getting my new kitten a friend?

philtrated · Jul 30, 2006

hi, I made a post a week ago about my new kitten (who is just awesome!). She was really quiet when I first met her, but now she's really come alive. Some little problems have arisen with her behaviour though. (well what I perceive as problems) -> which i think might be overcome by getting her a little friend.

On the weekend she did a karate dive at a pot plant (funny) but she knocked it over, and last night she dug up my little herb garden so that dirt was all over the place. Is this a sign of boredom, or just a naughty kitten?

As i said in my previous post, my orginal plan was to get two cats so that they have company when i'm at work during the day (they are stricktly inside cats). But i'm worried that if I get another kitten this weekend, that my current kitten will get really upset, and they won't get along (which would be a distaster because my home isn't massive) 2 bedroom, kitchen, living room & a sun room.

So what are the chances of them not getting along at all? Considering the main reason I'd get another kitten is for her company anyway.

Thanks for reading

miss mew · Jul 31, 2006

I would say that if you are looking at getting another kitten, the sooner the better. They won't get along right away (more than likely) and that is to be expected.

The plant dumping behaviour is probably just your kitten being a kitten though (they are like little kids that way...always getting into things)

Let us know if you do decide to get a new brother or sister for your kitten!

meow meow · Jul 31, 2006

I would say that is just kitten behavior. Getting another one will not eliminate that -- it could double it! It would keep her happy if you are gone all day though thats for sure.

You didn't say how old your kitten is (mine is almost 5 months) but I find them to be very adaptable at this age. You will probably have great success introducing him or her to another cat now. Might be a little hissing and such at first but they will be off playing in no time!

PS: I have heard that a boy/girl or girl/girl combo is good -- not a boy/boy though.

phenomsmom · Jul 31, 2006

If you are wanting 2 cats I would recommend getting a new one now. It will be much easier to introduce 2 kittens than a kitten to an adult kitten who is used to being an only fur child!

sparklesbling · Jul 31, 2006

Hi there
I got a kitten and realised quickly that she was very social and liked our company. She got really needy and that became hard for us. So I got her a second kitten when she was 11 weeks and he was 16 weeks. She was already quite territorial, hissing, growling, not letting him come near her.

We are now in week no 3 and while they don't yet sleep together and can play roughly (growling, yelling, he is much bigger than her) she does follow him around and he has tried to groom her a couple of times. Outside of playing the hissing etc has stopped and they seem to be good mates.

In terms of her behaviour I've noticed she is less needy on us. She is more independent, her coordination skills has improved and she can play with a toy by herself quite happily. She is also eating a lot better, I think a result of both competition and also playing more.

I have a 2 bedrm, sunroom and dining set up and they are both indoor cats. They seem happy enough. (My lounge does look like feline disneyland). My best advice is to get as big a scratching post as you can afford / fit. It gives each of them a place to escape and makes up for being indoors. Put it somewhere where they can see out (but not jump out) like a closed window. They love looking outside.... Good luck and keep me posted! I'm interested to see how you go

philtrated · Jul 31, 2006

thanks so much everyone for your advice

it's just when i leave my kitten at home by herself during the day it drives me nuts. I don't want her to be bored / lonely. she ends up sleeping all day and goes crazy around the house at night.

i have also heard that when you get 2 cats that they can bond with eachother and not the owner. what have been you experiences on this point?

laureen227 · Jul 31, 2006

Originally Posted by Phenomsmom

If you are wanting 2 cats I would recommend getting a new one now. It will be much easier to introduce 2 kittens than a kitten to an adult kitten who is used to being an only fur child!

the sooner the better if you're getting a 2nd. Cable & Java got along great almost from the get-go. Cable was about 6 months old, & Java about 3.5 months old. you may hear some hissing & growling at first, but it usually blows over. Cable hardly ever even hisses at Chip anymore, & he's only been here since March & he's twice her size - & neither were kittens when they met. kittens are much more adaptable than adults.

babyharley · Jul 31, 2006

We got Harley when he was 8 weeks old, and he's now 1. We just got Davidson about a month ago, when he was also 8 weeks old. They love eachother, and keep eachother company all day while we're @ work. I really wish I would have gotten a kitten while Harley was little, but then again I wouldn't have ended up with my baby Davidson!

I would also reccommend the sooner, the better

Harley is adjusting well, he's a 'cat's cat' which I am learning. He likes to be around cats, better than humans. Davidson loves to cuddle with us, and so does Harley, but on his own terms.

