Almost got a cat today

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=13920377

That guy ^

This rescue always has cats at petco. They only had kittens today, but they had alot. I think 7 or so. There was one I liked better, but hadn't been spayed yet. Too young. She was bottlefed from a week or so old, and really sweet. This one wasn't as sweet, but I don't need an uber-friendly cat. He had a neat personality, and very playful.

I can't decide whether to get another one or not. Fin is young, I think around a year, 2 at most. And very very sweet! I think having another cat will help him when I am at work or not home. He's just got SO much love!

But not all cats get along. What if I get another and they don't like eachother?

Ugh!

Tell me what to do.

Awww, Dawn, little Jack Jack is sooooo cute! I can see why you'd fall in love with him!

It's most likely that Jack Jack and Fin will get along, after the initial adjustment period, and I'm sure both the woman who runs that rescue -- her email is on the page -- and people here can give you tips for introducing the two. There are also products like Feliway that might help make the adjustment easier. I ran across a web page with a lot of good tips, too, a few weeks ago, searching for advice for someone else, and I'll see if I can find that again.

If by any chance they simply refuse to get along, most shelters will not only take the kitty back, but will insist on your returning the kitty to them rather than giving the kitty to someone else. You'll find out about this policy before being allowed to adopt, usually; it will be in the adoption agreement.

It's true that not all cats get along, but usually they will. I had three unrelated cats of different ages who lived together peacefully and happily for more than 11 years, with the oldest cat being with me five years before the younger ones were rescued, and the youngest one, Frosty, being with me until August of last year. (I still have to change the banner in my sig, which shows all three of them but hasn't been changed since Frosty went to Rainbow Bridge.)

I hope it's OK to link to memorial pages here. My memorial page for Tiger has some pics of them together, as well as pics of Tiger and Frosty with the rescued parrot who came into our lives exactly two months before Sinbad left us.

You'll often see advice that if possible you should adopt two kittens at once, preferably littermates, and littermates will usually (not always) get along well throughout their lives. But my Frosty and Tiger were proof that unrelated kittens weeks apart in age, adopted weeks apart, can bond like littermates. And I've had friends with cats whose adopted kittens would bond that closely with older cats.

If you particularly want a kitty to keep Fin company, I'd recommend adopting one kitten now, rather than two. I was told by a feline vet I admire that usually two adopted kittens will play and bond with each other rather than any older cats in the household, and that was in a way what happened with my Sinbad and the kittens I rescued later, though she tolerated them well and sometimes played with them. But she was never so close to them that she would groom them or let them groom her (probably just as well considering her size and long coat). The kittens did groom each other, though. Fin's years younger than Sinbad was when I adopted more cats, so he's more likely to accept a new member of the family.

How will your dogs feel about a kitten? Have they ever been around a kitty that small? Many dogs like cats, and I've known of some that would mother small kittens, but each situation is unique.

Cindy

If you are getting the cat from a shelter, see if anyone there can tell you that cat's personality. That is what we did with our Morgyn. Our friend volunteered at the shelter by socializing the cats. We had to make sure we could find a cat that would let our older one be dominant and get along with her. She was able to tell us that when we picked Morgyn. She was right. Morgyn just about loves everyone and let's everyone else be the dominant cat.

Also, we got a 1-2 year old cat after Cat ran off. That two year old cat loves, licks, and plays with Morgyn so much. They are pretty much inseperable. None of my cats have ever been like that. Then again, all my childhood cats were very antisocial and grumpy.

The rescue lady was there. She's super nice and loves the cats! She said I have 2 weeks to return.

There were a couple other cats I liked, one of which was bottlefed. She was really sweet, but I think the personality of Jack is more what fin needs. He also seems more likely to try and stay up away from the dogs. My dogs won't hurt cats, but my kelpie will chase. Fin lives on surfaces. Dryer, table, computer desk. I eventually want to make a small outdoor enclosure, accessible from the window, so he can hang out in the sun.