Companion For My Cat Or No? Help!!

[Ashleyannmerk]

Hello fellow cat lovers! I’m in a sticky situation with my fur baby. I am about to graduate college and because I will be seeking a job in NYC, we would be moving closer to the city to avoid a 2/3 hr long commute twice a day. She adopted me last Fall. She was my neighbor’s cat and starting coming here and within a few months, she moved in and we are absolutely inseparable. We have dogs so we have her in her own area, a heated garage with furniture and all her toys, and two rooms, one of them bring my dads bedroom. She likes to go outside in the morning but mostly stays close and I’m almost done building her a large catio. I am able to spend so much time with her because I am in school Mon-Fri, but only for a few hours at a time and I will make someone check on her so she’s not alone the entire time. As far as work, I work from home for my dads practice and then Saturday’s I work out of the house, but my sister “babysits” her for me. Even when she’s with my mom, dad, or sister, she’s looking for me most of the time.

Come the fall or winter, I’ll either be in a rented apartment or an owned small house, where she’ll have her own bedroom/playroom and access to a catio. I’m very worried that if I’m gone 7:30am-7pm, she’ll be miserable. She is extremely attached to me and is very sensitive as it is. I am considering getting her a kitten or puppy, but she does not seem to do well with other animals. Her old owner told me she ran the other her house, including another cat and a K9 German Shepard, but she wasn’t particularly fond of them. They also mentioned she would have physical fights with a neighbor’s cat when she was much younger.She also doesn’t do well with my dogs, but they are really aggressive towards other animals and people so that’s not surprising. We also feed other strays/ferals, and she would hiss at them and avoid them when they came to eat before she moved inside. But, when she first started coming over, sometimes she would have a tuxedo cat following closely behind her. She wound up ditching him pretty quickly to be with us. But was that a companion and friend to her? Her old family was not very good to her and she came here looking homeless, so maybe she had companionship and comfort in him.

I know she won’t do well without SOMEONE there with her during the day. My sister is going to come stay with us the first two weeks to try and help her make the adjustment, but then what? She can’t be alone all day long, then I come home and only get a few hours with her before bedtime, right? I know they’re independent but she’s very very needy and while she does like her alone time, I don’t think she’d like THAT much every single day. Any suggestions on what to do? I’m so distraught over this whole thing!!!

 

[ssssupernova]

If you're certain she needs animal companionship, I'd consider adopting a submissive fixed adult male cat through a trial period to determine if they get along. Everyone wants a cute kitten or puppy, but there are enough "my cat hates my new kitten" stories out there showing that kittens aren't usually compatible with older cats. For one, baby animals are very energetic and socially needy, and this will be doubly so for a puppy, so he/she will be trying to initiate play with older cat all the time. Many older cats hate being harassed, especially if the baby is impolite and "bitey" as many are before they've learnt manners.

Secondly, you can't really tell the personality of an animal when you get it in its babyhood. Since your cat is sensitive and means so much to you, you don't want to risk her having to spend the rest of her life with a cat she ends up hating or even just uncomfortably tolerating. Lastly, baby animals are a bit of work. You need to potty train them, watch them, catproof to the extreme. You're already so busy being out of the house all day - I'm sure you'd get tired of coming home to messes and a frazzled cat. Stray poop and pee are unavoidable with young animals, especially puppies, who need to be let out every few hours to toilet and shouldn't be kept alone for half the day anyway, unless you're prepared for tornado house.

A laid-back, lazy adult kitty who's well-mannered, potty trained, and glad to let your cat "run the house" and won't bother her is the least messy option, imho.

That said, you indicated that your cat isn't very friendly towards other animals anyway. Maybe she's just a people cat? I'm sure you can find pet sitters who would drop by your house in the middle of the day to play with your kitty and keep her from feeling lonely for too long a stretch.

 

[rubysmama]

It's hard to know by your post if your cat would accept a feline friend or not. Maybe if the introductions were done slowly it would work out.

Here's a TCS article that might be helpful:
Your Second Cat: How To Choose The Best Friend For Kitty

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. I'm so excited for you, graduating and getting your own place! I think she will be fine, as long as she has you and plenty of toys and a cat tree or shelves, and maybe a window seat to look out the windows, or put the cat tree by the window. Oh, and don't forget a sisal scratcher, so she doesn't wreck your new furniture. Maybe you could try fostering another cat, in case it doesn't work out. Have you seen that male tuxedo cat again? Maybe try getting one of your strays/ferals neutered and see if you can introduce them over the summer. It would be good practice and who knows, maybe there will be a love match between them.

 

[susanm9006]

I would personally never get another cat just to keep another company. You need to feel that it is the best time for YOU to have a second pet and that you have the time and energy to devote not only to caring for it but dealing with the interactions and personalities of two cats. With all the changes going on and to be going on, I don’t know that you or your cat would benefit from adding another cat into the mix at this time. Your current cat is going to be stressed by these changes but would be more stressed having to deal with them and a new cat in the household. And lastly because you don’t know your future living arrangements it may be easier to find them with one cat rather than two because many landlords have a one cat restriction.

 

[Furballsmom]

What susanm9006 said, I agree, and

I think she will be fine, as long as she has you and plenty of toys and a cat tree or shelves, and maybe a window seat to look out the windows, or put the cat tree by the window. Oh, and don't forget a sisal scratcher, so she doesn't wreck your new furniture