Should I get a second cat? Any tips I should know before?
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free skin care · Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:04 pm

Dear all,

I have a male orange tabby and have been wanting to get a friend for him for a while now. I'm working and feel bad for the poor guy to be home by himself, and when i'm home, he needs lots and lots of attention =) I'm not saying that's not a good thing, I love him being so cuddly. He sleeps beside me every night actually, he's really sweet. But he also likes to play a lot and I think that he's gonna be happier if I get him a sister.

However, I would like to ask from those who have experienced with more than 1 cat. Are there any stuff I should be aware of before making a decision? I'm currently living in an apt. Is it simple just double food and double cleaning/grooming? I believe they can share litter box, correct? BTW here's a photo of the girl I saw. She's Siamese cross, blue eyes with black tail. (her tail looks like raccoon's tail!) I think she looks really pretty but other said her tail doesn't look like it belong to her...

http://x9f.xanga.com/226f346007030246534332/b195460337.jpg

Thanks a lot for all your advises in advanced! And last question, is it true that I should get a female cat since I got a male cat already? Smile

Christine

free skin care · Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:09 pm

This might work out and it might not...

We had a an only cat. We thought he was lonely. We got a 2nd cat. He was ticked of about it FOREVER. He became a snob.

Then we had kids, and both cats that we brought the worst things home ever. They hid during any waking hours.

Oldest cat died just over a year ago. We stuck with the one. Then I adopted my sisters cat. They like each other, and play together. They still both hide from the kids.

They can share a litter box, but we let ours outside, so the litter box is really for locked in the house emergencies.

Good luck!

free skin care · Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:37 pm

I have 4 cats, and consider myself to be somewhat of an expert on cat dynamics. Very Happy

First question...how old is your male cat?

And as far as the litter box is concerned, multiple cats can be very picky...the onus will be on YOU to keep it VERY clean, or you may need to add a second box.

You are correct that you should add a female instead a male.

free skin care · Thu Jun 18, 2009 11:46 pm

bethany wrote:

I have 4 cats, and consider myself to be somewhat of an expert on cat dynamics. Very Happy

First question...how old is your male cat?

And as far as the litter box is concerned, multiple cats can be very picky...the onus will be on YOU to keep it VERY clean, or you may need to add a second box.

You are correct that you should add a female instead a male.

Thank you so much for your reply
My male cat is about 22 months old, I got him when he was about 2 months. He's been neutered and got all the vaccines done up to date =)

Thanks for letting me know about getting a girl as well, I actually found a really cute guy that I like but the store suggested me to get a girl so I'm just looking into girls now.

Also, I wanna ask about the Siamese cross. Is it a good idea to get her? or I should go for a pure Siamese or tabby? I don't really care but just wonder if it's ok. I love the "M" on their forehead a lot Very Happy

free skin care · Thu Jun 18, 2009 11:53 pm

ClaudiaFE wrote:

This might work out and it might not...

We had a an only cat. We thought he was lonely. We got a 2nd cat. He was ticked of about it FOREVER. He became a snob.

Then we had kids, and both cats that we brought the worst things home ever. They hid during any waking hours.

Oldest cat died just over a year ago. We stuck with the one. Then I adopted my sisters cat. They like each other, and play together. They still both hide from the kids.

They can share a litter box, but we let ours outside, so the litter box is really for locked in the house emergencies.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply, I'm sorry that it didn't work out that great for you. My cat is really really attached to me actually, i'm quite afraid that he might get little jealous too. He actually acts like a baby.

I'm still young and not planning to have kids yet but somehow I can't stop thinking if i have one and my cat might get jealous! I've heard lots of thing about them being very sensitive so ... but I'll do my best to take care of them that's why all your advises are appreciated!

My cat is indoor, I live in a high-rise apt but he's allowed to go out play sometimes Very Happy

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:41 am

I'd definitely advise 2 litter trays. Otherwise you may well find messes left on your floor as most cats prefer to use a clean/reasonably clean tray.

Generally, the advice is to have a boy and a girl. However, I find that boys are often more playful together than girls. If cats are young enough, then 2 boys can go together well, often teaming up to play or sit and watch birds together. However, it would certainly be worth trying to find another cat who has lived and got on well with others. Some cats, such as my big ginger boy, adore other cats. There are, of course, no guarantees.

Be careful with taking on a Siamese cross in this instance. Siamese can be very temperamental. If she has certain Siamese characteristics, she might hate having another cat in "her" house.

Also, be prepared for the two cats to not get on at first. A careful introduction is usually a good idea (especially if you're out at work and leave them indoors for the day), and there are likely to be quite a few hissing, spitting, paw swiping and sulking incidences. Persevere and miracles can happen!

