What sort of kitten best if you have an existing cat?

[sixlive]

We have a 2 year old male tabby. A bit of a wild cat, loves being outside, we have a very large garden. He "plays" with 2 neighbourhood cats but may not react well to a new kitten.

We have been thinking of getting a second cat, as the whole family loves cats now DD wants one for her 9th birthday. Any breeds we should go for- she likes the look of a snow Bengal but seems they can be quite mad. We would like a lap sitter, she wants a vocal cat but too vocal may drive me mad. Somebody told us a female would be best. Needs to be happy being outside some of the time but more of a homebody than our mog gy.

Oh lord not a bengal if you want a quiet life.

What about a nice black and white moggie from a rescue? I've never met a black and white who wasn't a lap cat.

Ooh I second that! My black and white girl is the friendliest little lap cat I've ever encountered, despite being born to a feral mother.

I have to admit, my 2 year old ginger boy HATED her at first, but now she's a bit older he's come to tolerate her. He even presented her with a dead vole yesterday.

Don't expect them to be pals straight away. It's very tiresome keeping them separate and gradually letting them see each other, etc but it's much better than just dumping them in the same room and hoping for the best.

Devon Rex or Cornish Rex are very friendly and get on with other animals. We recently got a Devon, nothing phases him. Our resident cat is a bit of a despot, and he's always hissing and yowling at the kitten, who has never once shown any aggression back to him. He just sort of shrugs his shoulders, and dances off to do something else.

Also, because they don't have an abundance of fur, they're pretty much guaranteed to be lap-cats. We wake up in the morning with MKitten snuggled between us, under the duvet, his little kitten head on the pillow. He also hops onto my shoulders and drapes himself there. The fur they do have is curly, and feels like crushed velvet.

They are vocal, but not in a demanding way, more musical little chirrups as a running commentary to what he's doing. Oh, they also wag their tail like a dog when excited/happy. They do have crazy personalities, as in they like to be clowning around to be the centre of attention. They're not destructive though. They're very athletic and agile - mine bounces up his very tall scratching post, twirls around (like a pole dancer ) then scampers down it head first.

I personally love the look of them, but some people find their alien/pixie look a bit odd. Oh, and they hardly shed! Bonus!

Here's a gratuitous photo of MKitten.

Our big soft boy (big long haired black bear) was frightened of the kitten (ginger tabby) and it took him a few weeks to adjust. He'd growl and scarper whenever the kitten went near.

We found time and Feliway very helpful, I also overcompensated a bit and bought lots of expensive cat food for big cat to butter him up. At one point I wondered if I had done the right thing but they are fine now.

They play together and snuggle up together. Big cat goes out when he wants a break from being dived on, and there has been an abundance of dead wildlife at the back door these past few weeks so I think he's forgiven me.

I've got 2 bengals and if you want a quiet life they're not for you they're as mad as a box of frogs

But I'd go for a girl if I was you, what about a moggy?

Bengals are lovely cats but as PP's have said they are very hard work.

Loki is 4mo now and needs a lot of attention. They need lots of toys and you will need to research if your home is suitable too. Feeding him is very expensive as well!

What is a suitable house for a Bengal?

I second a lovely rescue cat. There's nothing quite like looking at them all comfy, purring and asleep and thinking how their lives are so much nicer now.

My long haired beast was basically locked in a shed and starved now he's the friendliest, most content little creature in the world and loves us with all his little heart. He comes for a massive cuddle with his head on your shoulder

They chew everything, and like climbing. So enough room for a fairly large (pref ceiling height) scratching post/activity centre. They run around a lot so room for them to do that. If you have curtains they will be climbing up them or the will be on top in cupboards etc.

I'd give my right arm for Devon Rex! Or meet a few rescues, it won't take long to work our which ones are lap cats and chatty.

A farm, op.

A big farm.

Mine don't like other cats, they demand a lot of attention, both of mine are quite dominate and my friends are dominate.
They need a lot of time and room as they're like wild animals. They meow very loudly and constantly.

Siamese a gd idea?

Siamese are very time demanding and their fearless nature can mean many heart in mouth moments, they can be extremely possessive of their "person" as can Burmese...

Oriental cats, which are the breeds you seem to be describing, are tremendously beautiful, extremely intelligent and a huge commitment. Many struggle to co-exist alongside other cats. If you look at rescue pages for any of the breed types most of the cats listed cannot be homed with other cats.

They are also definitely not lap cats, climbing round your shoulders, digging claws in when happy and launching themselves at you from a distance when you are trying to drink a cup of tea. It's all sort of near your lap and very loving but not often restful. When they do want a cuddle you get stalked and yowled at until you give, do not dare try and do something else, basically they are extremely dominant.

Do not be fooled by their size and cuteness. They are tremendous hunters. Disemboweled headless mouse in front of cooker last week and garden is a bird free zone.

If you want a lap cat then black and white moggies seem to have a built in cuddle gene.

Bengals really are high maintenance if they are going to do stuff they do it big.
If you really want a pedigree look at Ocicats look like bengals, but have oriental in them so better with people.
Me I would now go for a moggie everytime. All my moggies have been delightful and my pedigrees horrid. I would give a lovely black cat a home as they always struggle to find home.

Our existing moggy kills everything that moves and is definitely not a lap cat!