When to get our next cat

[MrsSteveMcDonald]

I am (hopefully) planning way in advance but thought I'd get some advice. My current cat is 10 this month and in good health so should have a number of years still to go. She is a bit of a wimp and is scared of other cats (I have to chase them out of the garden for her) but am wondering if she would cope if we got a kitten.

I've never had a kitten, our cats have always been rescued adults and I would just like to have that little ball of fluff experience even if it is just the once. At the moment I work part time, dc are 5 and 3 so I am home a fair bit to be able to deal with the extra hassle a kitten would cause. By the time our girl is no longer with us I will hopefully be working more hours so not able to spend as much time home with the kitten.

I know that all cats are different and you can never be sure how they will react but I'm wondering what people think would work out best. Would you say getting a kitten now and having 2 cats or waiting until we will only have 1? I have no idea if DH would even consider having 2 at once but trying to find out what having a kitten entails and the practicalities of having 2 cats.

Depends if the kittens a bully when it grows up.

You should then get 2 kittens. 10 years is a big age gap and it's much more likely a young cat will be too much for the older to deal with due to different energy levels etc. If you get 2 kittens, they can keep each other company and hopefully learn to co-exist with the older cat.

I think it’s really cruel to get a kitten when you have an older cat. Not fair on the older cat to have his territory invaded andbe jumped on and hassled all the time, and not fair on the kitten who will have no one to play with. Cats introduced late in life will sometimes tolerate each other but rarely end up close companions.

The better bet would be to wait until cat #1 dies and then get two kittens, if you’re determined to have the kitten experience. Or a pair of older rescues if you’re not.

I wouldn't get a kitten with an older cat, it seems very cruel. Imagine handing a pensioner a toddler as a playmate and expecting them to be happy!