Torn on adding another cat

[followedbydolls]

I will try and keep this brief lol

I am attempting to sort out whether oscar needs a friend, i will explain a bit about who is is and how he lives and what he came from.

He is a DSH(neutered, fully clawed) aprox; 3yrs old. He resides in my hay barn, he is all decked out in there complete with toys, litterbox, a window shelf etc..

I also allow him to roam the farm while i am down with the horses, he is never let loose without a human around & is never let out at night. He also will have access shortly to a 'cat cage' so he can go outside at will safely when people are not down there.

He came from a shelter where he was caged the bulk of the time alone, while they did say he 'was good with other cats' his exposure was rather limited to them considering he was housed alone and there response on how often they were let out was occasionally. He spent 8mths of his life, living this arrangement. He is a solid black cat which as they said at the shelter they have trouble placing, which is sad because he is just a love.

He is VERY friendly, you'd honestly think he was ours from the get-go, he has adapted himself to this lifestyle change wonderfully.

So here comes the dilemma, the question of whether i should add a friend? I had originally intended upon the adding of a pair but found him to hard to leave behind when i did a shelter look.. we just 'clicked' you could say and they had nothing else suitable to go with him as a buddy.

I am not new to cats, owned them over 20yrs .. my first set were DSH, DLH brought in as kittens a week or two apart, they adored each other as young ones but as time progressed HATED each other and basically adopted a different floor of the house.

My current household cats are all ragdolls.. varying in age they certainly get along better than my first pair of cats did but still none are 'bonded' yet they will remain in the same room.. an example two are asleep in my sons bed this morning well spaced apart

Back to oscar, i am concerned that he will not react well to an addition, but i worry whether he is lonely? his behaviour is nothing but content though so perhaps because of his past lifestyle it isn't necessary?

Can i please have some thoughts? i am untterly torn on what is the right choice. I should mention it would be a younger male that would be neutered when appropriate that i would consider as a companion(yes, i do have a possible in mind)

Thank you for reading my novel.

 

[strange_wings]

Is there a reason he's not in the house with the ragdolls?

 

[fifi1puss]

I say if there is another barn cat in need of a home and you are able there is absolutely no harm in trying. I would just see if you could connect with other folks who have multiple barn cats and see how they handle intros and things. I know where I live they are always looking for homes for barn cats. We have a large population that as much as they have tried some just cannot adapt to house life.

 

[followedbydolls]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Is there a reason he's not in the house with the ragdolls?

He was adopted to be a barn cat to help keep the mice from ruining my hay

 

[followedbydolls]

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

I say if there is another barn cat in need of a home and you are able there is absolutely no harm in trying. I would just see if you could connect with other folks who have multiple barn cats and see how they handle intros and things. I know where I live they are always looking for homes for barn cats. We have a large population that as much as they have tried some just cannot adapt to house life.

Around here most have quite large populations of barn cats, some keep it on a more personal level others don't. Quite a few gain additions either by people dropping them off(abandoned) or a new litter of kittens.

We opt for the more personal route, the same shelter i got him from has a male kitten available, but it's a conflict i am unsure whether he really needs a friend some cats seem to do fine on there own, of coarse i need to see how the personality of this new cat would be to.

 

[strange_wings]

I didn't know if he had litter box problems (which could set off a new cat) or not.

Does the barn have a separate room/section that the new cat could be kept in during introduction? If you just stick the new cat loose in the barn you risk failure with introductions.

Another thought would be to just let him come and go in the main house after intros to the other two. If it's his humans that he wants, no cat will be able to replace that.

 

[howtoholdacat]

Your outdoor enclosure idea gave me an idea. Is it possible to build two (or divide the one) so that there are two entrances. The cats can each have their own inside area and outside areas until you feel they've bonded. If they never do, they'll still have some company without having to compete for territory. Having ridden horses for years, I'm a big lover of barn kitties!

 

[fifi1puss]

I always look at it this way: I wouldn't want to live in a world where I didn't have any of my same species to interact with ever. I think its a great thing for them to have another animal that they can communicate with in their own ways, ways we may not even know exist. I think it leads to a fuller life. Hard to tell if its the right choice. So many different variables....i think to go with your gut in regards to the cats temperments involved (since you have a potential adoptee in mind this will be easier) and do your best to intro them. I love the idea of two seperate entrances to a cat enclosure...

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

I always look at it this way: I wouldn't want to live in a world where I didn't have any of my same species to interact with ever.

A lot of people thinks this. However they try to apply it to all animals and it can end tragically. Hamsters, for a well known example, are solitary except when breeding - and there's enough hamsters already that it's not worth breeding more.
Many reptiles are the same way, and moronic novice keepers try to put them together (sometimes different species with different care requirements) and one of them ends up dead.

Likewise there are a few cats that just don't like other cats. Our ideals won't fix that.

 

[fifi1puss]

I'm applying that thought to this particular instance as most cats don't try and eat each other nor do neutered cats overpopulize (and with two males there wasn't much worry there anyway).

I just think it is not something to be too overly afraid of or concerned about when most cats get along with other cats and really enjoy other cats company in ways we cannot provide for them and the only way to really know is to have it proven.

I also can hear that you seem connected to your cats and having had cats for many years probably have an instinct as to what personalities can get along well etc. Trust your experiance. If you feel Oscar is okay he probably is but he may really enjoy a cat friend as well.

I personally would do it just because I have multiple cats and can see how after adding each one it added to the other cats lives. So I may be partial

In know he was at the shelter cooped up for so long that is a concern of yours but it wasn't his choice or because he didn't get along with other cats it was just his life for that short period and you did say he adapted well to his new life so if he seems an easygoing cat he just may be able to handle this change also.

Just some food for thought. Not knowing him makes it hard to give advice but from what you have said about him and yourself it sounds like you have no real cause for concern and it just comes down to if you want to open up pandoras box...because it may not go well after all...just be prepared for that as well. I know you'll make the right decision because you are showing yourself to be a thoughtful person already.

 

[ducman69]

For an indoor environment, where the added stimulation for a sedentary enclosed lifestyle is obviously advantageous, for most normal sociable cats (and for the sake of your property as a bored kitty is a destructive kitty IMO) I would and do definitely recommend a second cat. Wesley and Buttercup are attached at the hip, and I see them play and chase each other whenever they aren't cuddled sleeping together.

For outdoor though, if what you have works, I'm sure there is enough stimulation there and horses and other creatures and what not that he'd be just fine by himself.

A second cat wouldn't hurt, you're giving a loving home to a second needy cat, but I don't see it as necessary either.

 

[followedbydolls]

Thank you all for your imput. No, Oscar has no issues at all. I think sadly he was a cat that came to his position soley through no fault of his own.

I have decided i will at least take a look at the kitten tonight, nothing ventured nothing gained i suppose.

Oscar seems so very content, so i absolutely worry about upsetting the balance there, as a PP said that old 'pandora's box' totally applies here.

Some cats truly benefit from the companionship of another of there kind others simply prefer human contact and living as the only feline, it's rather hard to judge which side Oscar falls on.