Should I get a second cat to keep mine company?? Need to make a quick decision

[ramarama]

I have a super friendly one year old Burmese female. I think she could do with company during the day (as i'm heading back to work soon) A 2 year old Abyssinnian female with similar sounding temperament needs rehomed and i'm torn as to whether I should take her.

I'm mainly worried about pissing off my current cat/ruining our chilled house hold dynamic. It could be great but what if it's not?

Anyone have any disaster stories to put me off, after attempting the same thing? Or stories of proper cat bonding after adding a second cat to the household at this age. Any advice welcome as I need to decide pretty soon or risk losing her to someone else.

(for reference, it's not a breed that comes up often, even as kittens, so it's really rare for adults to become available)

We got baby cat-12 weeks when big cat was 5 years old, both male. Baby cat wanted to be friends from day one. Big cat took a few weeks to become friends. Then it was cuddles and cleaning baby. They will still look for each other and lie next to each other, cleaning is still mainly big cat to baby cat (which is a bit weird as big cat is rubbish at cleaning himself). They are now 6 and 11 years old.

The second time we introduced we tried doing it slowly but original cat just spent the whole time digging at the carpet by the door to the bit of the house the kitten was in, it seemed like we were just delaying the inevitable keeping them apart. Once she'd seen the new kitten she had a hiss etc then mainly went about her daily business until she bumped into kitten again.

We really wanted a second cat, but our girl hisses at, growls at and chases any cat that comes into our garden so I fear it is really not fair on her to introduce another cat to our household!

We have a 6 year old Burmese from being a kitten and we have recently had our elderly dog put to sleep. We have chosen a British shorthair kitten who we picked up on Friday for company for him as we both work. So far my Burmese is hissing and yowling but I’m hopeful they will get on in time! Our new fur baby has started to come to me for a fuss he’s adorable.

Its such a difficult decision to make. I've had 9 cats over the years and only one of them was happy with the new addition, they were a girl and a boy and really loved each other, grooming, playing silly buggers and sleeping together.
None of the others showed any interest in a new cat and whilst there was no open hostility it was clear there was no love lost either.
I only ever have one cat at a time now.

This is a bit risky. I got a second kitten when I realised that my first kitten needed a playmate, and they got in fine, but they were both under 3 months when introduced. Adult cats who are used to living with other cats will usually learn to get on with a new cat, but cats who are used to being an only cat are less likely to tolerate a new comer. Also, female cats are much less likely to tolerate other females, so if I were you, I would look for a male. Age is also factor. The resident cat is more likely to accept a younger cat.

We rescued a neutered male cat & a year later got another. They got on but weren't particular friends. Sadly this cat was run over & we replaced him with another & again they got on but weren't particular friends. This new cat unfortunately developed a fatal illness & when he passed we didn't replace. Original cat seemed happier as an only.

I would definitely consider it. As previous posters have said, you have to be willing to put in the work at the beginning and be patient. We did it and it improved our older cat’s life immeasurably.

No. They're solitary creatures, they're territorial. I've just separated mine after 5 years of them trying to tolerate each other and it's breaking my heart.

get a kitten!
Both my cats are best friends, have been from day 1. I let them get on with it (supervised), no hissing/growling/lots of hiding and then within 24 hours i caught them curled up in a bed together.

I think kittens need friends, cats need nothing!

I never did get the cat - ummed and ahhed for so long that someone else took her.

Am still pondering - but maybe at the end of the Summer I will get a kitten instead - that way my current cat will definitely be the dominant cat as she's older, making it easier to establish a smoother hierarchy