Second Cat?

Should I get a second cat to keep me and my cat, memphis, company? I adopted my first cat, Memphis, a little over a month ago at the anti-cruelty society. He's 1.5 years old, extremely playful and intelligent and I already love him beyond belief (I thought he got away after only two weeks (actually snuck into a neighbor's apt), with no collar since he was going bald so I took it off, and I was on the verge of tears after mere hours. FYI: I live across the street from Wrigley Field, and there was a day game going on, so that would have been bye bye Memphis forever).

Memphis has had a little experience with another cat, but it was definitely not under ideal circumstances. My roommate's girlfriend kept her cat, totally the opposite of memphis, at my apartment for a little under two weeks while she packed and moved into a new place. The new cat was timid and anxious, and tried to compensate by dominating memphis. This totally changed memphis' personality for that time, because the new cat would always attack him. After the new cat left, memphis immediately went back to normal.

Even when I was originally picking out Memphis, in the back of my head I knew I wanted two cats. I am home most of the day (grad school night class FTW) but Memphis still seems bored even though I offer him as much attention and affection as he will allow at this point. I have read all the articles about getting multiple cats and how that can be better for their overall mental health. What do you guys think? I know I really want another cat, and I have the time and resources to care for two cats; my only concern is how Memphis will take this. The last cat stressed him out, but if I were to get another cat, I would be looking for a kitten ~ 6 months old. I am also looking to get more of a calm, lap cat as opposed to memphis who is pretty aloof except at night when he sleeps with me. I figure if the cats are taking over different niches, they would also get along better.

My reason for wanting specifically a younger kitten is because I read that older cats tend to recognize that kittens are just generally playful (i.e. not a threat) and are quicker to accept them as family members.

Memphis isn't really timid at all. When I first brought him home, he meandered out of the carrier and non-chalantly explored his surroundings. He doesn't even get startled when people are cheering during Cubs games, even though the stadium is 50 feet away (in fact, he prefers to sleep in our front sunroom while games are going on).


I'm relatively sure I'm going to get another cat by the end of the week. I also have a question about introducing the two. My apartment has four interior doors: my bedroom, my roommate's bedroom, the bathroom, and the sunroom. Memphis is pretty used to being in my bedroom, and his/my water cup is always by the side of my bed. He also sleeps on my bed every night. If I got a new cat, I don't know what I would do during the initial seperation period. I would feel awful keeping memphis out of my room for days, but the other rooms with closable doors don't seem like viable options (the sunroom is the closest, but it's supposed to get cold in the next week or so and the insulation isn't too good, i.e. doesn't exist, out there).