New kitten…

[NewGoldFox]

I’m very seriously considering getting a kitten.

I have a fourteen year old cat already and a dog, it won’t be a problem to keep kitten and dog seperated when unsupervised as I already have the set up for my girl currently.

Would be interested to hear the downsides/ things I may not have considered about a new addition as I’m pretty wrapped up in the positives of a playful kitten.

Also how long can kittens be left alone? If I go to work is that going to be a big problem?

Not a great idea getting a single kitten when your current cat is getting on a bit. The kitten would be wanting to play all the time & pestering the cat, so it really wouldn't be fair on your existing girl. Plus I get the impression your current cat is used to being an only cat (dogs don't count) - can you be sure she will be happy with an interloper coming into her territory?

When a friend was in the situation of losing his boy and having just the one girl in the house, he got 2 boy kittens. When they pestered her she would growl & swipe at them, so they would just move away & wrestle with each other instead.

I was hoping she would enjoy the company, she did have a companion but they were unfortunately knocked down by a car.

I think this is the problem that I don’t appreciate how much trouble kittens can be!

A different option would be to get a recue cat closer to her in age, this is what I did when I lost my previous boy due to CKD. As it was the girl who was left, I got an adult rescue boy - he'd been living with girls at the recue & clearly got on well with them, and my girl had lived with her brother their whole lives. He absolutely adores and worships her, and she is happy to have a slave she can push around.

In general, I gather that girls really don't like another female added to their home if they are well established or at least prefer a male.

If your dog is used to and good with cats there is more risk of trouble between the new arrival and the resident cat. Introductions need to be gradual, and slowly built up.

In my experience cats that are used to being solo cats do not appreciate the arrival of a new 'friend'. It can be different if you've had a bonded pair and one of them dies, but a cat that is used to being an only cat can become territorial and aggressive.

It's not a given, each cat is individual, but you have to be prepared to keep them separate, especially when unsupervised, for as long as it takes.

All good points to consider, thank you. It would definitely have to be a boy, as her previous friend was and I don’t think she would tolerate a female.

We’ve always been a 2+ cat household and as one has passed away then introduced a new kitten a few months later with no issues
Then we lost 2 together at 6 and 16+ days apart which was devastating
The next incumbent - I just knew he needed to be a lone cat and feel the same with the new arrival
Follow your instincts and read up about gentle introductions - Feliway etc - it might give your older cat a new lease of life