Feed: Thinking About Getting Another Cat - AggScore: 14.0

Thinking About Getting Another Cat

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Some cat owners are happy with one cat, some love to be surrounded by as many cats as they can comfortably fit in their homes.  If you'll like me you'll start with one, then a year or two later fall in love with second cat, that you just HAVE to take home. If you are going to bring a second cat into the house there are a few things you may want to take into consideration.  If you're cat is home alone during the daytime, and many are, then bringing another cat or kitten into the family may  be enjoyable for your first cat.  The same is applicable for older cats who enjoy the energy of younger cats or kittens. Your cat's personality will play an important factor on whether you chose to get a second cat.  If you cat chases away cats from the vicinity, you may find that they don't take to kindly to a second cat invading their home.  If the cat you already own is aggressive then it would not be wise to gain a second cat as at least one of them is going to be unhappy. It is very easy to fall in love with a new kitten and decide that you have to have them, while acting impulsively can be very exciting you need to think about how your cat at home might react to the surprise of having to share their special time with you. From personal experience, bringing a new kitten home will change your original cat's manner and behavoiur.  Our cat Willow was roughly 2 years old when we brought a tiny little fur ball called Jasmine home.  I can remember their first encounter even though it was years ago.  Jasmine greeted Willow enthusiastically, Willow looked at Jasmine, looked at us and left for 2 days.  On her return she was very instrumental in ensuring Jasmine knew who was boss. They did fight, but then all kittens need to play fight to develop their skills. Years down the line they still have small disagreements, generally when Jasmine's been out all night because Willow still plays mum and wants to know where she's been.  It's comparable to a mother and her teenager who's been out all night and the exchange then have when the teenager finally returns home. Currently they're curled up together on the sofa, Willow still plays mum and Jasmine even though she's 4 years old, she still plays the child and acts like a kitten on occasion. Remember if you decide on getting a second cat as a kitten, they will need to be litter trained, this may be a bit easier since they will have a role model to guide them, but remember, the more cats you have the more litter tray changes you need to do.  They will also need all their vaccinations and neutering which is a often unconsidered extra cost.When bringing a new cat home try to set up a room where it can stay until it get over the shock of being removed from it's family and into alien surrounds.  Many kittens don't appreciate being hassled when they've just moved home, just like humans, they need time to take stock and re-adjust. I don't think there will be many occassion where bringing home a second cat wouldn't involve some re-adjustment for your original cat so ensure that you pamper them so the understand that they won't be losing out on time and attention from you.  They are likely to see a second cat as a threat to the quality time they have with you, so they need to know that you love them just the same.You can read more information on cat over at Cat Party.  You can also read information about Outdoor Cat Houses and information on choosing the right one for your home.