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Have one adult male cat; getting another? — Brooklynian

Have one adult male cat; getting another?

tuckpendleton
tuckpendleton
edited November -1 in Brooklyn Pets
Hi gang --

We currently have one ten year old male cat. He has recently become a lot more prickly and restless, which we attribute to the following:

1. He used to live in a ground floor apartment, where he had a window sill to sit in where he could watch all the passerby action. He no longer has a window sill on the street -- a 4th floor window, but it's not as interesting to him.

2. We changed his diet so he lost weight, and as a result he has more energy. (Which is great.)

But this has translated into a lot more biting and scratching and sneak attacks, and early morning wake up calls demanding to be fed. We play with him, run him around every night, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

He's always been mecurial, but is quickly becoming just mean.

We're thinking about getting another adult cat, thinking he might be better off with a playmate.

SO --

Anyone introduced a second cat to another adult cat? Good idea? Bad idea? Any tips? Male or female second cat?

Has anyone had any luck with those Pet DVDs you can leave on during the day?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks!

Comments

  • lisaspeter
    lisaspeter
    Great idea......I would go for a female......Expect some challenges at first, but they'll usually work it out
  • laura b
    laura b
    Has he been to the vet lately? If not you might want to just rule out any physical condition that's making him feel nasty...

    Getting him a friend could be a great idea, though. Except for some hardcore loners, I think most cats enjoy having a buddy.

    It can be hard to introduce two adult cats. They're just more territorial and set in their ways. It tends to be much easier to introduce a kitten to an adult. Maybe it's because of their size, but older cats just aren't as threatened by kittens. I frequently foster homeless cats, and have seen this happen many times.

    Whether you take in an adult or a kitten, though, it's important to be patient and introduce them gradually. There's often hissing at first, and it can take days, weeks, even months for them to become friends. The Humane Society has a good tip sheet on how to introduce cats, btw:

    http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/introducing_pets_to_a_new_cat.html

    Alas (but luckily for you!) there are lots and lots of sweet kittens out there in need of a home. If you're interested, I'd recommend looking on Petfinder.org. You could also try fostering a cat or kitten, in order to give the situation a "test run" before committing.

    good luck!
  • leozoeypiper
    leozoeypiper
    I tried the pet DVDs and my cats just ignored them. A playmate could be a good idea. Like Laura B said, you may want to try fostering first to see how your cat reacts to another cat being in the household. Slope Street Cats always has wonderful rescued cats and kittens in need of foster homes (www.slopestreetcats.com). If it doesn't work out to have another cat/kitten in your home then you aren't committed. The book "Cat Vs. Cat" is a great resource book on how to introduce a new cat into your home.
  • apollonia666
    apollonia666
    And of course, there are several totally cute cats for adoption right here on this forum! :)

    I have two cats; I got the younger one after I moved in with a roommate who didn't have one (I'd always had roommates who had one, so my cat always had playmates). She was really unbearable for a while there but was fine once I brought the other one home. I find they entertain each other a lot and aren't quite so needy for attention from me. They also wear each other out playing and tend to sleep through the night, which I certainly appreciate.
  • pitu
    pitu
    It can be hard to introduce two adult cats. They're just more territorial and set in their ways. It tends to be much easier to introduce a kitten to an adult. Maybe it's because of their size, but older cats just aren't as threatened by kittens. I frequently foster homeless cats, and have seen this happen many times.
    my friend had 2 adult cats. when the more dominant one died, she got a kitten, partly with the idea that the more submissive character would have an easier adjustment with a kitten and could perhaps be the top gun for awhile. she's did the slow intro etc.
    It didn't work out so well. Old cat would have prefered to be alone. Young cat ended up terrorizing old cat for the rest of her brief life.
    :(
    I have another story about very territorial cats, younger one introduced to older, that didn't work, but it's a little hideous so I won't . . . just know it doesn't always work out and you can't exactly engineer the dynamic.
  • tuckpendleton
    tuckpendleton
    Thanks for the all the great responses...

    The fact he also might not be feeling well occured to us after posting, so we are planning on taking him in to the vet next week for a check up.

    It also turns out we are going to have to be away for about a week over July 4th, so we are going to board him, and see how he does with other cats.

    Thanks again, and I'll post back later and let you know how it goes...
  • faycat
    faycat
    My boyfriend and I have a similar situation. We have a lovely 4-year-old female cat who is spoiled rotten. She has always had a bit of a wild streak in her and still does the regularly scheduled sneak attack or just loses it sometimes. Many people have advised us to get a second, younger cat, almost like getting a cat for our cat. Of course, this will actually entail finding a whole new apartment because we can't have another cat here. Yes, we are essentially jumping into the Brooklyn real estate market FOR MY CAT. I said she was spoiled...

    I am a little nervous about how she will react. She has never struck me as territorial, and she spent at least 3 months in the shelter with littermates before we adopted her, but that was a long time ago. She hasn't been around any other animals since then. I've read that a cat of the opposite gender is a good idea, as well as a younger cat. In my own experience, male cats that I have known have been somewhat more laid-back. I've even heard that male orange tabbies are the chillest cats, I'm not sure how people can make that determination!

    I think fostering a kitten is a good idea, and if they get along and you're anything like me, you'll get so attached to the foster kitten in about 24 hours that you won't ever want to give her up. I'm assuming you could adopt the foster cat if you wanted to, and problem solved!
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