Adopting a second cat

[ziggystardust]

We currently have a female cat that we adopted from a shelter at about 6 months old. She is turning 2 this month. She is super friendly with anyone that comes over, she has never really been shy (i.e. hiding under furniture when we got her or when we moved to our new apartment). For those first 6 months she was in a shelter with other cats and had free run of the "cat room". In our last apartment, there were always strays around and she would excitedly jump from window to window to see them.

We want to get her a friend. We found a 8 month old (estimated) female at the local shelter that seems to have a very similar personality to Loki.

What do I need to know about getting a second cat? I'd hate for Loki to feel replaced and I'd really like for the new cat to feel like she's getting a good home. I also want them to like each other and not scratch each other's eyes out. Any advice? Anyone been through it? I'd like to hear the good bad and ugly.

 

[Avalon_toon]

When my DH and I got married, I had a cat and he had 2 cats - we brought mine over to his house and let him stay in the bedroom for a few days, while his cats sort of got used to the idea of a new roommate. My cat was kind of traumatized (he hid under the blankets at first) After a few days we let them meet - lots of hissing and running away. One of DH's cats never fully accepted mine - she would swipe at him if he came too near right up until his death a year or so later. DH's other cat was more easy going though, and though they never became best buddies, at least they didn't mind each other.

I have heard that letting the new cat stay in a separate room at first helps with the adjustment, that's why we did it that way. I'm not actually sure it made much difference in our case though.

 

[low-key]

lol, Im teasing ya, if anything I need to read this

 

[Tozzie]

We currently have a female cat that we adopted from a shelter at about 6 months old. She is turning 2 this month. She is super friendly with anyone that comes over, she has never really been shy (i.e. hiding under furniture when we got her or when we moved to our new apartment). For those first 6 months she was in a shelter with other cats and had free run of the "cat room". In our last apartment, there were always strays around and she would excitedly jump from window to window to see them.

We want to get her a friend. We found a 8 month old (estimated) female at the local shelter that seems to have a very similar personality to Loki.

What do I need to know about getting a second cat? I'd hate for Loki to feel replaced and I'd really like for the new cat to feel like she's getting a good home. I also want them to like each other and not scratch each other's eyes out. Any advice? Anyone been through it? I'd like to hear the good bad and ugly.

If you have the room keep the new cat in the seprate room for 2-3 days when you first bring it home, that way it gets used to new surroundings, Then slowly introduce the cats. Something I did when I got a cat and had to intoduce it is keep it in a seprate room but I also took a towel and rubbed the new cat then I took the towel and gave it to the other cat so the cat already in the house could get used to the smell of the new cat. That seemed to work a bit. Keep in mind they will probrably hiss at one another when they first meet, it isn't unusual.

 

[Planogirl]

A lot of people suggest keeping them separate for a while but we never did. We discovered that the cats stay apart on their own at first. We do provide separate litter boxes and food dishes at first though.

They adapt and then they usually get close. Having more than one is a great idea.

 

[torinsmom]

I have 4 cats, so lots of experience with introducing new ones

I always bring in the new cat in its carrier and let the others smell him/her. There is usually hissing and spitting. Then I out the new cat in a room by itself. The cats will smell each other under the door--hiss, spit, etc. After a day, I switch them out--new cat gets the run of the house, old cats go in the room he/she was in. This way they get used to each others' scents. After 2 days of this, I let the new cat out with lots of supervision, when I am home. If there's any trouble, I use a spray bottle of water to break things up. You have to go by what you see to decide when to let them out for good. For me, 3-5 days worked. It probably took a month for the others to fully accept a new cat, but after a few days, they tolerated him.

 

[Liberty Belle]

We have a cat that we got from the humane society when he was 8 weeks old. He's a "red tabby" and his name is Leo. About a month ago, my parents (live in a small town and out of city limits) had a stray that they took in. She's also a "red tabby", but they're both buff. Anyway, my parents didn't want to keep her, so we took her in. Leo is now about 9 months old and the new kitty (Anatevka) is about 5 months. At first they were very shy around each other, but they have bonded and Tevka is Leo's girlfriend. He cleans her and they play together, etc. It really only took about 3 or 4 days for them to get comfortable with each other.

