Adopting a cat while I already have one

mattystyles · Jun 22, 2006

Hello!
This is my first post and it is a big one. I really want to get a kitten from the local homeless pet shelter BUT already have a 12 year old cat. She is a big, tubby tabby cat named Hoops (female, spayed and declawed in front) that lounges like it is her day job and is a very mellow feline.

If I were to adopt a new kitten (I'm looking at a 5 week old male currently) what are the possible risks in doing so? Will my current cat get stressed/upset/become crazy? I want to add a new pet to the house without causing an uproar (or meow!).

So, what is the best way to introduce a new kitten to my 12 year old cat and are there any other tips or pointers I should know about?

Thanks a million and take care,
~Styles

commonoddity042 · Jun 22, 2006

I believe that at age 12, if you were to add any cats at all, it should be an older , laid back one. At that age, a baby constantly pestering her for playtime would stress her out too much.

tnr1 · Jun 22, 2006

Originally Posted by MattyStyles

Hello!
This is my first post and it is a big one. I really want to get a kitten from the local homeless pet shelter BUT already have a 12 year old cat. She is a big, tubby tabby cat named Hoops (female, spayed and declawed in front) that lounges like it is her day job and is a very mellow feline.

If I were to adopt a new kitten (I'm looking at a 5 week old male currently) what are the possible risks in doing so? Will my current cat get stressed/upset/become crazy? I want to add a new pet to the house without causing an uproar (or meow!).

So, what is the best way to introduce a new kitten to my 12 year old cat and are there any other tips or pointers I should know about?

Thanks a million and take care,
~Styles

Welcome Styles....I don't want to disuade you but a 12 year old and a 5 week old is a HUGE age difference. Kittens tend to be very active and oftentimes an older cat will be annoyed by activity of the kitten. Then the kitten becomes lonely looking for companionship and will look to you. The recommendation with such a large age difference is to get 2 kittens. That way, the kittens can play with each other and your 12 year old can decide whether or not she wants to participate. If you are truly looking for a companion for your cat...I would go for an older cat that is around the same temperment as your existing cat.

Katie

From Paws of Chicago:

In general, adopting a kitten (1½ years or younger) as a companion for an older cat ( 5 years and older) is not a good idea. A youngster has boundless energy, wants to play and run constantly, and requires very high amounts interaction--all of which are likely to overwhelm and irritate an older cat in short order. Likewise, a kitten is apt to be frustrated that its companion does not have the same energy level as itself. At the very least, this can lead to two very unhappy cats. Worse case scenario, behavior problems such as litter ox avoidance or destructive scratching can occur as one or both cats act out their frustrations on their surrounds. Long-term, it is almost certain that the two will never have a close, bonded relationship, even after the kitten matures, since their experience with one another from the beginning of the relationship are likely to be negative. An older cat is better matched with someone of their own age who has similar temperament. Likewise, kittens as a rule need other young cats to play with in order to be happy. If you insist on adding a kitten to a household that already has an older cat, at least get two--this way they will entertain one another and the older cat can participate or not depending on its mood.

zak&rocky · Jun 22, 2006

Also 5 weeks is way to young to be separated from mama. Ten weeks is the minimum, 12 weeks or up is ideal.

stephanietx · Jun 22, 2006

Don't do it! At least don't adopt a young, young kitten for your older cat. Here's my story.

I have a 10 yo cat, Callie, who I've had for 8 years. She was my lovebug and my constant shadow. She was getting chubby and I thought getting her a playmate would be great. Late last November, we adopted a beautiful 7 mo. old kitty, Hannah. It was the most stressful thing we could've done for Callie. She withdrew, became more skittish than she already was, developed 2 URIs and a urinary tract infection from the stress, had a decreased appetite, and became fearful of us. It also aggravated Callie's arthritis, which we didn't even know she had! There was much hissing and boxing because Hannah didn't understand that biting on Callie's ears and/or pouncing on Callie wasn't a 10 yo cat's idea of a good thing or fun!! Also, the noise and firm tone of voice we used while training Hannah to not jump on counters, to not eat out of Callie's bowl, to not.....was extremely stressful for Callie.

