Question on getting kittens with older cat at home.

Hi all,
I am new here. I had 2 Siamese cats, 8 years old. I just had to put 1 cat to sleep Monday night. They were brothers from the same litter. I am still pretty upset over it all. I just was curious as to what others thought on getting 2 kittens to add to the addition of an 8 year old neutered male.

Mika, my remaining cat, is pretty timid and shy, was totally the submissive of the 2 I had. I want him to have a "friend", and am looking at getting 2 cats from a vet in the area. She will be getting them on Sat, so I am not sure of their sex yet. She will spay/neuter etc before I get them a week later. I have done all the research on keeping the new and old cats seperated for a week or so, and let them get use to their smell.

Here are my questions. Should I wait a certain period from when 1 cat died, till I get the new ones? Will my existing cat freak out if it is too soon. Does it matter the sex of the new kittens if they are spayed and neutered? I am thinking of getting the 2 litter mates so they can burn their energy off on each other instead of bugging Mika to play as much. Should I just go with 1 kitten instead? I do have more questions, but let me start there for now.

Thanks Cathy

Your remaining cat will grieve and you should allow him time to do so. I would recommend getting an older cat when you do add an additional cat to your home.

I thought of that too, getting an older cat. When I spoke to the vet, she said kitten and a young cat would be fine as long as they are younger then him.

If you get kittens, you would absolutely be best off with two, so they can occupy each other. But it really may be too soon right now. It's possible Mika might resent any new cats right now simply because they aren't the old buddy he's missing, y'know?

Here's a thought: what if you waited a little while and then started fostering for a local shelter? That would allow you to see Mika's reaction to newcomers, and to gradually get him accustomed to the idea of a new companion or two.

Whatever you decide, all good luck! And please give Mika a scritch for me.

I'm sorry your cat died

You might want to get a cat closer in age. Mine were 9 years old, 12 weeks old, 3 weeks old. They were all at different stages of life, and it was very hard. Plus it didn't help that Lynxx hated Luna and Midnight. Luna and Midnight wanted to be together, but Midnight was so much smaller than her, we were afraid he'd get hurt playing with her. When they finally could play together, and keep each other occupied and away from Lynxx . It didn't matter because Lynxx was dead by then.

Thanks everyone.

For what it's worth, I see this 2 ways. If you got littermate kittens, they would indeed keep each other occupied. That might also make Mika the 'odd cat out', leading to resentment. I would definitely adopt another kitten/cat to keep Mika company, but I wonder if 2 would simply gang up on him since he's shy and submissive. Just things to consider.
I"m so sorry about Mika's brother

Welcome to TCS!!!!! I lost a cat last summer very suddenly to heart failure. Pipsqueak had lost his friend. So Pipsqueak was an only cat for the moment. I then rescued two kittens abandoned at a barn who were ten weeks old. Perla and Perkins. Presley came along a week later as no one else would take him. So I had three kittens all littermates. I put them in a bedroom for a few weeks and Pipsqueak really loved having cats in the house again. He really bonded with the kittens and totally surprised me at how much he loved to play with them. He turned into the PipDaddy

I would think Mika would enjoy the added company and distraction in the house. Yes, he will miss his passed away littermate, but the kittens will be something new to focus on. BUT ------ keep the kittens in their own room for awhile until you know they are very healthy, eating well, using the litter box, etc. My kittens stayed in their room for a couple of weeks and Pipsqueak would be allowed to come into the room to meet them. After a couple of weeks and everyone was settled in, I would open up the room and let the kittens out during the day when I was home only. They still stayed in the room at night for many weeks. It was their bedroom. Of course, now they have full run of the house with Pipsqueak.

You just have to do the introductions extremely slow, the slower the better. Good luck, I say go for it. Everyone is different in how long you wait until you adopt again after a loss. There are so many unwanted cats/kittens that need your love and care. But you have to do what feels right for you....

I also have the experience of adding a pair of kittens to a household with an older cat. Specifically, both Gryphon and Shasta died within a few months of each other, leaving Nibs at 13+ an only cat, and very needy. Suzy and Sam were just 7 weeks (I know!) when they came to us, and for a few days after intro Nibs didn't know what to make of them, but before we knew it, he was Grampy Cat, and the three of them got along like a house on fire.

We did allow Nibs a few weeks on his own to grieve, and what he demonstrated what that he needed company -- in a big way.

Good luck in your selection and introductions.