Considering a second cat

If they are just going to tolerate but not interact with each other then there’s not a lot of point.

That's what our 2 do. Our original 2 were siblings and used to appear to enjoy each other's company, but we've had a succession of younger cats joining the older one and they pretty much live independently.

BUT I think they appreciate each other when they are in the cattery.

We worried with our cats. I had an old moody cow when I first moved to Wales and my wife fell in love with a 2 year old cat at Bridgend cats protection about 4 years ago. The two got on with each other surprisingly well. As long as you introduce them properly there shouldn't be an issue. The older one died last year and we had a 1 year old boy given to us by one of my wife's friends who was moving. They tolerate each other but do play every so often. Wouldn't change them though.

We started with 2 from the Blue Cross rescue centre. They were 'bonded pair'. And yes, they initially relied on each other. But life with us is easier than on the streets, so they became un-bonded.
Eventually one moved out.

Misread thread title, saw author's name and thought...another long-running car thread coming up.
Disappointed.

I’ve never had two cats before. If they are just going to tolerate but not interact with each other then there’s not a lot of point.

We've had lots of cats.

A pair of siblings that both died young (FIV) and now we have four, of which only two are related.

The bottom line is they're all different with unique personalities and you can't really tell how they'll get on. All our four get on fine. E.g. one of the latest to join (hw and his brother were the latest additions) imprinted on our eldest cat as his mother and totally ignored us for months, just chasing his 'mother' around and sitting on him no matter where he was. Bertie put up with this quite well!

One of our other original two is a bit of a loner and mainly lives outside in the summer.

YMMV.

Four cat's currently (did have five, but the four left the old one alone).

Five year old ginger ninja - he's 'the boss', 2 x 4 year old Ragdolls (twins) and a related 3 year old Ragdoll (same parents).

The twins chase each other around more than the others, but they all join in. All are house cats though, but have access to a large outdoor cat run. The three ragdolls get on really well, it's just the ninja that get's a bit 'moody' with them. We get zoomies around 10pm !

She appears to us through our human eyes to be sociable. She is with us; although she doesn't jump up for cuddles she does want affection and acknowledgement all the time.

We had two cats for a while.. Parallel lives ignoring each other. Maybe it depends on the cats? The second cat we got did have the benefit of being a bruiser and seeing off the other local cats which had been bullying the first one. After being jumped on without warning other cats quickly learned to avoid our garden.

They're all different so it's impossible to say. I'm using my days off this week to look after my sister's cat while she's away and he appears to be a total loner.

But then I thought that about a tabby I took in when I lived in China. He'd been found on the street by an American I knew - maybe 1-2 weeks old, but she somehow kept him alive and passed him on to me 18 months later when she had to leave. He was hilarious, like Kato to my Clueso, leaping out on me from hiding as I walked around the flat. A year later when I was away, my Chinese partner and her daughter, who anthropomorphised him terribly, got a kitten as 'a little friend.' Jesus, I thought, he's gonna kill him! But the reverse happened, and they became best mates (bar the constant struggles for dominance and bed wars...).

What I came to realise was that they're not little biological robots following a pre-programmed path. They each had their own likes, dislikes, fears, interests, enthusiasms.
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Nine years since I left and I still miss those little guys. I'd say give it a go but have a backup plan that doesn't stress the newcomer.

Well yeah that's the thing. What I feel like would happen doesn't seem to match with what the blurb tells us - I reckon Fifi would jump straight into mothering a kitten. When she's heard kitten noises on TV or from the Lego robot she starts running around looking for her babies, by the looks of it. She doesn't react that way to anything else. I think that if we brought one home and kept it in a separate room for however many weeks she'd go nuts trying to get at it.

The thing with getting one from the Cats' protection league is that you can hand them back if it doesn't work out. If I get the one from gumtree that's harder to do. Plus it won't have had vaccinations, a chip, or have been spayed. The one on offer is a girl though and amusingly looks identical 🙂

We've fostered a lot of cats in various combinations, we think they are generally happier with a companion but it's not a sure thing. We've had some that are either big bullies, or else too timid and better alone. You can't really tell until they have met other cats.

