Genever is so laid back..

Just out of personal experience, I have usually found that adult cats adapt easier to kittens than they do another adult cat, unless the new cat is equally as laid back and easy going at Genever is. She certainly sounds like a special girl!

Genever sounds like a great cat! But a "people" cat is not necessarily going to be equally mellow about a new feline companion. Sometimes cats are very jealous of their people and think they want to be only cats. But finding a good companion is certainly worth trying. It can be stressful and lonely for almost any animal to be alone for long periods. Most cats enjoy having friends — or at least accomplices for getting into trouble!

How old is she? If she's mature but not elderly, I agree that a kitten, perhaps a slightly older, calmer kitten, or young cat, is more likely to be welcomed. I also think you might have more luck with an easy-going male in terms of rivalry — but there are so many different cat personalities, one can't really generalize.

The trick is to pick a kitten you think your cat will like. With an older kitten or cat, you'll get a better sense of its energy level and personality. At a shelter, they might know which kittens enjoy other cats. Feral kittens, for example, tend to love being around other cats.

I also have a small apartment so I know what you mean about not being able to introduce them. Sometimes, I've had a friend bring the new cat to our apartment in a carrier. We all chat, drink tea and ignore the new cat. The resident cats inspect; we pay no attention. The friend leaves, and the cat stays behind. Then WE start inspecting it, as suspiciously as our cats. Eventually we let the cat out of the carrier, discussing how our friend foolishly left her cat behind, and what shall we do? We start by feeding everyone something fabulous. Then we focus our attention on our cats, direct the new one to a safe hiding place, and keep an eye on everyone as she explores. Our cats don't associate us with the newbie and are less jealous.

When we recently adopted feral kittens, two weeks apart, our cats watched us bring each of them into the apartment. So much for a careful introduction. But we'd borrowed a large wire crate from a shelter (disinfect with strong bleach; rinse well before using!) to house each kitten for a few days while everyone adjusted. Our cats could inspect each kitten at their leisure. Within a month, they were all curling up on the bed together.

Last story: I once brought home a tiny kitten that my lone female cat detested. He had fleas and needed a serious bath. He complained quite a bit. When I finally opened the bathroom door, I found my female waiting, staring daggers at me. She took charge of the kitten, licked him dry, and they were best friends for life. If all else fails, try a bath.

I agree that adults adjust better to kittens.

I've never done the proper intro's, always just put the new cat in and everyone was fine. If you needed to you could put one in the bedroom or bathroom for a little while.

Getting another female doesn't mean there won't be spraying. Both sexes spray.

Most desexed cats don't spray but it can happen in males and females.

Personally, I've found that girls can compete a bit. Especially if you add another adult girl. Males have a bit different setting and for some reason it's usually easier to intro them. It's hard to explain, but just a pattern I've noticed.

With kittens it depends. I've usually had an adult male cat more readily step up to play uncle cat (basically act like a mother hen) where as females tend to be a bit more cautious at best.

I've never had an altered indoor cat spray - even males taken in at 2-3 years old. I have a very territorial spay girl outside who does, though.

Same here. My first 3 cats were females and it was a war zone during the intro period. They were adults but even when Yon, a female kitten arrived, she did not like the other ladies at all.

Why? I do love my girl kitties, but find the boys to be more easy going and snuggly (sometimes too much so).

I have Siri indoors, who doesn't really like any of the other cats. And Tana one of my girl kittens. I'm dreading when Tana gets bigger - she does not like Siri one bit and the only thing I think that's keeping her from doing more (she hisses back at Siri, growls, tries to swat her) is that she's so small.
Outside there's MewMew... psycho cat that would love to attack/beat up/attempt to kill neighbor cats.

Blasa my other girl kitten, on the other hand, is extremely reserved and has about as much personality as a wet blanket...

My best suggestion for you is to not really get set on gender. Be willing to consider either one and pick for personality first (and how well they get along with other cats).


Btw, I think mews2much is just lucky.

see when i got Sooty (male) we already had Flash (female) and she was really tolerant but they were both young kittens so i cant really give uch advice other than

expect the unexpected with cats i dont think age size sex long short hair matters i think its all to do with the temperment and attitude of both cats

and yeah i think Jacky (mews2much) is very lucky with hers

All my current cats are very snuggly, both sexes.

I think it's better to go by personality than sex, but there's nothing wrong with prefering one to the other.

Just tell the shelter (assuming you are going to a shelter) what sort of cat you're after and they should be able to match one with you and your current girls personality.

Cat behavior does evolve over time, so don't gloat too much. There may come a day when she starts waking you up because she's bored or hungry or just doesn't think you should be sleeping when you could be singing her praises!

My husband had the same "female only" preference. I insisted on adopting our male kitten — everyone thought he was female until he went for his pre-adoption vet check-up. I was thrilled to learn he was a boy.

I call him and he comes racing over to jump in my lap. He's the most affectionate cat I've ever had and he's only 6 months old. My husband has seen the light and is very jealous of our relationship now! Male cats can be spectacular companions.

I think it's a great idea, but I disagree with getting a kitten. Mainly because I like to see the adult cats go to good homes, and I know yours is a good home. But also because of Genever's health issues, I think a rambunctious kitten may cause a little too much stress for her.

I've introduced adult female cats into my home with other adult female cats, and things are fine. Every situation will be different, as every cat reacts differently. Even if it seems like it's not working out at first, it takes time for cats to adjust to change, sometimes even months, but in the end becomes all worth it.

keep us posted!