Mom-ninja. Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We have one cat and or trying to decide of we should get another. My cat is very playful but I don't know if he'd be playful with another cat. He is 9 months old. So I'm thinking if yes than a female around the same age. Second question is would I be a bad cat owner if I let my cat outside? I'd like him to be an indoor cat, but he's dieing to get out. He bolts out the door when he can, and I chase him down. If I do let him out is he still too young? Or do I insist he stay indoors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 IMO with cats matching personalities and play styles is more important than what sex the cats are. That's unlike dogs, where you typically would want an opposite sex pair for the best odds of them getting along well. Inside/outside is a huge debatable issue. To be politically correct, and for the most long-lived pet, they should be kept inside always. But I'm not firmly against cats going out. A lot depends on where you live. Of course if you live on a busy road you should never let them out. I'd advise against letting them out if you have close neighbors. Because most cats will find the neighbor's flower bed the perfect spot for doing their business. And that's just not a good neighbor thing to allow. Consider any wildlife you have in the area. Cats don't fare well in areas with coyotes and other predators. Cats who go outside may need more vaccinations than inside only cats. I do very occasionally let my cats outside, but only under my direct supervision and in our fenced back yard. Our fence sits right on the ground, so the cats can't go under. And they're too old to manage to jump over. I would never just let them out to roam where we live now. There are a variety of enclosures you can buy so your cats can safely spend some time outside. Check out Kittywalk and similar enclosures on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I encourage you to get another kitten so the one you have already has someone to bond with, but i agree with Pawz4me, personality will be more important than sex. I have 9 cats (not the plan, but we have rescued nearly 30, gotten them all fixed and vaccinated and have found most of them homes. Some, however, just ended up with us). Personalities definitely play more of a part than sex. It even trumps age in some instances. We have a tom that just showed up one day, kindest cat in the world and gets along with nearly every other cat in the neighborhood, and pretty much every dog too, even another old tom that comes by. But we have one young aggressive female that hates his guts. No idea why. We have to keep them separated because she managed to put him at the vet hospital twice. Agree, too, that strictly indoors may increase the life span but some cats would be miserable only being indoors. Depends on the cat. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We tried introducing a kitten to our home when our older cat was about 7.5 years old, and it didn't go well. We had to give the kitten back. It's a hard call to make -- do you try, and what do you do if it doesn't work out? Thankfully the kitten lady took our kitten back and found another home for her right away. I'm a big advocate of letting cats be outdoor cats if they want to be (and if circumstances allow). Our cat used to be indoor only when we lived in town because we lived near the county fairgrounds and we worried about feral cats. She was feisty and scary; we could barely pet her. Once we moved to a place where we were more comfortable letting her out of doors, she became a different cat when inside. I still wouldn't go up to her outside (I think she has a fear that we're going to drag her back inside like we used to do), but inside she'll come up and sit on my lap and let me pet her for hours in the evening; she comes in every night by choice. We can go up to her and pet her inside now. She's still got some jumpiness/feistiness (witness the three scratches on the back of my hand that she gave me this week), but she's very obviously much happier. We know the statistics about life span, but know that she'd be miserable if we forced her to stay indoors (and so would we in dealing with her). She's happy. She's from barn cat stock and wants to be outside. We're fine with a shorter, happier life compared to a longer, miserable one. And she's almost nine now, so she's doing pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Also, I notice that since getting the new cat she would spend more and more time outside in order to avoid him I assume. I felt like she was no longer our cat. This is what happened when we tried to introduce the kitten a couple of years ago. Our cat rarely came in, even at night (she always comes in at night). I felt like we were "losing" her as a cat; that she would become outdoor mostly. I recall sitting outside on the lawn one night during this time, seeing if she'd come to me. She did. She got on my lap and let me pet her for quite awhile. That was unusual -- like I said, we don't really approach her outside. I actually cried a few tears and realized I didn't want to lose her, and that she was missing sitting with me just like I was missing her company in the evenings. I really enjoy her. So we returned the kitten and he got a better home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I'm so glad it worked out for you! It really would be nice to have one other cat around here, but we'll probably wait until Kitty goes to the great big back field in the sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Chester