Personality Clash...

Well, I have a cat which I have owned since he was a young 6-weeks old - just a youngin', named Loki. He is now 7 months old and loves to play, loves to play! He has boundless energy while we are playing with him, as a matter of fact, he tires us out. Anyways, my wife and I decided that he was rather lonely when we were not around and we could see how it negatively effected him. So, we decided to adopt a new cat and headed over to the local rescue center.

Alas, we were in cat-central (over 300 cats!). Instantly, my wife sees this adorable cat that is about 1 year old and has had a litter already. This cat is amazingly unique in its coloration and pattern; white and black, and looks like a miniture snow-tiger. I could not help but agree, that she was adorable and very lovable; however, she had a timid nature that seemed to prefer solitude versus socially playing with the other cats. This is a personality which is pretty much the opposite of our current cat. Now, of course, I surcumb to my wifes wishes and we go with "Lyra." They adapted to one another rather readily, but Loki wishes to play and Lyra just wants to be alone - always! I know there is an adjustment period, but this cat does not play: period. A natural born lap kitty, just in the hosue for attention. This is contrary to our(my?) initial intentions of getting Loki a partner in mischevious fun. As a result, Loki just feels unwanted and expelled out of our 'inner circle.' He does not even sleep in our bed anymore.

My question is: Should I exchange her for a cat that is more suitable for Loki, playful and inquisitive, or should I suck it up and live with the decision. If we do exchange her, she is so unique and pretty I have no doubt that she will be adopted fast.

Thank you for reading this

suck it up. you adopted this beautiful little girl...she's healthy and happy. Loki is still a kitten so he's going to want to play more than Lyra. he'll likely calm down with age. just make sure to give both cats attention. don't adopt a cat if you don't plan on keeping it. they're not a pair of jeans that you can trade in if they don't fit. that's just wrong. they're living, breathing beings that deserve way more respect than that.

I agree with distol.

Lyra sounds like a great fit to your little family. And it's important to spend time with both cats. Once he realizes he's not being replaced, he will come around.

I think things will work themselves out. Pepper gets in a little snit every time some one new joins the household, but as soon as the pecking order is established, she is fine. Sometimes it just takes a little more time than we would like it to.
Welcome to TCS. There are a lot of really nice cat lovers here that are always ready to offer everything from expertise to best wishes. Please keep us posted on Loki and Lyra's progress, and BTW we love pics around here. Please post some if you have them.