Will my cat accept a new cat into the household?

[Gingerkittykat]

I lost my beautiful older cat a couple of weeks ago and I am wondering if Simba will accept a new cat/ kitten?

He is 10 and has seemed really unsettled since Shadow died which is not surprising since they had been together since Simba was 8 weeks old.

The problem is Simba is massively territorial. He is a gentle wee thing but as soon as he smells a cat in the garden he acts like something possessed running at it to chase it away or fight it. It is this which makes me wonder if he would be the same with a cat coming into the house.

Would a kitten help where he could immediately be alpha and boss it around? I had wanted to get an adult from rescue but don't know if this is a good idea.

I wouldn't risk it. When one of our cats died our other went through a long period of what I can only describe as grief. In researching what to do to help her I read that people often make the mistake of getting a new cat and it just stresses the old cat out more. We used a feliway plug in for a few months and eventually she calmed down.

He's definitely grieving and has become massively clingy towards my DD and yowls like crazy if she leaves the house or even goes to the toilet and shuts the door.

I'll ask a rescue I really respect for more advice one lockdown is over.I would be massively concerned about the possibility of him attacking another cat and hurting it since I've seen him attack a visiting cat and they both ended up injured.

I'm sorry for your loss. It's even harder to see your other cat suffering. I'd recommend teting feliway in the mean time. It didn't stop her needy behaviour completely but it definitely helped calm her down.

My grumpy old cat hated my new young cat until her mum died, then he was suddenly her new best friend and now they're inseparable. I'd never have predicted it.

I'll go online and order some Feliway.

I hope it works. And like you said you can get advice from a shelter when the world is less crazy!

Is there any way you would not adopt another cat? You could just let your current cat live out his life as an only cat.

Some cats may never accept a new cat, but generally it's all about the introduction - which can be a very long, slow process. You need to find a way of keeping the two cats completely separate at first. In my experience it takes a couple of months before they can be left together.

I have introduced young kittens to an older cat twice. The first time my soppy old man was curled up in a heap with the kittens within a week. The second time my grumpy old girl has ignored the kittens unless they come up to her in which case she hisses. She isn’t particularly bothered by them just doesn’t want to make friends. No one can tell you if it will help but I doubt it will do much harm as long as you still give the same attention.

I introduced a kitten to my older cat last summer. Older cat still hates the younger one. Not helped by the fact younger one stalks the older one round the house, pounces on her at every opportunity and ambushes her when she comes in. There’s still daily growling from older cat. But if the kitten leaves her alone she seems ok. I think she would prefer we didn’t have him.

My cat has absolutely blossomed since her sister died and I adopted another Persian. Her sister was very dominant and bossy. Now magic is top cat and is very protective of her new sister. Cheddar is so laid back she's horizontal and incredibly placid. It's bittersweet to see how happy Magic is, without her sister but lovely to see her looking after Cheddar.

@Toilenstripes

Yes, it is very possible we will let Simba be an only cat for the rest of his life is that is what will make him happy. There is no point getting another cat is it will make him miserable.

There's some mixed experiences here so a lot for me to think over.

We used to have 3 cats, the youngest Oscar was a grump and when the other two died we decided he would be an only until he passed, at 15 he felt it wasn’t fair to inflict a kitten on him. I think he got some sort of cat dementia as he got older as he turned very soppy in his dotage.

Once he died we got two kitten one year then another kitten the next and they all get on great.

It's so unpredictable. My dd had two littermates. One died young and was replaced by two kittens. The surviving resident, male, was boss-cat. The young girls were in awe of him and did as they were told. He ignored them. As soon as he died, the girls fell out and obviously can't stand each other. Territorial disputes, peeing on the stairs, one cat bullying her sister. But they do work together to repel intruders in the garden.

Cats are different from dogs, and humans. I do believe that most of them prefer being the only cat. It's easier to help a cat get over its grief with treats and cuddles. If it has any. Some cats positively blossom. Solving the problem of an unwanted addition is much more distressing for all concerned.

It can (and usually does) work eventually, but it takes time to introduce an established cat to a new cat/kitten, and nearly always their initial reaction is shock and horror. At best, they will hiss and spit.

We did this a couple of years ago and it has worked out well. The 2 cats now lick each other's faces and sleep in the same bed, and although both are fiercely territorial with outsider cats, they are always pleased to see each other in the garden.

We followed the advice on the Cats Protection website which was excellent: basically, keep them in separate rooms at first to prevent them physically attacking each other, but put an old towel in their beds and swap them over every morning as their primary sense is smell, put them together once a day and let them sniff each other but separate them when it gets heated. We were told to do this every day for 3 months, but it took just 8 days.