You will have a wonderful bonding experience with them both, even if you have 2 cats, they will love to spend time with you!

philtrated · Jul 31, 2006

btw my kitten (penny) is 6 months old. I only got her 2 weeks ago

yosemite · Jul 31, 2006

Bijou and Mika bonded, but they are both still very loving with us humans so I think it really depends on the cats whether they will become less affectionate. Our 2 certainly aren't any less affectionate.

sparklesbling · Aug 1, 2006

Originally Posted by philtrated

thanks so much everyone for your advice

it's just when i leave my kitten at home by herself during the day it drives me nuts. I don't want her to be bored / lonely. she ends up sleeping all day and goes crazy around the house at night.

i have also heard that when you get 2 cats that they can bond with eachother and not the owner. what have been you experiences on this point?

Sparkles (my existing kitten) as I said, certainly is more independent now we have Bling, and Bling has always been a pretty independent, not as needy kitten. Both shadow each other most of the day, and Sparkles definitely doesn't need as much attention but certainly I don't feel less love. Sparkles still sleeps on my pillow at night and Bling on the floor of our bedroom. She takes longer to jump up on to my pillow (as she's too busy playing with him) but she still comes and sleeps with me every night.

They'll bond, which is the idea, but cats can be very loyal and love their owners greatly. Trust me, they'll remember who you are and the place you have in their world... there'll just be twice as much to love (and play with).

naturestee · Aug 1, 2006

I just adopted two kittens last Wednsday. They're not from the same litter, and aside from a meeting at the Humane Society to see if they'd get along they had never met before I brought them home. Eve was a little rough at first because she was so excited to have somebody to play with, but she's gotten more gentle and Lily has learned how to play back. They play together a lot and spend a lot of the day sleeping together. I'd hate to see either of them living alone.

They also both love us. They're usually willing to stop whatever game they're playing if we bring out an interactive toy. When they're sleepy, Lily is practically velcroed to our laps, while Eve curls up next to us. They also seek us out for attention and Eve cries if she thinks we are ignoring her.

I think you should have your kitten meet any new prospects to make sure they'll get along. The shelter worker told us that kittens usually get along well, but one of the other kittens that we introduced to Eve did nothing but hiss and swat.

philtrated · Aug 1, 2006

that would be difficult, i don't exactly want to drive my current kitten out to the rspca to meet another kitten, she'd be too freaked out by that stage to get any decent idea of whether they'd get along or not.

yosemite · Aug 1, 2006

Originally Posted by philtrated

that would be difficult, i don't exactly want to drive my current kitten out to the rspca to meet another kitten, she'd be too freaked out by that stage to get any decent idea of whether they'd get along or not.

If you do the introductions correctly, you should really not have a problem. I definitely wouldn't take my current kitty to the RSPCA where she would get upset and stress can lead to urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infection and who knows what she could pick up.

If you get another kitty (and I'm hoping you do), make sure you get a clean bill of health from the vet before introducing the 2 cats. If they are both kittens you will probably have fewer problems with the introduction. We separated Bijou and Mika for close to a month with only supervised visits in the evenings when we were home. Bijou is twice Mika's size so I didn't want her to get hurt. Some "scrapping" is bound to take place as one cat will vie for dominance and as long as neither of them are really getting hurt, i.e., scratches and bites, I wouldn't worry too much.

There is some excellent information on introducing cats in these forums. Do a search and you will get more information than you thought you would ever need.

sarahp · Aug 1, 2006

You may remember me saying about a week ago how I'd love to get another kitten but my husband wouldn't let me... So now we have a new kitten. Hehe.

Our other cat is about 11 months old, and they're really wasn't much hissing and growling at all. They're not best of friends yet, but it's only been 4 days

Stumpy adapted really well to the new kitten and I think loves having a little sister to run after

Every cat will be different, and it may be tough at first, but in the long run I think it's a great idea.

yosemite · Aug 2, 2006

Originally Posted by sarahp

You may remember me saying about a week ago how I'd love to get another kitten but my husband wouldn't let me... So now we have a new kitten. Hehe.

Our other cat is about 11 months old, and they're really wasn't much hissing and growling at all. They're not best of friends yet, but it's only been 4 days

Stumpy adapted really well to the new kitten and I think loves having a little sister to run after

Every cat will be different, and it may be tough at first, but in the long run I think it's a great idea.

Congratulations! That's wonderful.

getting my new kitten a friend?

philtrated

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miss mew

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meow meow

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phenomsmom

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sparklesbling

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laureen227

Darksome Duo!

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sparklesbling

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naturestee

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philtrated

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