Would a female cat accept another female, both fully grown, or shall I adopt the kittens? Which makes 3..

[Darkershadeofpink]

I’ve been offered two kittens age 9 weeks boy and a girl siblings via a cat charity. I have a nearly 2 year old female at home.

She was a rescue a year ago and had kittens who were taken off her fairly quickly at 12 weeks. It took her a while to decompress and I fostered in that time, which she was okay with.

My question is I’ve rather fallen for the kittens mum, who was rubbing against me, purring and giving me very soulful eye blinks.

Is there any chance this could work if I just adopt her ? I am struggling to decide as it is, and wouldn’t want her to just not get on with my resident cat longer term.

Can mummy cats go on to accept another female cat? Or best to stick with the kittens ?

I have previous fostering and adoption experience with cats but not with mixing females.

it was hard enough to decide on whether to adopt one of two kittens.

Thank you

I have a female who has "rejected" both her own litter brother and a kitten in the past. She is just a very solitary cat who won't share a room (or even the same floor of a house) with another cat. Sorry!

I think it depends on the individual.

How old is mum cat and has she lived happily with other cats before, other than her own kittens? If both cats are used to company, it's going to be easier than if they're not. Beyond that, it's always going to be a bit of a gamble. Do you have enough room to give them their own separate feeding area? That would help if one or both is inclined to be territorial. And the kittens aren't guaranteed to get along anyway, so there's no right or wrong option, really. Either choice could work out well...or not!

It could go either way really. She may think the kittens are pesky pitas. Same with a fellow female cat. Agreed with pp that kittens aren’t guaranteed to get along.

I agree with @Imdunfer - my cat moved out when we tried to get another cat. Both females, second one six months old so not kitten looking. I do wonder what would have happened if it had been a weeks old kitten.

Even a weeks old kitten, either you’ll get the female being motherly towards it, or it’ll see it as an interloper and treat it accordingly. Eg hiss and growl.

My cat moved out when I foolishly added extra cats.

I had a ginger male used to living as one of three, brought into two adults as a kitten himself, try to kill a new kitten. He hurt her quite badly when she was tiny and had to be kept away from her until she was old and fast enough to run away from him.

When she was killed on the road at 2 years (1 car an hour if that! ) we brought in a 12 week old brother sister pair with a very careful introduction.

Yet other cats we've had simply said "oh, a kitten, how cute" and got on with life.

It seems to vary a lot from cat to cat unrelated to sex.

I would adopt the kittens, but not the mum. She is much less likely to accept an adult cat.

And bringing in 3 cats/kittens who are already a 'team' and who she doesn't know, would be overload.

I suspect you will have more luck with kittens as she can boss them around.

A lot depends on your cat's personality. My female is intensely territorial and neurotic to the point a cat on 'her patio' will trigger extreme violence outside and urinary symptoms inside.

When we got a second cat she was matched by the rescue with a male who had already proven he was calm living with other cats. Actually he's a violent beast but he just ignores her and lets her have her own way the whole time.

Two females of similar personality would be a nightmare.

I’ve had mixed experiences with introducing fully grown cats. The first two were fantastic and they got on great. But trying to introduce a new cat to my current one was a disaster and both new ones had to be re homed. Neither of them were agressive but just wanted to play with Penelope and it terrified her.

All depends on the nature of the cat. Some accept, others never. My last cat was rehomed with me when he was 5 because the owner kept adding cats to the mix and he hated it. Was so much happier with me as the only cat.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and experiences. This is really helpful.

resident cat is nearly 2. Shes quite a quiet little soul, and very loving.

She has had experience of 2 male cats actually, which is a bit much but I was fostering. One was very outdoorsy, hunting sort of cat. Used to barge across the bed to smell the air to go out again. She didn’t like him but they ignored each other.

the other foster started off very poorly with one eye and skitty. Eventually he got the courage to come on the bed and wanted to snuggle in my neck, which annoyed her but she never fought or hissed at either.

I had experience years ago of bringing a mother cat and her 4 kittens in as fosters and we kept the mum. They were soft non territorial cats who rubbed alongside each other ok.

I know shes be happier alone and I am trying to temper this longing to get a male tabby again. I saw one, it went and they quickly offered me these.

ideally I think I’d get one kitten to lessen the risk. Or just wait and foster again, maybe forever foster, as can always give back if it doesn’t work out.

it’s so hard when you have seen them. I am too emotional to foster again really, and am finding this difficult to decide.

thank you for writing

I think getting two kittens will lessen the risk.

That is what I have done on a couple of occasions when I had two older cats.

I didn't want the kittens pestering the older cats, and with two kittens they have each other to play with, so the older cats get left alone.

Once the kittens grew up they all got on fine, but the older cats were saved the boisterous kitten phase of being constantly pounced on and pestered.

(My kittens were not related, I would have liked siblings but couldn't find a pair so I got two unrelated kittens the same age.)

Not quite what you asked, but on the topic of keeping a mum with her kittens…

I fostered a 5-year-old mum and the only one of her kittens who hadn’t yet been adopted. God knows how many litters she’d had.

She was quiet, he was a typical boisterous kitten. She tolerated him. They played together sometimes & she held him down for a wash occasionally. She spent a lot of time on the high perches he couldn’t get up to yet, though he tried.

Then he was adopted & I was a bit worried that she’d miss him.

I walked back into the flat & she was curled up in an igloo that she’d never been able to use before because her son always climbed on the roof when she was in there.

I SWEAR she was grinning at me.

Over the next few weeks she came right out of her shell, chatty, playful, always nearby & it gradually dawned on me that this was My Cat.

That will have been 2 years ago on the 28th. The point is, the mum cat might not want feline company either!

I was looking after my daughter's cat as she was working abroad and we had our own cat. Both female and they studiously ignored each other. They would creep past each other in the slow motion mode. But they never fought or hissed. It's hard to tell really.

Two females are the least likely to combo to get on. You’d have a better chance with an adult male.

One kitten will pester her all the time. Two kittens will break it up by pestering each other.

She’s probably pleased he’s gone!

This is another scenario. Neighbours when we were kids/teens had about 7 unrelated cats. They just kept on getting them. My DB’s cat’s when we were adults, 2 kittens went to my mum, 2 to me and 1 next door to my mum.

I was a bit startled at just how pleased she was!

I have 2 female cats, one we got at one and a half, who had had a litter of kittens. She was very easy going and was fine with other cats when she met them in the garden if they were fine with her. We added a second female cats a year later who was one. She was in the big room at the rescue with about 10 other cats who just muddled along together. They have never fought each other, and like to run around and play with each other each evening, but don’t snuggle or anything.

I think the first cat misses the 2nd cat when she is not here, as when I got back with her from the vets, first cat ran over to the basket and chirped at her. I love it when they are just sat chilling looking out the patio doors together or something, just quietly existing in each others space.

Mine was with her brother 12 years. He was always near us, she was always in another room on another floor of the house.

Then he got ill and was PTS.

The change in her has been astounding. She never spoke until he was dead. Now she never shuts up. She's always watching telly with us, she runs down the stairs when we come through the front door. She just wanted to be a solo cat.

I think some of them just do! Although I fostered a pair of sisters who were adopted together & are apparently still close three years later.

My SiL has 3 Burmese, one now 15, the two others 10, who all sleep knotted up in the same basket.

Cats really are individuals 😃

I adopted rescued litter mates at 13 weeks. I was told they were a bonded pair. They don’t get on as adults, and are rarely in the same room together.