getting another cat

Question
I have a young cat, not quite a year old. I'm moving soon and she will be coming with me. I'm worried about her getting lost. Any suggestions for that?  Also, I am wondering if I got her a companion - do cats do better with one of the same sex or the opposite? She's spayed and seems to like other cats. I want her to have a friend .... not someone that she would fight with. Any info would be great. Thanks!

Answer
Suzanne,

Assuming you do not let her outside, no she will not get lost.  If she does go outside, she could wander back to your original house.

As far as getting a companion, if the companion is a kitten and introduced properly, they could get along.  However, like people, some cats will take an instant dislike to each other.  On the other hand, this is not common, especially if one is a kitten.  One hint, be careful not to get the kitten too young.  4-5 months is a good age.

What follows is a method we have used for introducing a new cat into the household with pretty good success:

Start out your new cat or kitten in one room with a litter pan and water dish.  Ideally, the one room should be a bedroom with yourself or another human resident. This accomplishes a couple of things. Your new cat or kitten will not be overwhelmed by its new surroundings and get "lost", and thusly will have no problem finding the litter pan (often kittens or rescue cats have been confined and are somewhat daunted by wide open spaces!). You will feed the new cat or kitten in this room and keep the established cat out. It allows the new cat or kitten to bond with you or another human being and also build up some self assurance in its new surroundings since it will not have to compete for food or attention right away. Finally, it allows the new cat or kitten and the established cat to sniff each other under the door and get familiar with each others' scents.

After 3-5 days of being in its one room, it is time to let them meet each other. Be prepared for some posturing, some spitting and hissing, and the like. IGNORE IT! After a while, they should begin chasing each other about and still have the occasional hiss or spit as they get acustomed to each other. Cats tend to make a whole lot of noise and even loosen up some fur. Rarely will two cats hurt each other.

Once they are introduced, there are a couple of things you must remember. Do not separate them again, they will get along! Do not interfere in their "discussions" as they need to sort it out amongst themselves!

It does not hurt to give the established cat treats and extra attention after the new cat or kitten is introduced (yes, cats do get jealous!).

A couple of things you may have to do are to feed them on separate dishes. Provide more than one litter pan in different areas of the household (as cats can be very territorial about litter pans).

All, in all, this method seems to have had great success in the past and makes for a fairly smooth introduction. Please remember that they may make up immediately, or it may take a few weeks.


Best regards... Norm.