Hello. I've posted this under both Behavior and the Lounge, just so that I get as many responses as possible.
Until 10 weeks ago, we had two 2 year old cats; a brother and sister called Mistopheles and Mai Thai. They were very close (always washing eachother or playing), but sadly a day after Mai Thai's 2nd birthday we had to put her to sleep. For 6 months she'd been suffering from seizures and despite seeing some of the UK's top specialists we never got to the cause, except to say we think it may have been due to problem with missing liver enzymes. We always promised to keep fighting for her as long as she wasn't in pain or distress, but on the day of her birthday she had a massive fit that left her mewing every few seconds non-stop (probably brain damage). It was the hardest and most upsetting thing to do to let Mai Thai go, but we had to keep our promise for her.
Anyway, to cut a long and emotional story short, Mistopheles grieved for a while and has since become even more noticeably dependant on my wife and I for affection. He doesn't wander so far outside any more and stopped playing with most of his toys (perhaps they bring back memories).
I know that humans have a habit of projecting emotions and feelings onto animals that may not necessarily be true, but we feel sorry for Mistopheles as he seems lonely and bored now (which may not be the case). On the positive side he gets tons of affection from us, lots of treats and has the house to himself - on the negative side, he no longer has Mai Thai to lick, to chase or to pounce on and play fight with. A stick with a feather on can only do so much.
Soooo...what I want advice on is; should we get another cat in for Mistopheles? I was thinking about getting a rescue cat (probably another girl like Mai Thai) that's between 6-12 months old (so Mistopheles keeps the alpha male role). But will he hate us for it - will he feel pushed out - is he in fact very happy with things as they are - he may look bored sitting in the garden, but perhaps he's just happy chilling out. Alternatively is he becoming an old man before his time - he's only 2, so another cat would have him running and playing again and give him company other than us.
We're so confused as to what would be the right thing? Get him a new soul mate to share his life with, or leave him to have the run of the house alone? We don't need another cat - this would be primarily for Mistopheles sake (although we'd love another cat too, we're not looking to replace Mai Thai...that's not possible). Are we being silly, as Mistopheles is probably fine as he is? I've always has cats in pairs all my life (seems more natural than a lone kitty) and I thought that cats were social animals like lions...so they need a soul mate. Or should we just leave Mr Fleas to his own devices and stop fussing over him so much?
Anyone with real experiences or advice would be much appreciated.
Help?
Many thanks, Toby
Until 10 weeks ago, we had two 2 year old cats; a brother and sister called Mistopheles and Mai Thai. They were very close (always washing eachother or playing), but sadly a day after Mai Thai's 2nd birthday we had to put her to sleep. For 6 months she'd been suffering from seizures and despite seeing some of the UK's top specialists we never got to the cause, except to say we think it may have been due to problem with missing liver enzymes. We always promised to keep fighting for her as long as she wasn't in pain or distress, but on the day of her birthday she had a massive fit that left her mewing every few seconds non-stop (probably brain damage). It was the hardest and most upsetting thing to do to let Mai Thai go, but we had to keep our promise for her.
Anyway, to cut a long and emotional story short, Mistopheles grieved for a while and has since become even more noticeably dependant on my wife and I for affection. He doesn't wander so far outside any more and stopped playing with most of his toys (perhaps they bring back memories).
I know that humans have a habit of projecting emotions and feelings onto animals that may not necessarily be true, but we feel sorry for Mistopheles as he seems lonely and bored now (which may not be the case). On the positive side he gets tons of affection from us, lots of treats and has the house to himself - on the negative side, he no longer has Mai Thai to lick, to chase or to pounce on and play fight with. A stick with a feather on can only do so much.
Soooo...what I want advice on is; should we get another cat in for Mistopheles? I was thinking about getting a rescue cat (probably another girl like Mai Thai) that's between 6-12 months old (so Mistopheles keeps the alpha male role). But will he hate us for it - will he feel pushed out - is he in fact very happy with things as they are - he may look bored sitting in the garden, but perhaps he's just happy chilling out. Alternatively is he becoming an old man before his time - he's only 2, so another cat would have him running and playing again and give him company other than us.
We're so confused as to what would be the right thing? Get him a new soul mate to share his life with, or leave him to have the run of the house alone? We don't need another cat - this would be primarily for Mistopheles sake (although we'd love another cat too, we're not looking to replace Mai Thai...that's not possible). Are we being silly, as Mistopheles is probably fine as he is? I've always has cats in pairs all my life (seems more natural than a lone kitty) and I thought that cats were social animals like lions...so they need a soul mate. Or should we just leave Mr Fleas to his own devices and stop fussing over him so much?
Anyone with real experiences or advice would be much appreciated.
Help?
Many thanks, Toby
