Get a kitten or not?

[aqualoon]

I'm torn, I really want to get a kitten for myself and also for a playmate for Cooper.  But I'm also afraid that it will turn out to be another situation of when I first got Bailey.

Background:

I bought Avery from a breeder, felt bad for buying a cat verse adopting so adopted Cooper soon after.  Age wise Avery was about 12-15 weeks old and Cooper around 6ish months give or take.  These two guys got along great and played with each other, napped together, everything you'd want from two cats.

Fast forward 3-4 years, enter Bailey.

Bailey was a cat that I took in because he wasn't in the greatest of situations.  After reading articles here and posting here Bailey and Cooper were able to co-exist, Avery and Bailey never could.  Avery would always go chasing after Bailey and Bailey would freak the heck out (important note - In the Cooper/Avery play they would often chase each other so I can't say for certain it was 100% aggressive on Avery's part).

Avery passed away but it did bring peace to the household as Bailey and Cooper can coexist in the same room without all heck breaking out.  However every time Cooper tries to initiate play with Bailey it doesn't go so well.  Basically Cooper wants to run and chase Bailey and I think from the traumatic experience of Avery doing this to him Bailey hisses and swats at Cooper (Bailey was raised in a single cat household). 

Cooper from time to time manages to get out of the house.  There are other neighborhood outside cats and I will often see him hanging around another cat - so I'm getting the impression that he is a rather social guy.  My fear is that Bailey and any other cat I get will not get along to the point where Avery and him didn't get along which was just a horrible situation all around.  But then I think if I get a kitten the chances of them all at least accepting and coexisting would be better?  That and hopefully Cooper could once again have a playmate.

Thoughts?

 

[franksmom]

How old are your cats now? It may be a better idea to get an older cat as kittens can be pretty crazy. I got a kitten for frank who is 5 after his best friend died and in retrospect I probably should have gotten an older cat because I think Ava kind of irritates him and he did have some health problems right after we got her. I am totally in love with Ava and and they are getting closer as she is becoming less wild, but they are both cat friendly cats.

I think because your one cat does not like to be chased, an older cat (2-6) who likes other cats would be good. I would contact a good rescue organization who fosters cats and work with them to find a good fit.

 

[mani]

 Are you saying Cooper gets out, but Bailey doesn't?  Is Bailey totally indoor?  How much does Cooper go out?  (I know these things may seem irrelevent, but just humour me

)

As for getting a new cat... It's always a risk.  I'm never too keen on getting a new cat or kitten to try to rectify an existing difficulty, unless it's company for a single kitten or cat.

If you are really keen, my feeling about the best option is a female kitten, and great care taken with all the introductions.

Let see what others think...

EDIT:  Franksmom posted while I was composing mine.... so I wasn't ignoring her valuable input!

 

[aqualoon]

Baily is 100% indoor except during spring/fall deck outtings.  I have a deck on the 2nd story of my house so on nice days when it's not too humid I leave it open and Bailey enjoys lounging around out there.

Cooper bolts at my feet everytime I come home to try to get out.  I'm aware of it so only usually gets the best of me when I'm carrying large and heavy things into the house.  On average I'd say he gets out once every 3-4 months - not from a lack of trying on his part though.  Last time he managed to get out was back in April.  He always comes back right around 2am meowing to be let back in because he's hungry.

The age (kitten) I guess is more for me as I always adopt adult animals and Avery was the only animal that I had since kitten/puppy stage.  Would a female work better in this setup?  I was looking for another male as I figured that there would be no issues as I would get him neutered as soon as it is possible and my other two are also fixed.

 

[mani]

I really understand the 'opening the door carrying big things' scenario! 

 

Generally I find it's better to introduce a cat of the opposite sex, and of a different age. Even when neutered, they're still  boys...  The reason I recommended a kitten is because most cats are more likely to accept a very young cat.  The downside is that they can be very boisterous and may annoy an older cat.

 

[aqualoon]

Bailey and Cooper are roughly the same age (5ish) so not like they're old men yet .

Female hmm?  Never had a female cat, I guess the name Dex won't work out for her too well!  I'll look into a female kitten and find a playful one and hope for the best between her and Baily as I'm sure Cooper will be happy to have a playmate.

 

[mani]

Bailey and Cooper are roughly the same age (5ish) so not like they're old men yet .

Female hmm?  Never had a female cat, I guess the name Dex won't work out for her too well!  I'll look into a female kitten and find a playful one and hope for the best between her and Baily as I'm sure Cooper will be happy to have a playmate.

Dixie? 

Think about it and see if anyone else has ideas.  I'm just giving you my opinion based on my own experiences...

Let us know what you do....

