Should I get a second cat?

Hello All!

I am Julie and I am new here. I was searching the web for insights on adding a second cat to my home when I found this site. I love it! I couldn't wait to join and pose my question to some actual people with some actual experience.

Here is my dilemma. I have a one cat household at the moment. It's just me my boyfriend and our two and a half year old male cat Sir Clyde Diesel; we have a happy little home. We both work, so Clyde is home all day by himself, but he doesn't appear to be lonely. He is slightly over weight, but he has plenty of room to run, he just prefers lying on his blanket in front of the heating vent. He has a cat tree he sleeps in at night which is in our bedroom, with a great view of the back yard. (As a kitten he purred so loud my boyfriend couldn't sleep, so I stayed out on the couch with him for a while, so he never got in the habit of sleeping on the bed while we are in it.) I would also venture to say that he hangs out in his tree during the day when we aren't home soaking up the sun. He is described by some of our friends as skittish, he runs if there is a loud noise and he isn't a lap cat, although he sits on my boyfriend like he is going out of style, but as far as anyone else goes he could take'em or leave'em. He does not run and hide when there is company; he just doesn't cuddle with them.

Here is where the second cat comes in, my sister just moved into a new place and the cat that lives there had three kittens, fathered by who we don't know. (Don’t worry - my sister is very careful that she no longer gets outside and once she is finished nursing she is getting fixed) My whole family loves cats, but my sister is unable to keep one of the kittens due to the house rules and my parents already have two cats that are eleven. They want me to take one of the kittens, and they are awful cute. I am just so nervous on how Clyde will react to another kitty in the house, he is my best buddy and I don't want to upset him. The kittens are about seven weeks old and I can't determine the sex, a vet drew me a picture of what a girl should look like and a boy, but they all look the same

In every article I read I get a different opinion from some specialist at some university. I would like to hear from some actual people with an actual experience. I do not want my sweet little Clyde to feel imposed upon. Do you think another cat would be beneficial for him? I need some direction, I am having trouble making this decision, and the more I read the more confused I get. My boyfriend is indifferent; he says he is very happy with Clyde and that an addition to our home would be my decision. Of course I would love this new kitty, but I was not actively seeking a kitten when this all came up.

First of all Juleigh, welcome to TCS!!!
As far as adding another kitty to your home, I came to this site with the same question (and obviously never left ) I have a resident cat who is also skittish and was unsure about getting a second cat. But members here gave me wonderful advice and now I am currently on the lookout for kitten #2.
If you do decide to get a kitten, your resident cat should do well if you introduce the two in the correct manner. This article is The Book on how to introduce your new kitten to your resident cat:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=22138
Also, if your cat seems really stressed and upset about the new cat, try buying the Feliway Comfort Zone Diffuser. It does a wonderful job of de-stressing kitties!
Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Bump so hopefully some more people can give you advice

Welcome. I say yes get a second cat or maybe a 3rd or 4th. That's just my opinion though being owned by 5 myself.

Yes!!!!


I want a second one too, but right now its not really a good time i have to wait for a few more months

Aw Fran, I cannot wait for you to get another kitty to play with Teufel!

Hiya Juleigh!
Welcome to the wonderful world of TCS!
I would get as many as you can. We love kitties. But no, really, I just added little Saba who was a resuce from another member down south of me, to our household. Sasha has been the Only One for 14 months now after losing an adopted kitten to FeLV. Long story, so to cut to the point YES! We asked Sasha. He said he was ready. He is a big, quiet, intoverted gentle guy - 21 lbs! and he's sweet-tempered and giving....so another kitty in need was ok. I read a lot, even though I thought I knew alot as it was, and I always learn ever more!
Everybody here on TCS had great ideas and advice.

My idea would be to do a trial run? Can you try with the caveat that if it's really a nightmare you can bring it back? Is that too extreme? Maybe so it is.
With us, I told GlowbugM on the site that if it really was a horrible thing we'd have to bring Saba back but in my heart I knew there would be no chance of that.

We are so glad you joined. You might just want to stick around and visit even when we aren't talking kitties.

I understand why your are apprehensive. There can be problems when a new one is introduced with aggression and sometimes litter box problems, but it's been my experience that you are usually able to get over any of these issues (if you even run across them) relatively easy. In my 25 yrs of "adult life", I've only had one problem with spraying due to territory (at least I guess this was the problem). Other than that, I've only had maybe two years that I had a two cat household. The other years, I had three or more and three cats and a dog for a 16 yr period. Now I have five cats. You do need to slowly introduce them as mentioned in the previous threads.