Leo tries to dominate her quite a bit, but she doesn't mind. We make sure we feed him first, etc, so as not to cause tension.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I didn't have any luck trying to add a second cat. My cat is very friendly around people, but around other cats she is socially mal-adjusted. When she was 3, I brought in another cat to possibly become a new family member.

The cat I brought in was a male, an older cat and fairly big. She would attack him on a daily basis. She would work him over really well, he would just take off and hide. I only kept the other cat a week or so, I was afraid the big cat would get tired of her bullying and really hurt her because she was so small and he was so big. I found somebody to give him too where he would be an "only cat".

I really don't know what her deal is. Somebody told me it's because she is Siamese, but she is very hateful towards other cats. On another occasion I brought in another cat, a very young one and she started hissing and about came unglued. I got that little cat out of the house immediately, she would have killed it.

 

[emer95]

We have not had a good experience and I am so upset about it.

Our older cat is almost four. She was very affectionate, and her favorite thing to do in the world was snuggle on my lap. I love her so much, and I wanted to get her a friend. At Christmas we adopted a 2 month old kitten, who is exceptionally friendly, cuddly, loving, etc. I followed all of the vet's rules and introduced them slowly, rubbed a towel on each one and then swapped them out, etc. Well, it's been almost 3 months, and things have been horrible. The cats fight/attack each other daily, with lots of hissing, swatting, growling. We use the water bottle to split them up and don't leave them unattended. Worst of all, I feel like we wrecked our older cat. She will barely let us pet her, and hissed horribly at me today. I love both cats and I don't want to give either one up. Had I known this would have happened, I wouldn't have gotten our kitten.

Sorry to tell you such negative news. I know things can be different for other people. My brother has two cats and they love each other.

 

[Callie]

Some seem to do better than others. I'm pretty sure mine would love a friend, that didn't wanna sit in my lap. She always tries to play with my sisters cat when we are both at my moms. My sisters cat will have NOTHING of it. Every now and then there are nice moments.

My sisters cat was sleeping in her little cat bed, and mine decided it looked comfy and just went and laid on top of her. They laid there for an hour!

 

[superme80]

When Dh and I moved in together I had a cat and he has a cat. My cat tried to dominate his cat. His would have nothing to do with him. She would beat him up repeatedly until he finally got it. He is gone now and I asked her if I could get another cat. She told me no.

 

[Serena]

The advice is exactly what we have done. Let them smell each other from under the door. The first cat Bigbee thought he was king of the hill. Then we brought Captain Jack home. Bigbee thought he was going to be boss, and tried to scare Captain. Bigbee chased Captain down the basement stairs and into the laundry room A few seconds later, it was Bigbee that was being chased up the stairs. Captain is not shy about telling us if and when he needs something.
We found Little Bo Peep, and took her and she was chipped. We went to the address, and I'll just say her family didn't want her. We took her home. She can beat both the boys up if she desires, but only if they get too rough with her.

 

[ziggystardust]

thanks for all the replies, the good and bad...

Worst of all, I feel like we wrecked our older cat.

this is what I'm afraid of. My cat has such a great personality, I'd for it to be destroyed. I'm meeting the possible addition tomorrow and hopefully I'll get a better understanding of her temperament.

thanks everyone!

 

[MichelleVW]

We've got 4 cats. 2 males that were adopted together as kittens and are inseparable. Then 2 females that showed up as strays at different times. The first girl cat will get along with the boys. One of the boys will occasionally play with her, but the other boy just tolerates her. They can all share a space and be fine. The 4th cat that showed up (female) stays to herself because the other cats don't like her. It's mostly the little girl cat (cat number 3) that is mean to her, and in 4 years later they still hiss at each other, but there has never been any fights or anything. They just all stay on their own "side" of the house and are all happy.