5mo ago

Thinking about getting another cat

I realize that I love my cat.

But I want another one for her.

Should I go for it?

I feel like it will help be a new beginning for me.

I just feel bad about something and guilt eats me up right now. I, well, caused a problem for my own Mom and have hurt our relationship. And I realize that now. We've talked about it some. We're fine, right now, but I... feel the guilt, dammit.

Regardless, I want to at least help my current cat by giving her a new companion.

Ugh, I feel silly saying it.

14 comments

One thing to keep in mind is that cats can be territorial. If you live in a house then it won't be a problem, but in an apartment they could become unhappy with each other. I got a second cat three years ago, and luckily they mostly get along. First few weeks my old cat was a bit unhappy, but the second cat is pretty chill and eventually they got along. For the most part they just tend to ignore each other, but once in a while they'll play fight. Even though they don't interact much directly, they will follow each other around, so I do think they're both less bored now.
- Gotcha. My first cat is still less than a year old. I'm hoping to get them to get used to each other quickly enough. But yes, they can be territorial or so I've heard. I'm hoping that my first one won't be lonely. I live in a residential home, but it's big enough. I mean, it's a good size, I think; not like my previous huge house but still good. And my cat is pretty playful.
  
  yeah hopefully a playmate will keep the kitty busy. I felt bad for my first cat being all alone too and that's what pushed me to get a second on.
I think you should, cats love company. But you should have a backup plan for if they don't get along.
- How would you go about a backup plan? I'll look this up more...
  
  There's a couple ways of going about it, if you're adopting from a person they're usually emotionally invested in giving their old friend a good home so if you were like "Hey I'm interested in this cat! I'd like to make sure they get along with my cat at home, if they don't can I return them to you?" They might be okay with that arrangement.
This is a great idea! Especially if your cat mainly lives indoors. Then your place becomes the entire world, the entire source of experiences for the animal. So whenever you're not around, or can't spend time socializing together, there's nothing to generate new stimuli. And if there was a friend, then they could always provide something new for each other and live much more fulfilling lives together.
It's also your responsibility to make sure that the relationship is healthy. Cats can be very jealous of the time and attention you spend on a new one, not used to interacting with other cats/animals/people, or just afraid of change in general. So I would recommend starting by fostering a cat of a similar age for a while. Then you could either keep the foster if they vibe together, or broaden your cat's horizons and probably have better luck with the next one.
There's nothing silly in caring about the well-being of someone you're responsible for.
- I'm trying to get my cat to walk outside a bit, but no dice. They don't like the harness. I'm getting another one.
  There’s nothing silly in caring about the well-being of someone you’re responsible for.
  I lived under an abusive father that was pretty superficial in their outlook, I think. I sometimes wonder if certain things I do are just "too silly."
- Oh right I forgot about fostering! That's a very good idea for finding a cat that's the right fit for your other pets!
My first cat hates all other animals in the house, and hisses at anything that moves. She's territorial as shit, but lovely to us.
So. There's that risk.
It might have been our fault for not socialising them right, but it's common for people to have cats that don't like each other in the house, apartment or whatever. But she'd be happier if she was the lone cat in the house, she doesn't leave our bedroom ever.
So maybe get a cat to experiment with cat dynamics at the house, but be prepared for it to not necessarily work on first try.
- Fair enough.

14 comments