Introducing a new cat with a fairly new and young cat

Question
Hello.  My fiance and I have a cat we've had for about 3 months now, he's bordering right on 6 months old.  We'll be moving into a new apartment soon and feel that we'd like to get him a friend to keep him company while we are gone during the day.  We were thinking of getting a female that is about his age or perhaps a little younger, however we have several concerns.  We are worried about putting stress on him because he was sick due to a decreased immune system when we got him and are worried about stressing him with a new cat, but also are not sure if his age will play a role in accepting a new cat.  Our second concern is that he may have been weaned too young which makes him a little rough when he plays and might hurt a playmate, unintentionally of course.  On the other hand we hope having a playmate will let him learn the limit when he plays.  So we're wondering if there are any tips or comments you'd have on our situation.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Mike,

Giving your cat a new friend is an excellent thing to do. There have lots of studies showing that two cats together are much happier than one by himself. I would suggest you get a male instead of a female. Two fixed males get along the best. Get him a little young. Kittens are easier accepted by the resident cat than one that is older. Follow a cat introduction protocol when bringing them together. This will minimize the stress of a new cat to your older guy. I am attaching a link to one from the SFSPCA that's pretty good.

A kitten will keep up with his rough play. You also need to get some good interactive toys for them. I like the cricket. It's a laser pointer that cats love. Change out their toys so they don't get bored. You will find that with the new cat your older guy will be much happier. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen

http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/cat_library/cat2cat-intro.pdf