Should I get another cat?

jasper27

Hello

I have adopted a gorgeous Pedigree British Shorthair cat. Her owners had this cat and her sister and the sister bullied this cat, so they decided to rehome her and I was lucky enough to take her home with me.

She's 6 now and I've had her 15months. She's very affectionate and loves to play. I've kept her as an indoor cat as they did, although they said they would like her to go out.

I've let her out a few times during the summer but followed her round the garden and brought her in as soon as I thought she might venture off over the fence!

I'm scared she will get hurt/get lost/get pinched or worse still get attacked by someone. She's very trusting and will come to anyone, so I preferred to keep her indoors, she's microchipped and I've tried her with a collar but she hated it and developed a sore patch on the back of her neck:(

Now I'm wondering whether to get another cat as a companion for her? She has lots of toys and few favourite sleeping places ( a bed and 2 radiator beds ) but there has been a regular visitor to the back garden.. a little cat and she seems to want to play, but everytime I open the door this little cat scarpers!

I don't know whether to get another cat or not.. I love cats and could have a house full, but I don't know if it's fair to get another one or not?

What if she got bullied again? Also, would I need seperate beds and litter trays?

I work night shifts so am around most of the time.:)

hayleyc_2

I don't see why you couldn't have another cat, it sounds like she's quite sociable despite being bullied before. You would need separate bed and litter tray, at least to start with. Usually when introducing cats you put the new cat in one room, so they can smell eachother under the door but still feel safe in their own territory. Being an indoor cat, it'll give her more exercise and stimulation to have another cat to play with

gingin_2

I did similar - I rehomed an indoor male cat.

We kept him for 2 years before we got a second to keep him company.We got a female kitten because we heard that would be the best match for him. He is definitely the alpha male and she accepts that. The first few weeks I was convinced I had made a mistake, he wouldn't leave her alone, was chasing her, I was tearing my hair out but 2 years on they are like an old married couple and it was without a doubt the right thing for him.

ALIBOBSY

Given your cats issues with being bullied I wouldn't get a male cat, they definately like to rule the roost. We have a tom and he is REALLY big and heavy, when we got the female kitten last year he was not happy-she is his sister although from separate litters, but now they are both fully grown they get on quite well, but they don't love up like the 2 females we used to have years ago did. Mind you she is only still quite small (half his size and less in weight) and he is our chunky boy lol, she spends most of the time in the house with me in the day and with the kids when they get home, but he tends to like to be out more and does his evening "rounds" of the neighbourhood before settling in at night.

Ali x

jasper27

Thank you for your replies and lots of useful info

I think I will definately get another cat, although I'll probably wait til after Christmas.

So the next question is, should I get a kitten or an adult cat? bearing in mind, it would probably have to be an indoor cat

Fire_Fox

IMO adopt another adult cat from a rescue that keeps all their cats in foster homes not a cattery so they know their temperaments. Have them recommend a cat to you that is best suited to indoor life and highly unlikely to bully/ dominate. Cats best for an indoor life include blind or partially sighted, deaf, FIV, some tripods. Use a Feliway diffuser and read up on careful introductions. If it really doesn't work out the rescue will take the new cat back, adoptions do sometimes fail even if you try your hardest.

It's recommended to have one litter tray per cat plus one spare. Have you considered having your garden cat proofed or building a secure run? Please don't let her interact with other cats outdoors unless she is vaccinated.

jasper27

Thanks for your reply

I would definately get a cat from a rescue or re-homing centre. I would love to see them all re-homed so if I can do my bit, I will.
Winnie has has all her jabs including her yearly flu jab

I never thought about a deaf or blind etc cat.. what a lovely idea.

So it seems a female would be best?

Fire_Fox

jasper27 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply

I would definately get a cat from a rescue or re-homing centre. I would love to see them all re-homed so if I can do my bit, I will.
Winnie has has all her jabs including her yearly flu jab

I never thought about a deaf or blind etc cat.. what a lovely idea.

So it seems a female would be best?

I wouldn't rule out a male, I've known ones that are as soft as butter and let the females dominate. I wonder if it is partly how early they were neutered. Choose a rescue that knows their cats inside and out and let them guide you. Check out the smaller independents as well as the big names, you will find them on CatChat and Purrsinourhearts. If you are willing to catproof or build a run in the garden more places would consider you fora wider choice of cats.

