Thinking about getting Ripley a friend

He seems a bit bored. He did come from a very busy place with lots of other cats to play with, so I suppose it IS a bit quiet here. Although, we do play with him a lot. My youngest son is always dragging the mouse or throwing a ball or petting him or carrying him or whatever. It's so cute. Ripley trots after him like a puppy sometimes.

Anyway, Ripley is a male about 1 yr old. He is pretty active and not dominant at all. Any suggestions? I was thinking another male but younger, maybe 6-8 mo. old. preferably not dominant either.

Thanks for your suggestions.

It can be really hard to tell if kitty wants another playmate. Of course, even when they want one, it still takes a period of adjustment as cats are just not naturally social in the same way that dogs are.

Gary and I would work very long hours away from home. So we thought it would be great to get the first kitty that we kept after rescuing, Lazlo, a playmate. We rescued and brought inside his brother, Sheldon.

Four years later, it is clear to us that Lazlo would have been perfectly happy being an alone cat. Shelly, on the other hand, is always welcoming of new cats, and really enjoys having other kitty friends around.

We've also found that boys are far more social and much quicker at adjusting to newbies than girls. It seems as if the girls have a tendency to bond to one of us, and don't like sharing us.

Since your Ripley came from a busy place with lots of other cats to play with, he'd probably do well with a kitty friend. I do think another male is a good idea, and if you're willing to adopt an older kitty, even though the adjustment may be harder for all of you, you should go for it! They're so much harder to adopt out, and if you're willing to go for it, you should!

Some good advice on both bringing a new kitty home and introducing kitties to each other:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/19/Th...Household.html

Good luck - and let us know what you decide to do!

Laurie

Going from a multi-cat environment to a single cat environment can be boring for him.

You could provide more enrichment for the cat by rotating toys, and setting aside a set amount of time each day you're going to play with your cat.

Getting another cat can lead to alot of problems.

Good luck

Originally Posted by Aconfident

Getting another cat can lead to alot of problems.

Click to expand...

True - but the rewards! I would definately do it, although I wouldn't be too concerned about age, especially.

Can you get the second kitty from the same place (and possibly the same group of cats)? I would do that if I could.

Make sure to have a read of some of the old introduction threads to get used to what will happen and the things you can do to ease the introduction.

Its a playmate for Ripely, it's another kitty for you, and it's another kitty life saved or enriched - what's not to like?

Opening your heart and home for a new kitty sounds lovely! Please consider going to your local shelter to find your new family member! A kitty of similar age is a great idea so they can enjoy their kitten energy together. Both would enjoy toys and items such as cat trees to add stimulation to their inside environment, and the personal playtime with each remains very important to enrich their lives and your relationship.

They are GREAT!!! I was just really impressed with their operation. We have a cat tree, plus toys. There are 3 people here most of the time and Ripley gets quite a bit of play time. He is such a wonderful cat, very polite and good natured. Thanks for the tips and I will definitely read up on the introduction threads. Thanks!