Help me pick a personality that is a good fit for my kitten

cindycrna

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
138
Purraise
13
We have a 5 1/2 month old barn rescue that we have had since he was 4 weeks old. He is a hellion! High energy, playful, smart. When he was 9 weeks old, we got him a 4 month old kitten, Leonard who was quieter which we thought was fine because at 9 weeks Lew wan't a hellion yet. Long, sad story short, we just put Leonard to sleep for FIP. Lewis loved his brother. Lewis loves other cats. He is always at the front of his carrier when we go to the vet to check out the clinic cats and runs to greet the neighbors cat at the screen when he comes to visit daily.

Lewis likes to play bite. He likes to wrestle. He can be rough. He was too rough for Leonard. I am thinking maybe an adult gregarious male cat. We used to have Bob a long time ago. A gentle giant, he could wrestle without getting out of hand. Another kitten I don't think is the right choice as Lewis is too rough and could easily turn into a bully situation. I really think he would like a friend, I just don't know how to pick one. Any suggestions?
 

1CatOverTheLine

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 6, 2017
Messages
8,674
Purraise
34,611
I'd stick with a giant - a Norwegian Forest Cat or Maine Coon Cat adolescent, or a Domestic that showed much of their genetics.  Long ago, my Coon Cat - and now my Norwegian Forest - were / are good protectors, and are incredibly patient with kittens, and they seem good surrogates - teaching kittens "how to act when company comes."

.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

cindycrna

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
138
Purraise
13
Our awesome cat Bob was part Maine Coon. Good idea.
 

moorspede

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
1,648
Purraise
261
Please don't think that a certain breed will automatically mean your cat will get on with your new cat. Dogs have been bred for a long time, for cats it's not so cut and dried. And in any case, the way the cat was treated and handled as it's personality was developing will also be a big determiner of it's temperament.

I think a young adult male cat would be a great idea or even a well socialised kitten (if you can deal with another ball of energy 
). If you know of a shelter where you trust the staff to understand your needs and find the right cat for you. 

[Article] A  Kitten  Or An Older Cat - Which should you adopt?

[Article] How To Choose  A  Cat Breeder

[Article] Your Second Cat: How To Choose  The Best Friend For Kitty
 
Last edited:

abyeb

Charlie's Purrson
Veteran
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
7,565
Purraise
9,599
I'd stick with a giant - a Norwegian Forest Cat or Maine Coon Cat adolescent, or a Domestic that showed much of their genetics.  Long ago, my Coon Cat - and now my Norwegian Forest - were / are good protectors, and are incredibly patient with kittens, and they seem good surrogates - teaching kittens "how to act when company comes."

.
I agree with 1CatOverTheLine. The gentle giants do seem to be a good match for your situation. Siberian is another giant breed that you might want to look into. Ragdolls also can get big, but they're less active than the other giant breeds, so a Ragdoll will probably not be the playmate that Lewis is dreaming of.
 
Last edited:

lisa brady

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
19
Purraise
48
Location
East Texas
My Maine Coons are great with kittens, other cats, dogs and other animals. They are intelligent, have excellent social skills, sweet temperment ....not to mention entertaining. Mine will fetch a tennis ball, they love to ride in the car, enjoy water and other unusual things a lot of other cats don't do. They were a surrogate caretaker for a ferel kitten abandoned by its mother. They are gentile giants and you really can't go wrong adding them to your family.
 

Brian007

Furmate and Famulus
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 13, 2017
Messages
1,751
Purraise
2,071
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland.
I'm was pondering an adult Maine Coon type to be friend to my Ragdoll, Dudley, who is actually reasonably active, but then he's only 13 months old. However, my dad had a Maine Coon, Henry, who was a "walk-in" and he definitely liked spending time outdoors, and I can only really have indoor cats. Henry was certainly a gentleman and very sensitive too.

I agree with @moorspede  that talking to rescue centre staff about Lewis might come up with the purrfect pal.  

 
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

cindycrna

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
138
Purraise
13
I called a friend who fosters and was following my saga with my dear FIP cat, Leonard. When we put Leonard to sleep, I called my friend a couple of weeks later to update her and to tell her to keep an eye out for a suitable buddy for my 6 month old, Lewis. She said she was currently fostering a 2 year old male who loved to run around, play with his toys and engage her other fosters in play. He sounds like a good match. We are going to trial him next week. He is a fluffy man with a poofy tail and long hair between his toes. :)
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,583
Purraise
47,634
We are going to trial him next week. He is a fluffy man with a poofy tail and long hair between his toes.
He does sound like a good match, fingers crossed. 
  Best of luck, please keep us updated and post pics too. 
 

danteshuman

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
Messages
5,026
Purraise
6,065
Location
California
Minus the FIP it sounds a lot like my cats. Salem the calmer older one by a year that just wants the other cat Dante the super hyper one, to leave him alone half the time (ironic since we got Dante has a playmate for Salem.) It might make more sense to not get a second cat or to get a cat who is already positive for FIP? You mentioned your cat likes to bite. Why risk it?

What works for me is tiring Dante out. He is going to be 10 soon and I still play with him before I go to sleep, so Salem & I can sleep in peace. If not he picks on Salem and jumps him instead of going after a toy. Also in my cat's cases they are allowed in the backyard only during the day (with supervision.) It allows Dante to burn off some energy trying to hunt birds.  So if your kitten sounds like my hyper little guy you may just have a hyper cat. No amount of calm is going to fix that. Also your calm cat may end up getting bullied or used as a toy substitute.  My hyper cat sometimes chases his tail in the bathtub. 15-30 minutes of play each night and bird watching made a huge difference.

Good luck.
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,547
Purraise
22,888
Location
Nebraska, USA
Cats develop their personality pretty young. A hyper, aggressive kitten more likely than not will stay that way as an adult. That shy, laid back one is not a good match with a kitten like that. Out of my five, I have two that are constantly jumping on the others, racing around the house and being a pain when they want to go out.  Since all of my cats are strays or born in the neighborhood,  we couldn't pick and choose, but it is a struggle to keep peace in the house when one is always getting picked on.  There is a lot of "don't make me come in there!"
 
Top