When I got Noah my local branch of RSPCA were horrible about me taking an adult indoor cat, even tho I was clear I'd be happy with FIV, deaf etc and didn't want to keep a healthy kitten indoors. The Cats Protection homechecker was wonderful, they came outside their area, PERFECTLY matched with with Noah and said I was basically a dream home. I have Lulu now, after Christmas I may be doing the same as you, am considering a playmate for my indoor girl but nervous about a good match.

antw23uk

I would say no. Its one thing having a cat interested in a stranger in the garden but its something else having that/ a cat in the house ... in her world, her home where she is obviously very happy and very loved.

We have a BSH and he is mega friendly, trusting, forward ... well he is wonderful but he is a 2nd cat into the household and if we could have had a crystal ball and seen the future we wouldnt have put our 1st cat through the introduction of the a new cat.

Generally speaking its a quiet life around here (as much as two boys can be) but its been a real struggle at times and lots of 'should we rehome the newest/ shouldnt we' etc

So if i could turn back time i wouldnt have introduced a 2nd cat. Cats arent really designed to socialize with other cats. Having a multi cat household is the exception and NOT the norm im afraid.

Good luck with your decision and of course we need a pic of her


Ant x

Fire_Fox

antw23uk wrote: »

So if i could turn back time i wouldnt have introduced a 2nd cat. Cats arent really designed to socialize with other cats. Having a multi cat household is the exception and NOT the norm im afraid.

IMO depends entirely on the individual cats.

"It is a common myth that cats are asocial. Cats are social, but their social system differs from that of dogs. Cats have neither been exposed to the same extent or direction of artificial selection that dogs have, nor have they been developed in a breed-specific sense to execute specific tasks.

The basic feline social unit is the queen and her kittens. Weaning occurs between 5 and 8 wk, although given the chance, some kittens will occasionally suckle much later. This is probably related more to social behavior than to nutrition. Under free-ranging situations, kittens will remain either with the queen or as part of her extended social group for the first 12-18 mo of life. Male kittens more commonly leave the group before social maturity (2-4 yr) than do females, although all combinations of groupings have been reported for cats. Multiple generations of related females can be found in free-ranging situations, and they may provide some degree of communal care for the young.

Density of free-ranging domestic cats appears directly dependent on food resources. Most domestic cats are solitary hunters. Prey species include those considered by humans to be vermin, which may explain why cats are found worldwide. The small body size of the cat may be another reason that cats have been allowed to coexist with people in the absence of much artificial selection for specific behaviors. Kittens will learn to prefer and to best hunt the prey species that their mother preferentially hunted. Pet cats learn to prefer a certain texture of food."
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in.../bc/140218.htm


"In the past two and a half decades, an increasing body of research conducted by various scientists throughout the world has made it clear that, while the feral and free-living domestic cat, Felis catus, can survive in the solitary state when food resources are so widely distributed as to be unable to support a group, social groups that have internal structure, and in which group members recognize each other and engage in a variety of social behaviors, are formed whenever there are sufficient food resources to support a group ... In other words, they are a social species.

Within the group, commonly called a colony, cats form affiliative, or friendly, relationships, with certain other cats, grooming them, rubbing them, greeting them, and sleeping curled up next to or even partially on them. Also within the colony, certain cats fail to form strong affiliative relationships with certain other cats, thus producing a socially complex society in which alliances and antipathies can affect access to resources, frequency of friendly and agonistic behavior and other issues that we are just beginning to understand.

Most people who have cats have two or more cats. Failure to understand what will promote friendly, amicable behavior and what will promote aggressive behavior can lead to various behavior problems, including aggression and conflict over resources, such as food, resting sites and litterboxes. Thus, it is critical that we understand the natural social organization, relationships and communication of the cat." http://zoopsy.free.fr/veille_biblio/social_organization_cat_2004.pdf

vl2588

Cats can be social, yes, but they prefer to have their own space and to do it in their own time...multi-cat households are usually too small with too few hiding places etc. to accommodate several cats. The space available has to be taken into account, and the cats' ability to get away from one another. They are not pack animals, social or not.

Whatever you do I hope it works out, and if you rescue you will be doing a very grand thing