show up on our doorstep he is non agressive and wants to play with them(I dont let him, but he begs to be let outside if one is hanging around the porch).

So, I don't really know how he would react. If I do adopt another cat, it would be when I am not working over 40 hours a week, so it will most likely be in a year if I do decide to adopt.

So, is it a bad idea to introduce a cat into the picture when my cat hasn't had to share any affection for 3 years? If it would be ok, is it better to adopt kittens or half grown or full grown cats?

P.S. forgot to mention, he is kind of clingy...from the time I get home till the time I leave for work he stays a few feet from me or closer...he sleeps on top of me or next to me all night. would another cat make this behavior change or upset him?

There was a good link I found around here last year when I tried to get my 13 year old cat to accept a kitten over the coarse of 3 months. Cant find it now to save my life but it was the usual bathroom/small isolated area first few days for newcomer, scent exchanges, caged meetings, advanced feeding ideas as last resort, etc.

You can never tell for sure, unfortunately. In my limited experience, most cats learn to accept each other eventually, though they may not become best friends. Your cat isn't very old, and he seems not to mind strange cats now, which is a good sign. The key is patience.

so, can anyone with more experience tell me if its better to add another cat while he is younger, or wait a year or two untill I will have less of a workload and more time to spend with both cats? My concern is if he will become more set in his ways as time goes on and less open to a kitten in the house. thoughts anyone?

Will your wife and daughter be around more to pay attention to the kitties or the new kitty? There are certainly plenty of people working full time around here who have LOTS of cats!

Since your kitty seems to be generally OK and not aggressive about other cats, while they may not become best friends, with a proper introduction sharing their space may not be a problem, and who knows? Maybe they will become great friends!

But if you're looking for a kitty that your wife and daughter can enjoy a little more, what about them being responsible for adopting "their" kitten? Adoption people at Petsmart or someone at a shelter will know about the personalities of the cats - and the cat usually picks its new "owner" anyway. I'd suggest they adopt a cat that is older than a kitten - maybe a kitty that is 2 or 3 years old. A little younger than your kitty, but not one with so much energy that the new kitty will drive your old kitty nuts.

But unless you want two cats, I wouldn't do it. There's no way to guarantee they'll enjoy each other, though with time (if they don't groove on each other after a proper intro) most cats can learn to share the space peacefully.

Laurie