Greetings cat-lovers . . . I'm in a bit of a quandary I need advice for. I hope this is the appropriate forum.
We have a very shy 4-year-old male (Smokey), and my wife and I just lost our sweet female tuxedo (Dex) of 22-years. I rescued the young male from the street in dire circumstances, but he is now a beautiful, healthy cat who is affectionate toward us, but afraid of anyone else. He is kept inside (large 2-bedroom duplex) at all times because of coyotes in the area. The older cat, a female who became blind 5-years ago, never took a liking to him, as she was previously queen of the house for 18 years, and would only hiss at, or take swipes at him as he tried to play with her or touch noses. However, he seemed to be fascinated by her, following and watching her from a safe distance. He has always had a very sweet demeanor towards the few cats I've ever seen him with.
The advice I seek now is whether I should try to find a companion for Smokey. He is sometimes all by himself, and I know he gets bored. He seems sad at not having Dex around anymore, and has been hiding ever since we took Dex away. I have a strong feeling that if we were to carefully introduce a very young cat or kitten, it wouldn't take long for them to make friends. Smokey is very playful, and his priorities in life are: first play, then affection, and only then food. Although I've never sought to own a cat, I love them, having had them all my life - always willing to rescue the ones I see that are truly in need that I can't find a home for. Both me and my wife are still broken up about losing Dex after having had her for so long, and I'm trying to not let that influence our decision. I know there are endless discussions about this online, but wanted to share our particular situation with you, hoping someone has experienced similar circumstances. Thanks for your time.
We have a very shy 4-year-old male (Smokey), and my wife and I just lost our sweet female tuxedo (Dex) of 22-years. I rescued the young male from the street in dire circumstances, but he is now a beautiful, healthy cat who is affectionate toward us, but afraid of anyone else. He is kept inside (large 2-bedroom duplex) at all times because of coyotes in the area. The older cat, a female who became blind 5-years ago, never took a liking to him, as she was previously queen of the house for 18 years, and would only hiss at, or take swipes at him as he tried to play with her or touch noses. However, he seemed to be fascinated by her, following and watching her from a safe distance. He has always had a very sweet demeanor towards the few cats I've ever seen him with.
The advice I seek now is whether I should try to find a companion for Smokey. He is sometimes all by himself, and I know he gets bored. He seems sad at not having Dex around anymore, and has been hiding ever since we took Dex away. I have a strong feeling that if we were to carefully introduce a very young cat or kitten, it wouldn't take long for them to make friends. Smokey is very playful, and his priorities in life are: first play, then affection, and only then food. Although I've never sought to own a cat, I love them, having had them all my life - always willing to rescue the ones I see that are truly in need that I can't find a home for. Both me and my wife are still broken up about losing Dex after having had her for so long, and I'm trying to not let that influence our decision. I know there are endless discussions about this online, but wanted to share our particular situation with you, hoping someone has experienced similar circumstances. Thanks for your time.