# Advice on Getting a Second Cat
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 6, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681 "2023-05-06T22:15:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2023, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/21 "2023-05-10T01:44:35Z")
When Linden and Poe were kittens, I wanted to corral them at night but not shut them into the spare bedroom. So I bought a screen door slightly wider than the doorway, and attached 4 hooks and latches to it and the wall along the door frame. They didn’t mind and I could easily hear them if they got distressed during the night.
They’re welcome to roam freely at night now, but the screen door has come in handy to block off the hallway during room painting since. It also allowed them to stare at me as I painted the laundry room lol.
Anyway, the cheapest of screen doors are pretty close in price to a pair of baby gates and much easier to keep in place.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/22 "2023-05-10T02:37:57Z")
OP said they’re renting and can’t put a screen door in. I hadn’t thought of your hook and latch method; but they may be forbidden from putting those in, also.
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/23 "2023-05-11T14:43:49Z")
Also a good idea, but unfortunately screwing in the hooks isn’t feasible for me.
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/24 "2023-05-11T20:48:04Z")
Any updates or new kittah pics?
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/25 "2023-05-11T21:59:43Z")
Unfortunately not yet ☹ . I filled out an adoption form a week ago and have heard absolutely nothing from the rescue. I even sent a follow up email yesterday and just got an auto-response that it could take up to 10(!!) business days to hear back. I’m sorry but how many people are looking to adopt animals and willing to wait two full weeks to hear anything back?
So I’m really frustrated and beginning to feel like I’ve wasted a week. I think I’ll start searching again tomorrow if I haven’t heard anything.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/26 "2023-05-11T22:27:30Z")
Some of the adoption places are really weird these days. Maybe they’re trying to make sure that you really want him?
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### Author:  [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/27 "2023-05-11T23:12:10Z")
That’s a little strange for a cat adoption There are **so many** kittens available now, and lots of young and mature cats, that our local SPCA is (practically) **giving them away** to anyone who qualifies. Are you going through something other than a local shelter? If so, perhaps they are understaffed or overwhelmed, and probably both.
At the very least, you’ve received some excellent advice here from the SDMB group, and are going into your adoption well-informed, whenever it happens. Let us all know how it turns out. Good luck!
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### Author:  [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/28 "2023-05-12T00:51:44Z")
I was lucky with getting my second cat (a week after the first). He was her kitten - Lucy came to the shelter with 4 kittens, and Ricky was one of them. She hissed and swatted at him the first day (and also smelled his butt a lot), but by day 2 she was grooming him.
Now, she smacks and hisses only occasionally, but what mom doesn’t?
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/29 "2023-05-12T02:32:02Z")
Do remember that a lot of rescue groups are overloaded and understaffed by volunteers so it could take a bit.
But, yeah, I’d be a little frustrated as well. We all know that the shelters are overfull and that it is kitten season, one would think the shelter would be thrilled to have one of their teenagers placed with a good home.
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/30 "2023-05-13T23:26:01Z")
Unfortunately I finally heard back from the rescue and that cat had been adopted. So I started my search over yesterday and stumbled on a cat rescue in a small town a little over an hour away that had several cats that were potential good fits.
After spending about 2 hours this afternoon getting to know the cats, I’ve brought [Clay](https://imgur.com/CBFNe08) home to see how it goes. He’s 13 months old, and the only one out of a feral litter of four that could be tamed and ended up being a major love bug. He also is going to need absolutely no time to adjust to new surroundings. Here [he is](https://imgur.com/MGI0Mgb) literally two minutes into his new home. So introductions will be starting much sooner than originally anticipated. He and Oliver have smelled each other through a slightly cracked door and there was no hissing, so tomorrow they will swap spots in the house to start getting used to each other’s scents.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/31 "2023-05-13T23:34:52Z")
Welcome, Clay!
And that seems like a really good start.
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### Author:  [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2023, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/32 "2023-05-14T04:59:04Z")
As I have never had cats, I’m just here for the pictures.
No hissing sounds good.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2023, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/33 "2023-05-14T12:50:06Z")
Clay is one good-lookin’ cat!
(Also, you have really nice floors. 🙂 )
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/34 "2023-05-14T20:27:23Z")
Agreed on both points!
No hissing is a great start, I hope it continues to go well.
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/35 "2023-05-14T22:15:41Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#):
>
> (Also, you have really nice floors. 🙂 )
Haha thanks - that first photo was at the rescue but I have almost the exact same flooring at my house as well!
And things are progressing waaay faster than I anticipated. Clay and Oliver have swapped spots in the house several times today and Clay just immediately acted like he’d always lived here. I even had my sister and her boyfriend over - he spent two minutes under the dresser then came out and was rubbing all over everyone.
They’ve continued to see each other a few times through a cracked door. Oliver is very interested and Clay seems to lose interest and wanders off. A few paw bumps but nothing major yet. I may try putting Clay in the dog crate tomorrow and see how they interact through that. Holes are big enough to stick paws through but not faces.
A [couple](https://imgur.com/h520fK5) of better [photos](https://imgur.com/gHCuLZq). Any ideas on some names?
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### Author:  [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2023, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/36 "2023-05-15T04:44:36Z")
He has a very Roman nose, how about Julius? Or Marcus?
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/37 "2023-05-15T17:45:10Z")
Dog crate was a disaster - the cat inside was scared and felt trapped, so abandoned that pretty quick. We just had probably a 15 minute baby gate session that seemed to go well. Neither cat tried to scale it and there was only one hiss. Oliver is definitely more interested than Clay - he’s constantly reaching through to try to touch Clay and makes happy little trill noises. If I pet Clay he’ll stick around, but otherwise he wanders off to groom or play with a toy (which I guess is a good sign?).
So keep doing baby gate sessions and swapping spots? Both cats are so calm that I can hold one of them, in full view of each other, to coax the other cat in or out of the bedroom.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/38 "2023-05-15T18:13:06Z")
This is going well enough that I’d try them in the same room for a little while, with no barriers, but with your supervision.
It’s possible that Oliver will insist on bouncing on Clay and that Clay may resent this. If it’s a hiss or two and/or a fast swat I wouldn’t worry about it; but be ready with a blanket to throw over any signs of a serious fight.
If you feed either of them within sight of the other, feed them both.
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### Author:  [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/39 "2023-05-15T21:54:18Z")
They’ve had two brief sessions together and both seemed to go well. Oliver recognizes a potential play mate when he sees one and he is ready to get this party started! Clay is not so sure and seems a little territorial already. Some light hissing and one swat that wasn’t meant to connect, but then Clay starts in with a quiet yowling and that’s when I break it up. As soon as I pick Clay up he immediately relaxes and lets me take him to the spare bedroom no problem.
Oliver is completely unperturbed so I’m probably overreacting. He’s meowing in front of the closed door and keeps looking over at me lol.
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### Author:  [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-getting-a-second-cat/983681/40 "2023-05-15T22:13:39Z")
> [@liirogue](#):
>
> _Dog crate was a disaster - the cat inside was scared and felt trapped, so abandoned that pretty quick._
When I suggested a dog crate, I meant the open kind, more like a kennel or a cage. I didn’t think about the kind that are closed-in, like a box with a door on it. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. No wonder Clay felt trapped.
In any event, it sounds like your guys are making progress. Continued good luck!
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