 

[ondine]

At five, both your cats are in their 30's in human ages.  So a kitten will be a bit disruptive for them, unless they "adopt" it and act like its parents.  A cat is about 15 human years when he/she is a year old, so even then, two 40 year olds will be dealing with a teenager!  Besides, the kittens go fast.  The older cats have such a hard time getting adopted, I'd look at them first.  Assess the new cat's personality and see if you think he or she will adapt to both your cats.

Good luck and thank you for thinking about adopting another...

 

[franksmom]

Bailey and Cooper are roughly the same age (5ish) so not like they're old men yet .

Female hmm?  Never had a female cat, I guess the name Dex won't work out for her too well!  I'll look into a female kitten and find a playful one and hope for the best between her and Baily as I'm sure Cooper will be happy to have a playmate.

Honestly a playful kitten may not be the best if Bailey hates being chased because for sure a rambunctious kitten will want to chase the other cats. If you really want a kitten a quieter female may be better. Again I would go through an organization that fosters and who can work with you to get the right personality fit. 

I wanted to add older cats do not automatically accept a kitten and like I said often get irritated with them. Frank is also 5 and really loves other cats and play but even he gets irritated with Ava because she constantly loves to chase him. They now like each other but it did take time and like you with Cooper I thought Frank would love her right away. Frank and Ava also have different personality types Ava is a Beta and Frank is a Gamma, and it may be a good idea to try to match personality types with Bailey who sounds like a gamma.  Because Bailey does not seem to like to play with other cats he will have even more problems with a kitten, so try to get a less assertive cat for him. 

 

[aqualoon]

Originally Posted by Ondine  

Besides, the kittens go fast.  The older cats have such a hard time getting adopted, I'd look at them first.  Assess the new cat's personality and see if you think he or she will adapt to both your cats.

Good luck and thank you for thinking about adopting another...

This is exactly why I have always adopted adult animals in the past.  But I guess I'm feeling a bit selfish this time around and remember how cute of a kitten Avery was and then all thought process of getting an adult gets washed away.

@ Franksmom (sorry don't know how to double quote).

Bailey doesn't like to be chased but that's how Cooper plays - so Cooper would welcome that.  Also thinking that with someone else to play with Cooper would stop trying to bother Bailey with play.

 

[franksmom]

This is exactly why I have always adopted adult animals in the past.  But I guess I'm feeling a bit selfish this time around and remember how cute of a kitten Avery was and then all thought process of getting an adult gets washed away.

@ Franksmom (sorry don't know how to double quote).

Bailey doesn't like to be chased but that's how Cooper plays - so Cooper would welcome that.  Also thinking that with someone else to play with Cooper would stop trying to bother Bailey with play.

The problem will be that you can't control if the kitten will try to chase Bailey as well. Frank also likes chasing but even he was a little overwhelmed with the amount of energy a kitten has. Like I said if you really want a kitten look for a less assertive one  for Bailey. You will still be able to enjoy a kitten, Cooper will get a playmate and a less assertive kitten will probably leave Bailey alone. I chose Ava because she was super outgoing and with the first kitten in the litter to come over to me. While her outgoing nature is really great it also makes her a very dominant personality and she does not defer to Frank's status in the house. If you take a look at a litter look for the kitten that holds back a bit and does not go after his/her litter mates as this kitten will more likely be less of a pain for Bailey. 

 

[aqualoon]

The problem will be that you can't control if the kitten will try to chase Bailey as well. Frank also likes chasing but even he was a little overwhelmed with the amount of energy a kitten has. Like I said if you really want a kitten look for a less assertive one  for Bailey. You will still be able to enjoy a kitten, Cooper will get a playmate and a less assertive kitten will probably leave Bailey alone. I chose Ava because she was super outgoing and with the first kitten in the litter to come over to me. While her outgoing nature is really great it also makes her a very dominant personality and she does not defer to Frank's status in the house. If you take a look at a litter look for the kitten that holds back a bit and does not go after his/her litter mates as this kitten will more likely be less of a pain for Bailey. 

Thank you, I'll make sure to do that.

I'm in no rush to pickup just any kitten, I want to make sure the fit is right so the more I know what to look for the better.  So thank you.

 

[aqualoon]

Well, was going through Petfinder one Thursday and saw a cute cat - was listed as young at a humane society.  Called and put in an adoption deposit and emailed in my application.  Was approved that day and picked him up on Friday.  Come to find out he's only 5 months old which is more kittenish then a young cat to me, but that's ok.  He's a total cuddle bug and he gets along with both dogs great.

As far as the cats - I let them meet for the first time yesterday.  Some hissing but that's all- they can all be in the same room together with no issues.

I made another thread on a different section with pictures, so instead of re-posting them they can be seen here.

Named him Lynk - Link from Zelda with a different spelling on it to give it some flair!