I believe with all my heart that unless you feel you have a cat with a behavior problem, you should have another kitten if you and your SO are working all day. At least you should give it a try. So, what's this little kitten look like?

Hi, and welcome to the site When I first went to get my first on my own kitties I adopted littermates so they would have company when I was at work. They get along beautifully and it is so much fun to see them interact. My third cat was not my choice but his. He came to our door one day and never left. We did have some initial territory issue but we were patient and let the kids work through them and now they are all the best of friends and the joy of my life. In the beginning I segregated Inca and introduced them slowly letting them sniff each other first through a door and then for short visits until they were used to each other. Then they developed their own heirarchy. I couldn't imagine not having any one of them. It was the best decision to bring anouther cat in.

Tricia

having had both 1 cat and two cats in my life, I am certain that the two cats are happier then the lone cat was. They are less lonely (or act less desperate for attention when I get home anyway), get more exercise, and have someone to interact with while the wife and I are at work.

The hard part is getting the two cats to interact and accept each other. since my two were littermates, I really can't offer any advice. In fact, it was my first cat's hatred of other cats that kept us from getting a second one, so you're on your own there. ;-(

Brian has a good point, but when I hear screaming at my house, guess who it's coming from? Mother and daughter - always. Never an interaction between the unrelated cats.

and a third cat

The more the merrier!

I started with one cat, 4 months later I got another cat and a year later I got another cat! I love my 3 kitties and it definitely is a lot of fun to have more than one cat. I say, get another cat, a kitten is even more fun!
There is definitely lots of information about introducing cats to each other; follow that advice for sure. My understanding is that it's easier to introduce a kitten, at least in most cases. Each cat is different. My 2 cats became best buds with our newest, whom we got at 4 months old. He's almost 7 months old now and the 3 of them have a blast! I love the sound of running cat feet as they chase and wrestle with each other. And nothing is sweeter than a pile of sleeping kitties.

Just be careful because once you're a multiple cat household, because you'll just want to keep adding. (Well, I'm already buying food and litter, so one more won't cost much... and we have the room...)

I'm kidding!

If you have the love and the time, then go for the second cat. At the very least, give it a try.

I started with one cat, and from volunteering at a shelter I've ended up with four. I love each and every one of them, and I can't imagine a day going buy without all of them here.

I have three at the moment, but at other times in my life I have had one or two at a time. Two is a good number if you don't want to give your life over completely to the cats - I always think they seem to need attention on a squared basis - 2 cats need four times the attention of 1, 3 need 9 times etc!! But two do keep each other company. The other thing is htat if there are two they will play more energetically than one on its own, so you do need to look round your home more carefully for things they can break or hurt themselves on. Good luck and welcome to the site.

Absolutely. But beware, we obtained a second cat and it caused a cascade of events that eventually led to nine cats in addition to our three teenagers =). All in all it is a great situation.

I vote for getting the second cat. Because then you'll eventually adopt a third, fourth, fifth. You get the idea.

My very first cat, Snickers, wandered into my garage 14 yrs ago. He seemed bored; so we adopted a female named Dusty. They hit it off very well. Then, they seemed bored. So we adopted another female. Then another stray named KC came along. Then Zorro was dropped off to me on his way to the pound; intercept!!! And Hammie, from the H.S., well HE chose ME.

Multi-cat households are lots of fun. You just have to run your sweeper a bit more, but trust me, the kitties will keep each other entertained. And it's so fun to see how they pair off (if you go beyond the second cat), play together, sleep together, pick on each other.

Welcome to the Site! This place is incredible, you'll find lots of people willing to help & give great advice. A lifesaver!

I'd say go for it, Juleigh. Your current kitty will probably enjoy the company and you'll certainly enjoy the added amusement you'll get when two cats get wound up and start playing. Of course, you'll find that cats are like potato chips - impossible to have just one, especially once you get used to having multiple cats.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Sadly, I decided against the kitten. I can't believe I am even saying that after every single person who replied thought it would be a good idea -- but I just still don't feel right about it. I love my relationship with Clyde and I am just too fearful that will change. He is my buddy, he follows me around in the mornings when I get ready for work, and talks to me while I make dinner. Then relaxes with his dad and watches TV in the evening. We are just so happy with Clyde and are too scared to risk a change. I feel terribly guilty. I am working on finding another home for this kitten and his little sibling, hopefully we can keep them together, and that would definitely lesson the guilt. Again I really appreciate the advice. Please don't think I am rude for not taking it. I really enjoy this forum and plan on sticking around.

Julie