Need advice

Hi there. Here is the situation.... I am waiting to get 2 kittens but will not be able to have them for about another 4-6 weeks. In the meantime, my mom suggested I foster a cat. A friend of her's at work is looking for a home for their 11 y/o cat. They are trying to find a home for him because he is pulling his hair out in clumps and they have a new baby that is picking up the hair and they don't want this going on. Anyway, they said that he has been doing this for awhile (even before the baby right after they moved to a new house). My mom talked to the lady today and she said that she appreciates the offer to foster but would rather find someone that will keep him so he doesn't have to keep moving around. I completely understand that. My mom works at a vet's office and told this lady that maybe they could put him on medicine to help him relax. Needless to say, they seemed uninterested or whatever in going that route for whatever reason. My dilema is this..... I would like to take him but since he has never been around other cats, I wouldn't want to stress him out by bringing home 2 kittens in a few weeks. I am not sure what to do. They said he is very laid back and loves to lay in your lap (UGH, that is so wonderful I thought).
Can you please give me your opinion on what you would do?
I really appreciate it.
Thanks.

First I want to say that is so nice of you to want to take him in. Have they taken him to a vet???? I feel bad for him, obviously something is going on with him, I would guess either stress from moving into a new home, or an illness of some sort. I first would check with a vet about his health. It's a a hard decision, but my gut feeling is not to take him in knowing you will have 2 new kittens soon. I know how you feel, but older cats that have never been with other cats sometimes do not do very well when put in a situation like that. I have just adopted 2 cats over the past 2 months. 1 is 3 and 1 is 4, they were living together prior to this. They also were living with 11 other cats prior to me adopting them. They were both very shy and hid most of the time. They are both comming around and just starting to feel comefortable here in their new home.The only other thing I would suggest is if you can provide the older cat with his own area of your home to live in. I don't mean just a crate, but maybe a room of his own. I don't know how this will work for you, but is is my thought on it all. That way you could slowly introduce the older cat to the babies,through a door, then with a gate between them. Go with your gut feeling. Best wishes!

We have a 22 year old cat at the clinic I work at who has always pulled out his own hair. R2 (short for RoadRash) was hit by a car when he was young and the vets think there was nerve damage in his back end (because that is where he pulls the hair from), we've tried all sorts of meds over the years and nothing worked, at this point it is more of a habit than anything. Moral of the story is if he's not hurting himself it may not be a big deal, though I would recommend a complete check-up to rule out any problems.

Thank you for replying! That is true, I probably need to not take him. I just feel so bad for him! It makes me so sad to think of kitties that need homes. I am especially in turmoil since I just lost my girls 2 weeks apart. Please don't think that I am trying to replace them, I just want to love another, well let's be honest here.... all of them! I never imagined my life without jessie in the first place but then when I brought punkin home, I felt like jessie would be glad I had rescued another. Then losing punkin and being alone like this, man, it's just such a horrible feeling inside. I come home and half expect to see them. I have been having nightmares and am not sleeping well.
Anyways, sorry to go on and on.
I feel that you are probably right that I need to just wait. I wouldn't want to stress him out more by bringing him home then in a few weeks, he would be stressed maybe again with 2 kittens.
Ugh, I just let my heart get the best of me all the time. I can't help myself.
Please pray that he finds a good home and they don't just put him to sleep over something that seems to trivial to me. (I am not trying to be mean, they are nice people) but you know what I am saying.
Thanks

Sounds like he is already stressed out and with people who could really care less. I would take him and try to help him.If you do the introductions slow to the new kitties there shouldn't be a problem, and truthfully, it sounds like you care for him and he needs that right now. Besides, I would bet you need him too

Really? Well, I haven't even met him yet but I would love a cat no matter what. I am a little scared about the introduction thing... I only ever had one kitty at a time. Last year I had tried to introduce a kitten to my jessie and she was not having it. She quit eating and hid. Luckily there was a girl that I knew that really wanted the kitten so she ended up taking her and jessie was back to normal in a few days.
I am so sensitive about everything when it comes to kitties.

Cats can take more than you would think. Spirit was absolutely mortified when I rescued Trouble and her sisters, the sisters went to new homes but Trouble was way to shy and no one wanted her. Sturgis came a few month later, and even at 5 weeks old was a trouble maker (spirit wanted to stuff him down the toilet), it took awhile but now they get along pretty good and Spirit even plays with them (Cali is the newest and will only socialize with Milo on her terms).

Another thought, maybe younger companionship is what might help this older cat. Maybe it will take his mind off pulling out his hair, maybe he's never had the opportunity to have a friend before.