I can’t decide if this is a good idea or not. I’ve got two cats, the “big guy”, now 14, and “the kitten” who is actually about 6. I got the kitten because I wanted big guy to have some company when I was at work all day. Worked great at first but now he’s older and he mostly wants to sleep. The kitten seems desperate for attention when I get home and in the morning before I leave for work and I worry that he’s lonely now that big guy doesn’t pay much attention to him.
But, am I just projecting human emotions onto the cats? The kitten is very spoiled and used to getting a lot of attention from me and the big guy. Will a new kitten mess that up? Will the kitten and the new one “gang up” on my old guy who doesn’t want to play very often anymore? Also, I’m pretty sure my two guys have feline herpes as they occasionally get reoccurring eye infections. Would that be a bad environment to introduce a new kitten into? Mosst importantly, will having three cats brand me forever as a “crazy cat lady” and doom me to a life of spinsterhood? What do you multicat owners think?
I am of the opinion that you should not have more pets than you have hands in a household, so if you have 2 people living there you should have no more than 4 pets. That way there is always a free hand for pettings and/or food providing.
The herpes thing needs to be checked out by a vet before you introduce any other kitties into your home. If you haven’t taken them to get it checked out yet because you don’t have the time or money that should be proof enough that you don’t need another kitty. If that is the case I would suggest a laser pointer and some dingle balls to keep the bored one entertained.
Boy howdy, have they been to the vet. When they first started getting the eye infections, they went weekly until it got cleared up (to the tune of about a grand). The vet is of the opinion that they probably have always had herpes but since I moved to a new neighborhood, it was probably aggravated by new viruses they weren’t used to. He said he didn’t really see a need to do the expensive test tho’ since it was finally clearing up. Don’t worry about vet care, I spend tons on my kitties and my aunt is a vet always available for emergancy calls.
I’m more concerned that a new kitten would screw up the dynamics in the house and make my big kitty unhappy.
All I can relate is my own experience, our ~1.5 year old male cat seemed lonely and needy, so we recently got a male kitten. At first the older cat gave everyone the cold shoulder, but after a week or so I see them hanging out together. If I was going to humanize their relationship, it would be like a big brother tolerating an annoying younger brother. I was hoping they’d wrestle around and stuff, but not yet that I’ve seen.
If three cats constitutes “crazy cat lady” then I am a raving mad lunatic.
Anyway, why don’t you think about adopting a young cat that is playful but past the kitten stage.
There are a lot of year and two year old cats that need adopted. If a shelter near you has a cat room then you can find one that is playful and gets along with other cats. That way you can keep your “kitten” entertained but the new cat will be old enough to know to leave “big guy” alone if he is grumpy.
Well if the finances are not an issue then go get another kitty already!
I would recommend getting one as close to the age of your youngest as possible though, so that way in 5 years the current youngster doesn’t do the same thing to the new kitty you are considering bringing home.
Actually, one of my friends has an about year-old cat she’s been trying to get me to take for a while. I’d resisted but maybe I should reconsider. My concern is that he’s been an outdoor cat (he is fixed) so he may not understand litterbox usage. Hmmmm…
Outdoor cats can become indoor cats. I have heard the best way to get an outdoor cat used to using the box is to fill one with dirt. Potting soil should work and then slowly add more and more litter until it is all litter.
The thing that would concern me is if he still wants out they can get really persistant about getting out and it can drive you nuts having to watch a cat trying to dart out everytime you open the door or clawing at screens trying to get out.
Now if the cat is indoor/outdoor then it would be an easier go.
My cats are indoor/outdoor but they only go out when I’m home and even then, they usually spend only a little time outdoors and then want to come in and hang out with me. There are some mean tomcats that live under the house behind me so they don’t roam. I wouldn’t mind if the new cat wants to go out as long as he came back. I usually keep new kittens indoor for quite a while before I’ll let them out, do y’all think two weeks is enough for a new adult cat to imprint on the house? I guess I’ll go over to my friend’s house and meet this cat.
Actually, that might not be a big issue. I have two kitties who were strays that were abandoned by their mother shortly after they were weaned and they grasped the litterbox idea immediately. If you were closer, I’d offer you one of them, as I’m teetering on the edge of the crazy cat person singularity at the moment.
If your cats are indoor/outdoor then I think the new cat should blend in well.
I would wait longer than two weeks though. Perhaps a month or so. The most important part is that he needs to know where his food is coming from.
Since the new cat is an outdoor cat that may be a challenge but it can be done you just need patience. Not only is the cat coming indoors in a new home but with two new cats.
I would isolate in spare room, bathroom or sun porch for several days and let the resident cats smell the new cat though the door. You can also get old towel or rags and have the new and old cats sleep on them and then switch so they get each other scent.
Some cats adopt very quickly with no issues while others are slower to accept new surroundings.
The last cat we adopted only took five days before he was released to general population and there were some scraps and hissing but he is now accepted by the others.
Once he is in tune with the resident cats and there are no major issues then let him roam indoors for awhile and then let him out. I would not let him out until he has made peace with the other cats first.