My two are around the same age (about 3 years old). I got my boy first and he definitely wanted company, trawling around the house and calling for other cats. Our girl was supposed to be temporarily fostered with us and she didn't like her new companion one little bit. Cue plenty of hissy fits and one big scaredy boy hiding on the landing.

Now, however, although we have moments when our girl hisses and swipes at our boy - especially as she gets annoyed with him constantly wanting to play with her, they get on fine the rest of the time. There are even rare moments when I find them lying near or right next to each other.

Good luck!

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 5:16 am

Another cat person here!!!...I would say yes, get a female kitty for your orange tabby (those are my favorite cats!!!) Siamese?? oh boy...that's a crap shoot...ya never know with Siamese Rolling Eyes

Ideally a 2nd litter box might be good, unless you are hypervigilent about cleaning it (maybe you should invest in the cat genie?www.catgenie.com/ )

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:16 am

Thank you so much for your replies mountaingirl and majorb =) As I've been doing a lot of researches about introducing a new cat to the resident cat. I have come to realize that I should get a separate litter tray as well as bowls since I should keep the new cat in a room first and slowly introducing them to each other.

Here's where I got the info:
http://www.spca.bc.ca/AnimalBehaviour/cattocatintro.asp

I'm a cat person and glad that many of you here are as well! I was just chatting with my friend and got a bit mad when he kept telling me that dogs are much better than cats, cats aren't friendly, and not as smart and they don't love human. I'm sure all of you here knows that it's not true right ? Very Happy

Anyhow back to my topic, as majorb said, I did find a website where it said Siamese cross can be a little aggressive and doesn't like other cats in her territories. But some said they love being with human and very cuddle. I'm not so familiar with Siamese but I love my tabby a lot so far. But because she got the blue eyes but with tabby stripes, I found her to be very special but the thing is, her tail is black!! doesn't look like it belongs to her..it's weird but cute at the same time. I'm a little afraid now whether I should look for just a tabby, not a mix breed. Another thing I noticed when I hold her, she wasn't purring or happy (I guess I woke her up from her sleep) but then after when the other kittens (about 7 others) were playing with each other, she sit on top of their house and don't get involved. I'm not sure if it's right to judge from that.

Sorry if I asked you guys a lot! I really want to make the right decision so my orange tabby(Mimi) would be happy since all I want is to get him a companion, not an enemy Laughing

The pet shop is not gonna put a hold on that kitten for me but I guess that's ok, perhaps a pure tabby might be more suitable?

mountaingirl, the cat genie is really interesting but also very expensive. It looks really complicated so I'll stick with the normal ways for now Very Happy

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:31 am

I have a funny story about the cat genie. Well... not the same exact one. We got the one that detected the cat, waited until movement stopped then scooped the tray into a little trash. Well.. Same cat as I mentioned earlier was NOT having it. It scared him. We had it for about 4 days, when he walked into the living room: Walked to me quickly and turned away, Walked up to DH, turned quickly away. Ran to the corner(made sure we were watching) and peed on the carpet. He'd NEVER done that before. We got rid of the auto cleaner.

I'd forgotten about getting a female if you already have a male. That's most likely to be a good/better mix.

Good luck!

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:45 am

Yet another 'cat person' here. I've got two, a male and a female 14 and 15 years old now. They get along really well, even though they came into my home a year apart. They both share a litter tray, but I clean it out twice a day.

Quote:

The pet shop is not gonna put a hold on that kitten for me but I guess that's ok, perhaps a pure tabby might be more suitable?

Christine, please check out your local animal shelter rather than buy from a pet store. At this time of year there are no shortage of beautiful kittens looking for good homes. Also the shelter will have given the kitten her shots/microchip and will also perform neutering either free or at a reduced rate.

free skin care · Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:21 pm

Love My Cat! I also have a male yellow tabby - a beautiful temperament and such a love he is. Sleeps with me, follows me around - like a dog without the neediness!

I've considered a second cat from time to time and I thank you all for the advice of a female. I guess that makes sense. Ours - like Claudia's is an outside guy part of the day although we do have a litter box also. It seems that all the neighbor cats are males also so my little darling gets into scrapes from time to time and he's more a lover than a fighter.
Never heard of a cat genie but Simby is such a sissyboy, he'd probably freak if mommy brought one home.

So - let us know what you end up with. Oh, we had Siamese growing up and they are a different animal all together than a regular old housecat. I would be skeptical about that one!

free skin care · Sat Jun 20, 2009 5:40 am

I've lived with cats all my life, including siamese. In fact I currently have one, a 14 year old male who was dumped and turned up in my garden nearly starving to death. He and my other male cat - an 8 year old black cat - get on fairly well. Siamese are highly intelligent, playful but strong willed and can be demanding. They are company cats who love to be on your lap or in your bed. If you do get a siamese, or siamese cross, it's a safe bet that it will take over your bed and the first cat won't sleep with you much. As I said they are strong willed and tend to get their own way. Also if you get a female, they are actually more territorial than males because they normally have a smaller territory, and can be quite fierce in protecting their patch. If you get a female she will probably rule the roost and your first cat will defer to her.