has never been outside either since we got him when he was 7 weeks old. However, he still tries to go out. He seems happy enough indoors so far. So sex doesn't matter but I should look for cat that is active and playful like he is. Got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We have one cat and or trying to decide of we should get another. My cat is very playful but I don't know if he'd be playful with another cat. He is 9 months old. So I'm thinking if yes than a female around the same age. Second question is would I be a bad cat owner if I let my cat outside? I'd like him to be an indoor cat, but he's dieing to get out. He bolts out the door when he can, and I chase him down. If I do let him out is he still too young? Or do I insist he stay indoors? My cats never actually played with each other. You should get another cat if you want one; if they play together, kewl; if not, kewl.. :-) My cats have all been indoor-outdoor kittehs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Oh, and we live in an area with a lot of feral cats. Also we sometimes spot a fox around. The neighbor has cats and his cats are always in my yard. I'm afraid of cat fights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 All of my boys are fairly close together and we have never had a problem with them not getting along. The oldest is 8, the next is 5 (last Oct), the following two will be 5 next month and we just introduced the kitty who is 9 months old now. He was six when he came in. I was a bit worried about the kitten since the others are now older but it's been fine. We have one who is a runt and about the same size as the kitten and they seem to spend the most time together. Introducing the others was not a problem either. Honestly, the two that fight the most are the actual brothers but it's only now and then and it's usually the bigger one picking on the runt. Mine used to be indoor-outdoor cats but when we moved to a busy street a few years ago they had to adjust to being inside only. It took some time but now they don't even try to get out. We do have a patio where we live (upstairs) and we have been able to let them out on that and seem to enjoy it but don't beg and it doesn't seem to disrupt their happiness inside, just adds to it when they can go out and lay in the sun. I would think since your cat is young it would go smoothly. I have only had boys and it's always been a fairly easy process. Perhaps if it hadn't been, we wouldn't have so many! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I don't let my cats outside, but I've come to accept the fact that they do get out despite our best efforts. I patch furniture instead of clipping nails and I don't think it's a good idea to skip any vaxes for house kitties that you would routinely get for barn kitties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I don't let my cats outside, but I've come to accept the fact that they do get out despite our best efforts. I patch furniture instead of clipping nails and I don't think it's a good idea to skip any vaxes for house kitties that you would routinely get for barn kitties. It's very unlikely that house cats will ever be exposed to many of the diseases that outside or inside/outside cats are exposed to. Feline leukemia is probably the best example, since it requires prolonged contact for transmission. Given that vaccine-associated sarcoma is a very real problem in cats, many vets (including mine) don't recommend the feline leukemia vaccine for indoor only cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Here's our new kitty. He is in quarantine and must stay apart from our other cat for at least the next 2 weeks until his next checkup. He had ear mites and was treated for that, and he still has a distended belly which the vet thinks is probably from parasites. He's been given meds and he'll need another dose or two at least. So the vet said to keep the cats separated until he gives the all clear. Cross fingers that this little baby doesn't have FIP. I lost one kitten to that years ago so I'm always anxious when I see a kitty with a swollen belly. My vet told me it's not too common so here's hoping that it is just worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Such a cute kitty! Hope it all works out. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Does anyone know how ear mites are transmitted? Do they get in the bedding and/or carpet? Do we need to wash our hands after we hold/touch him before touching our other cat? What about our clothes? Would I be able to let the kitten out of the room and explore the house as long as I put my other cat in a different room? I will not let them use the same litter box until the worm situation is cleared up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I had a cat years ago who had terrible ear mites. They didn't seem to be terribly contagious; we didn't have any problems with them and they didn't seem to contaminate things. Washing hands is never a bad idea, but I wouldn't worry about it over much. I'd keep the kitten in the same room for several days, at least. Put food on each side of the door and let the two kittens eat together so they can smell each other and associate food with the other's scent, but not see each other. In a few days, I would rotate and put the old cat in the room the new kitten has been in and let the new kitten explore another room. I would wait on giving the new kitten the run of the house for at least a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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