Second cat?

When my Siamese was 15, we introduced him another cat for the first time. He was slightly anti-social (didn't really like men from outside the family), but he loved the kitten. I still think that's why he lived to the ripe old age of 21.

I don't think 5 is too old, but you might consider a cat that's close in age. Young kittens can be very annoying for older cats who aren't super playful. Stan annoyed the crap out of my girl cat when I first got him because he wanted to play and she didn't.

 

That's a great post.

Our younger cat has become my cat (the older one is most certainly my wife's cat). She (my cat, not my wife) always jumps up on my lap when I'm writing. When I get up to go to bed, she races ahead of me, jumps on the bed and starts meowing--that great purr/meow sound--before she sprawls out next to me with my hand on her back.

Sometimes, I'll fall asleep in the recliner with her next to me, and I'll wake up and she's still sprawled out in between my leg and the arm of the chair. then, of course, I stay in that position for as long as it takes for her to move, or for my back to spasm out of control.

She does hiss, but mostly when her brother tries to mount her. I think she hissed at me once when I was trying to trim her nails, but I'm sure she was just copying her brother. She's a rescued stray, too, and was born to a cat in our old apartment complex. I've always believed she understood that we rescued her from a life in the wild and was grateful for it, though I always thought it was poignant when she would sit, staring at the front door, as if she smelled her mom.

Of course I could be wrong. But cats are the best, of that I'm sure.

 

The thing is, she is super-playful. As soon as I walk in the door and feed her, she's all fired up to play a long game of chase. If I'm not up for it, she'll plop between me and the TV and bat one of her toys around until I feel bad and play with her for awhile. That's what got me thinking she needs a buddy around while I'm at work.

 

In that case, a kitten would probably be OK. You just need to make sure you watch them the first coupla days, while they adjust to each other. I swear by having a second cat. The few months between when my old guy died and I got Stan were awful. My girl cat was so lonely and wanted way more attention when I got home than what I had in me to give.

 

Cats are spaceships. If frequencies work go for it. I know the war zone having inherited my mother's beautiful arrogant self centered eating machine into a formerly peaceful household occupied by a humble shelter dog. Sometimes athletic mixed marriages work the dementia cells for the better.

 

I guess we were lucky. My wife and I had a cat who was about 3 when we got a kitten. The older one seemed to take the the little one pretty well after a while. Their play gets a little rough sometimes, but after 10 years, it seems the older one still look after her. Kinda cute.

 

This thread made me go pet my cat. I got him in 1988, when I was six, and now he's almost 20, and he's still going strong.

My cat certainly wouldn't be able to accept another now, but when he was younger, he used to play with some of the other cats in the area. Obviously each cat is different, but I think you could try it out for a while and see if they get along.

 

Not everyone in the world is a dog person.

Me? I'm beginning to hate dogs.

 

Be a man and add a dog to the mix. And not one of those yappy, fussy little dogs, either.
I'm pretty sure that's on Esquire's list (cross-thread referencing).

 

My first cat was 2 1/2 when I acquired my second one. It was a little dicey in the beginning and they fought on occasion, but they didn't hurt each other and they eventually became friends.

Be warned: Two cats together seem to manufacture four times as much poop. Be ready to do your litter box just about every day.

 

Our cat and sharpei get along like they've been married for 20 years.....

One minute they're yelling and fighting with each other, the next minute, they're licking each other's asses and falling asleep together.