Introduction of new cat to Manx-Siamese

Question
Our senior cat just disappeared and we have a second female Max-Siamese. We rescued her and he is 11 years old. She still behaves like a kitten and is quite territorial. We sense she misses the other cat who has disappeared.  We have considered getting a kitten to give her something to do, but worry about her beginning to spray everything again. We have also heard that it would be better to introduce a male, versus a female. Can you give us any advice, please? barb

Answer
Hi,
yes when introducing a new cat to an existing cat it is always easier to introduce one of the opposite sex as this is less of a threat.
I would never rush out to replace a missing cat because you think your other cat is missing them. It is important for a cat to go through the grieving process like the rest of us and to give them time to understand that the other cat is not coming back. if you introduce a cat to soon , your cat may react badly and see the new cat as an intruder. Also with a cat that is 11 years old, a kitten is not a good solution. Your aging cat will not want to have to nurse made a kitten and may in fact feel threatened by a younger cat, who as they grow bigger and stronger will start to dominate the house. If you do eventually decide to get another cat i would say that a male cat around 6 years old may be a good solution, but you will still have to follow the introducing cats process /introducing-cats.html to ensure a happy household.
Hope i haven't rambled on to much, but it is a situation i get asked about many times and you are quite right to say that you want to avoid any stress and upset for your cat. I hope this has helped a little.
Kate