As for whether you should get another male. Considering your cat is only young, he'd probably be fine with another male. Cats under two are basically still teenagers and make friends pretty easily if they are neutered. As I said my current two occasionally chase each other through the house but don't fight exactly, and they occasionally both sleep with me, so there's no fighting in the bed either, and this is despite the fact that they were middle aged and elderly when they met. I've lived with male cats that have become best friends, and I've lived with male cats that have been distant but not enemies. To a certain extent it's the luck of the draw.

Get a cat that's younger than, or roughly the same age as your current cat and there's a good chance they'll become friendly, but don't feel compelled to get a 2nd cat because you think your 1st cat is lonely. They're pretty self sufficient in general. If you do get a 2nd cat, beware that no matter how well they get along, there's bound to be a small amount of scent marking (weeing on furniture or walls) in the first couple of months. When it comes to litter trays, I've had up to 3 cats using the one litter tray without problem as long as it's kept clean.

On a personal note I'd like to say that a cute kitten will always find a home, so consider adopting a slightly older cat from a shelter, there are just so many cats waiting to be put down. Most shelters will allow you to bring a cat back within two weeks if you find that you've adopted one that doesn't fit in.

free skin care · Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:30 am

Thanks again everyone for all your insights, I'm truly appreciated.

ClaudiaFE - you can is adorable, although it was not a pleasant experience but he's very smart and came up with an idea to let you know that he dislikes it.

anya - I've been considering going to a shelters and adopt one as well because I saw many of them on the SPCA website and I do not mind adopting at all. I'd love to do that, but I'm afraid I'll adopt all of them if I can =)

sister sweets - mine sleeps with me and follows me around the house as well. He sleeps in my arms all night, love my baby!

luckylouie - Thank you so much for the info on Siamese, I've heard that they are very cuddling and will come to you when they need attention. But knowing that the female Siamese might deferred my first cat then I'm probably not gonna get her since I still want to hug my first cat while sleeping, he has the softest fur really! =) Also I've never known that I can return any if she/he doesn't fit in. This might be better for me since all I'm afraid of is that they won't like each other.

free skin care · Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:44 pm

I'm located in Australia and I know that most council shelters, as well as those run by the RSPCA, will allow you to return an animal if it isn't fitting in. A friend of mine in the United States says it's quite common over there also. I don't the situation in other countries.

They do it because so many people take an animal because they like its looks but don't take any notice of its temperament or the amount of exercise it might need. This way at least the animals don't get dumped again.

Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:58 am

Hi Christine!

I wish you were near me (San Francisco Bay Area)! The lady I got my kitties from is amazing and she rescues hundreds of cats a year - she has kittens and older cats.

I adopted a boy and a girl and they love each other - luckily. My husband was against getting a boy because he had experiences in the past with male cats that didn't get along with other cats but I fell in love with my cat the second I saw him and wasn't taking no for an answer. When we adopted our kitties, they had been rescued by the same woman but weren't being kept together. My boy cat was about 9 months old (we think) and my girl cat was maybe as old as 2 years at the time. My girl cat was pregnant when they rescued her and she was fixed after she gave birth to a single kitten. The cats were adopted on the same day so I don't know if things would be different if they had a chance to establish territories. Now, they sleep with each other sometimes and they seem to love each other. My girl is really maternal - she's always grooming the little boy as well as the back of my husband's head when he sits on the couch and she's very loving. I don't know if this is because she had a baby or if it was her nature from birth, it makes me think that female cats might be more loving after they've had kittens. My female cat is a tortoise shell (tortie) and my husband has had 3 - he thinks they have the best dispositions. I thought she looked a little funny because her nose is black, not pink but now that I'm her mommy, she's the cutest thing ever (my grandma still disagrees).

We're thinking about taking a month long honeymoon and I was just talking to some people who board cats. They told me that they let all the cats roam free and make sure they have enough room to be by themselves if they need to be. They don't lock the cats up and in their experience, the younger cats tend to do well and after a few days they tend to start accepting the other cats around them - the cats under 9 months tend to accept other cats the fastest. Older cats tend to keep to themselves the whole time but it shouldn't be a problem since your cat is still young. They also set up a couple food and water areas and a few litter boxes so they can still do what they need to in "their own space". I don't know about introducing cats since I brought mine home together and they met on equal terms but the people I was talking to said they've never had problems. When cats don't like each other, they tend to walk away rather than fight.

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing pictures!

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