Adopting two older cats

Question
I'm considering adopting two 9 year old cats from an animal control. They are both females (sisters) and have been together all of the their lives. They are both fixed and declawed. I know that they have little to no chance of being adopt especially together. The owner who had them didn't put much information down as to whether they get along with other cats besides each other. I don't think they had any other cats besides them. I decided that if i ever adopted another cat/cats that it would be an older and/or one with little chance of being adopted. I currently have 6 male/female cats ranging from 8 months to 3 1/2 years old. My biggest concern about adopting the two older cats is them getting along with my other cats. I'm afraid that my 8 month old male siamese may be too much for them. He is very active and i'm afraid that he may pester the older ones by trying to play with them. Being a siamese he does sometimes like to play rough with other cats. But if the other cat doesn't want to play he USUALLY, not always, leaves that cat alone. Most of my other cats mainly like to lay around and occasionally play every now and then. I concerned that he would maybe stress the older cats out when he tried to play with them. I live in a fairly big house and the older cats could have a room to themselves where the other cats couldn't enter if they didn't end up eventually getting along with my current cats. But that seems a little unfair that my current cats could roam the house while they only had their room, and occasionally the rest of the house if the other cats were locked up. I'm wanting to know if it would be a good idea to go ahead and adopt the older cats and that it would have a fairly good chance of working out or should i wait and adopt some other cat(s) that are closer to my current cats ages? Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer
Felicia,

I think that is SO nice of you to be thinking about adopting older cats. I hate to think of the trauma these poor older cats would suffer if they were separated at their age, plus shelters 'sacrifice' older cats to make room for more adoptable kittens.

It will take time and patience since older cats don't take stress as well as younger cats do. A room by themselves (as long as you spent time with them) I think would be fine. At least they would have each other and a shot at having a nice life with love and care.

Do the new cat intoductions slowly. Let them get used to you and being in a new home first before you start the getting acquainted period.

Here are good articles about introductions: (copy and paste or type the whole link into your address bar)


http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

I hope this helps and everything works out. Keep me posted!