It can be very hard/impossible to introduce adult cats, especially if one or more is already well settled in the house. So long as you have an escape plan, give it a go.

We got a lockdown kitten to join our existing cat, it hasn't gone well 😬 but getting slightly better a couple of years on. They fight on sight and have to be kept apart in the house.

The bottom line is they’re all different with unique personalities and you can’t really tell how they’ll get on.

This is your answer, really.

I'll write more later, it's 4am and I'm going to bed.

Agree. Had loads of cats, some love each other, sleep together all the time etc,. while others ca't be in same room. Have 4 currently with 3 that are fine but one of the boys is just basically a bit of a dick who took a dislike to a new girl we got two years ago and has never got over it (even following a very strict introduction regime)

I previously had two cats and I was glad I did as the younger, a Siamese, needed a lot of interaction and without another cat , would have driven me crazy. The other was a street cat born under my old terrace and adopted. Both were neutered males. The Siamese was introduced as a kitten when the other cat was a year or so old, and when we collected him I was pretty surprised by just how social the breeders cats were ( alot of cats, mostly in big furry balls). They lived 13 years together and died weeks apart.

In contrast my current farm cat adopted from down the road is very happy alone, and very interactive with me. No other cats or dogs tolerated. Neutered male again.

What is your address? I'll send you the ginger shit machine that craps all over my garden.

I don't think anyone else wants your wife, Harry. Sorry.

Be very careful. We went to the Cats Protection to get a new kitten on Monday. We came back with three...

I said I'd come back to this thread.

We have a Mollie. Mollie was about eight, is three-legged following an unknown childhood incident, and Does Not Play Well With Others. When she lived with my girlfriend she was allowed to play outside on a leafy cul-de-sac and ruled the roost despite being half the size and three-quarters of the limbs of the neighbouring felines. Here, that's not an option.

When we moved house and moved in together, my partner wanted a kitten. I mean, let's not prat about the privet here, I always wanted a kitten. But I'm the pragmatic one, "is it fair on Mollie?" I asked. She's had enough trauma, the last thing she needs is another cat in the house.

Long story short, we decided that the solution was to get two kittens. The logic being, they can mither each other and leave Mols alone. So that's what we did.

We got them home and Molface was like, "WTF have you done?!" Two tiny little balls of fluff still in a kitty carrier, Mollie was hissing and spitting like we'd just introduced her to a mongoose.

This went on for months. Early on the kittens were secluded in their own room because, not to put to fine a point on it, one of them was doubly incontinent. When we allowed them out we had to watch for fear of bullying. We contemplated baby-gate type affairs to segregate Mol and the kittens whilst they acclimatised, but these seemingly don't exist in cat sizes. We bought a couple of Feliway pheromone diffusers, they were really successful in creating a mildly warm plug socket and not much else.

Over time... Mollie got over it. It would be a leap to say they're friends, but Mols tolerates their existence. We have, rarely but occasionally, had all three on the bed at the same time. It probably took six months for hostilities to cease, and maybe another six for her to really be chill. Today it's almost like Mollie wants to play with them but can't quite swallow her pride.

Getting two was absolutely, 100% the right thing to do for us. The two little girls are inseparable. One of them (genuinely) isn't quite right in the head and she'll squall the house down if she can't find her sister. There is no doubt in my mind that if we (or someone) hadn't taken her on the she wouldn't have survived. The other is Noseybonk, she's into everything and you can't open an envelope without her appearing like Mr Benn's shopkeeper. They chase each other about but, how Mollie would have coped with being the centre of attention if we'd just got one I can only speculate. I doubt it'd have ended as well as it has.

Be very careful. We went to the Cats Protection to get a new kitten on Monday. We came back with three…

This Thread Is Useless Without Pictures.

Speaking of which,

Mollie:

The artists formerly known as kittens:

https://imgur.com/a/SD1VPeD

Nice video 😁