Do Torties get along with other cats?

We were looking at a cat at the shelter yesterday. She's not ready to be adopted yet, but she was just super friendly, purring, kneading, etc.  We are very interested in her, but one of the main reasons to get a cat is to find a friend for our resident cat.  Swanie is a big laid back ball of fur, tuxie cat.  He loves to snuggle and cuddle and groom another cat, and he's lonely right now.  We had a cat here for awhile who was bullying him to where he was hiding in the closet and afraid to come out.  I definitely don't want a repeat of that.  I've heard so much about Tortie attitude - is it a real thing to be concerned about? 

I would talk with the shelter workers and find out how this kitty does with other cats. They are going to be able to tell you the most about her.

In my experience, torties are very people oriented and can be very chatty. They also can have strong personalities, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

We have a tortie (her mom was a tortie too) and have had a few come thru the rescue. All do fine in homes with other cats, except Sasha (the momma cat) who hasn't lived with another cat in 3 1/2 yrs (she is the queen!) But, she does share her home with a maltipoo.

I do want to stress that you shouldn't go into the adoption simply wanting her to be your kitty's buddy. Make sure you are willing to make a long term commitment to any new kitty, even if they don't bond with your cat the way you hope.

I have had torties and tuxedos and all other kinds of non purbeds. I think for non purbred cats It is really all about the cats own personality not really their markings. If I had to classify torties in a category they do not tend to be the agressors. My tuxedos and tabbies tended to be more of the instigators. I wouldn't get another cat just so yours has a campanion. unless raised as kittens you don't really get that relationship with adult cats, at least not right away. They may develop it after several years. Get another cat only if you want another one. If you do, don't expect the cats to be friends right away that isn't going to happen. I think after several months you will have toleration between them. It will take several years to get the campanionship you are talking about, if you are lucky.

I would imagine your tuxedo is very happy now that the bully has gone. I doubt he'd be very happy having anothee cat come in when he can finally relax and enjoy life.
ibfeel it's you wanting another cat rather than him being lonely. Keep him as a lone cat for his happiness.

Ms. Pepe, our resident tortie, is absolutely the sweetest, most lovable, lap kitty we've ever had. Your butt hits the couch and her butt hits your lap, just that fast. She is a talker and thinks nothing of telling you to "Hurry it up!" when it's time for meals. She is rather independent with the other cats, especially since her mother (Whisper) and aunt (Bootser) passed away. They would always cuddle together; but since they're gone, she's become a loner, other than with us. That's more so because the newer additions to the clan are more independent....Mollipop, Tabby, and Muffin don't cuddle with anybody, other than us. They've never cuddled with the other cats. We kind of miss seeing the Clump of Cats that we used to have, to be honest.

Interestingly, Ms. Pepe's brother, BooBoo, is a tuxedo. The two of them don't get along now and never really did get along all that well. We considered it a brother-sister thing and said that they didn't get along because they were siblings.

If you choose to bring that little tortie home, I wish you the best. Just don't expect too much out of her and out of him, to be honest. They may get along, they may tolerate each other, but I honestly don't know that they'll become cuddle-buddies at their ages. You never know. I agree with Catpack, that you should talk to the people at the shelter to get an idea of what the tortie is like with other cats. And watch her interact when you go to the shelter, too.

I thank all of you for your advice and experience with Torties.

First of all, Cricket is new to the shelter so she's still going through the process. Right now she's in the back in isolation, not in with the other cats.  The director is definitely going to keep us informed on her progress and also how she does when she is integrated into the room with the other cats.

As for why we're considering adopting a new cat: rest assured we will make a commitment to whoever we adopt.  But the caveat is and has been that she not bully Swanie.  The girl we had here who was bullying him, we returned to the shelter so she could be adopted by someone who wanted her to be an only cat, and so Swanie wouldn't have to live in fear of her.  He is a big boy, but he's also very submissive. We have no fear of returning a cat, that the cat will be put down. The shelter is no kill and committed to their cats. 

Following that cat, we adopted Darcy, who was wonderful.  Within a week she and Swanie were on the road to becoming buddies, and yes they were snuggling and he was grooming her.  And playing together.  Darcy was the perfect cat - a companion for Swanie and she loved snuggling with us too.  Sadly, she wasn't here but around two weeks when she got sick, which turned out to be FIP, and she only had another month with us before she passed.

Swanie has never been by himself except for the month or so after his very good friend Cindy passed from cancer, and now it's been about a week since we lost Darcy.  He is lost himself, he's gotten very clingy (not really like him), and he's just moping around.  If we can find the right cat for him, I believe that he will be a very happy boy.

As for us and cats, Swanie is not the only reason we want another cat, of course. We are extremely committed to our cats, love them, spoil them, and have spent a great deal of money on medical care for both Cindy (who survived 22 months after having mast cell tumor removed, chemo, and was doing well for awhile, but sadly lost her battle in September). We spent a good deal of money on Darcy too trying to get a handle on what it was she had, and just praying they would find something that wasn't a death sentence. We loved that little girl and are still mourning both our babies.

That doesn't mean we don't have a bundle of love to give to a new kitty.  I don't expect them to bond right away, and if they never cuddle that would be sad, but it would be okay. As long as one is not bullying the other, that I will not put up with.  Both cats get the run of the house, and both cats get equal amount of love.

Anyway, you have put my mind at ease about the tortitude issue.  It's another two weeks probably while she goes through their process and gets integrated with the other cats, and it's not like we're in a big rush.  It's like my vet told us, we WANT a cat, we don't NEED a cat.  So we will take our time and hopefully make the right decision.  We still want to have another look at a couple other ones two - one is a calico, who we did notice was batting at the other cats. But then we found out she was just new to the room, so we'll give her another look.  Also one sweet little dilute Tortie named Lynnie is another possibility.

Thanks for the feedback.

Swanie and Darcy, after only knowing each other for a couple weeks.  One of many similar pictures.  We have a video of him grooming her as well.