Now that things have calmed down in our household considerably (over the past 3 or 4 months), it's gotten much better, but they still don't play like I wish they would. Callie's come back out of her shell, but it really broke my heart knowing that I was the one responsible for her unhappiness. Many times I'd lay on the floor and pet her and just cry

because she'd become so distant. Hannah's matured to know that pouncing on Callie isn't acceptable and she's learned to not infringe on Callie's eating, but I've had to stand guard and monitor mealtimes. They really only tolerate each other and have an agreement to be near each other, but not lovey-dovey.

If I had it to do over again, I'd either adopt 2 kitties of similar ages OR I'd adopt a much older kitty...maybe one that's 5-8 years old that still has some spunk, but not kittenish. I most likely would adopt an older kitty that would have less of a chance to be adopted, but who is similar in temperament to my 10 yo cat.

Stephanie

tnr1 · Jun 22, 2006

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Don't do it! At least don't adopt a young, young kitten for your older cat. Here's my story.

I have a 10 yo cat, Callie, who I've had for 8 years. She was my lovebug and my constant shadow. She was getting chubby and I thought getting her a playmate would be great. Late last November, we adopted a beautiful 7 mo. old kitty, Hannah. It was the most stressful thing we could've done for Callie. She withdrew, became more skittish than she already was, developed 2 URIs and a urinary tract infection from the stress, had a decreased appetite, and became fearful of us. It also aggravated Callie's arthritis, which we didn't even know she had! There was much hissing and boxing because Hannah didn't understand that biting on Callie's ears and/or pouncing on Callie wasn't a 10 yo cat's idea of a good thing or fun!! Also, the noise and firm tone of voice we used while training Hannah to not jump on counters, to not eat out of Callie's bowl, to not.....was extremely stressful for Callie.

Now that things have calmed down in our household considerably (over the past 3 or 4 months), it's gotten much better, but they still don't play like I wish they would. Callie's come back out of her shell, but it really broke my heart knowing that I was the one responsible for her unhappiness. Many times I'd lay on the floor and pet her and just cry

because she'd become so distant. Hannah's matured to know that pouncing on Callie isn't acceptable and she's learned to not infringe on Callie's eating, but I've had to stand guard and monitor mealtimes. They really only tolerate each other and have an agreement to be near each other, but not lovey-dovey.

If I had it to do over again, I'd either adopt 2 kitties of similar ages OR I'd adopt a much older kitty...maybe one that's 5-8 years old that still has some spunk, but not kittenish. I most likely would adopt an older kitty that would have less of a chance to be adopted, but who is similar in temperament to my 10 yo cat.

Stephanie

Stephanie...thanks for sharing your story. I'm sorry it didn't work out for Callie and Hannah...but please don't blame yourself for something you didn't know.

HUGS

Katie

ryanjay · Jun 22, 2006

my first cat was est. to be 10 when I took in a 6 week old kiten. the first cat-toby never adjusted to friend level with any of my cats but he got to tolerence level when the kitten was about 6 months old(and big enough that toby didnt start a fight. Was it perfect -NO but in situation would i do it again-definatley yes. also introduced a 10 yo cat to my gang(of then 10 other cats-they learn to respect eachother-each knows that one likes me or that one i should avoid if hes asleep on "HIS" bed but I think that happens when the obnoxiuos kitten stage wears off(like 5 months or so). RJ

mattystyles · Jun 22, 2006

Thanks for the replies! They gave me a lot to consider-- have a great day.
~Styles

urbantigers · Jun 23, 2006

I agree that the age gap may be too big and that a new kitten might be too much for your older cat to cope with. I've recently introduced a kitten to my lively 9 year old and it's just about been ok. At times poor Jaffa gets very fed up with Mosi leaping on top of him all the time even though he loves to play himself. Things are ok and will be even better when Mosi's calmed down a bit but if Jaffa had been much older it wouldn't have worked. If your 12 year old is very mellow and likes to sleep a lot it doesn't sound like she'd cope with a kitten very well. Maybe an older cat would be better.

Adopting a cat while I already have one

mattystyles

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commonoddity042

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tnr1

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zak&rocky

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stephanietx

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tnr1

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ryanjay

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mattystyles

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urbantigers

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