Taking on another cat,

[Desley (booktigger)]

Good luck with finding a cat, is there any chance of fostering one you like to see if they can get on - we have done this a few times, and none have come back yet.

[Tiggy's Mum]

How exciting for you Jess's Mum    I'm sure you're doing the right thing, can't wait to hear all about the new arrival when the time comes.

[snarf]

Snarf if you read this --- LOL AT YOU ... you rehome lucifer purely by chance and now your thinking of getting another one .. hee hee thats so funny.  Do you think you have enough stamina for the cheeky monkey plus another ??  (i wouldnt get one till after he's been castrated though)

  well put like that...
what can i say, im a sucker! i just always feel so mean leaving for work, i keep telling him i need the mun-ee to buy him more presents but im not sure he thinks its a good enough swap! i wouldnt get him a playmate till were in our new home so he'll be castrated etc by then just thinking in advance.

[CurlyCatz]

there you go, they were talking nonsense LOL.

[Leanne]

how long have you had jess ??

what a lot of rubbish, how can a rescue know a kitten they've had in for 5 days ??

go with your instincts and you'll be ok !

bearing in mind you do get very playful older cats but how would you know till you had him home ?? a younger cat would be a safer bet than say a 9 year old.

and im sorry i was calling jess a she and hes a he LOL...and to think my boy rat was called Jess aswell  (well jessie was full name )

 

Everyone always thinks Jess is a girl - mind you he likes putting his paws in my make up bag so I wonder at times

We've had Jess almost 3 months, he arrived in Rescue on the Wednesday was neutered the same day, Thursday jad his Frontline, Friday his Dronal, we met him sunday and he arrived with us on Tuesday, so the poor mite went though he no wonder he was nervous!

I think I am going to go with my gut feeling and what I feel is right for Jess,

Thank you everyone for you help and advice I'm really grateful.

[Ela]

what a lot of rubbish, how can a rescue know a kitten they've had in for 5 days ??

I agree it often take longer than that for the character to come out, then again with a a kitten you often don't know anyway until its older  what it is really like and its true character comes out.

[CurlyCatz]

how long have you had jess ??

what a lot of rubbish, how can a rescue know a kitten they've had in for 5 days ??

go with your instincts and you'll be ok !

bearing in mind you do get very playful older cats but how would you know till you had him home ?? a younger cat would be a safer bet than say a 9 year old.

and im sorry i was calling jess a she and hes a he LOL...and to think my boy rat was called Jess aswell  (well jessie was full name )

[Millys Mum]

The rescue knows the old Jess! He has flourished in your care to be a normal crazy boy, id go for something of a similar age. Well done on cracking the hubby!

[Leanne]

I think you really should get a puss of a similar age to jess, perhaps she might get on better with a boy aswell (what do others think ?)  Im not sure i agree with the rescues advice of getting an older laid back one esp as jess seems so ... shall we say ENERGETIC !  do you think they said that to off load a cat that is proving harder for them to rehome ??

That does worry me about the rescue to be honest, they say they know Jess but he was only with them 5 days from coming in rescue to coming to us so I feel I know him much better now (does that make sense) he has changed so much and I want to do right by him. If my gut feeling with them isn't right then I think I will look else where for a younger cat. I love older cats but we have to do right by Jess.

Thanks again for the advice.

[CurlyCatz]

Im laughing at the husband --- SUCKER !!  ahh they fall for it everytime..altho mine wont budge on the amount of human babies issue 

I think you really should get a puss of a similar age to jess, perhaps she might get on better with a boy aswell (what do others think ?)  Im not sure i agree with the rescues advice of getting an older laid back one esp as jess seems so ... shall we say ENERGETIC !  do you think they said that to off load a cat that is proving harder for them to rehome ??

Snarf if you read this --- LOL AT YOU ... you rehome lucifer purely by chance and now your thinking of getting another one .. hee hee thats so funny.  Do you think you have enough stamina for the cheeky monkey plus another ??  (i wouldnt get one till after he's been castrated though)

[Leanne]

Thanks Susanne 

Jess is fully grown according to the vet, to us his normal "cat" size, he is quite lively especally at night, and he loves to be cuddled as well.

My main worry about the rescue is that when we rehomed Jess they said he was very timid and shy but he isn't like this at all any more even with strangers his straight over to them checking them out and chewing their shoes (which can be a tad embrassing)

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Personally I'd probably try to choose a cat with a similar energy level to Jess.  How lively is Jess?  At 10 months some cats are slowing down a bit and maturing into adults while others are still crazy and kittenish.  I'd say anything between about 6  months and 2 years would be fine, although an older cat would be ok provided s/he has a similar energy level to Jess (my Jaffa is nearly 10 and isn't a bad match for 1 year old Mosi!).  I'd also try to match the size too - ie don't get a tiny cat if Jess is large and vice versa.  I'd try to give the rescue a good description of Jess re his purrsonality, behaviour and size and ask their opinion of whether they think they have a cat that would get on with him.

[Leanne]

I showed Hubby this thread and it broke him  his agreed we can look for a friend for Jess.

The rescue seem to think we should be looking for an older laid back cat, but initally i thought a younger cat or one of a simular age to Jess (10 months) I don't want Jess to become too dominate or bully another cat.

Can anyone offer advice for this? Or know of any other rescues in Essex??

[Leanne]

Thanks for all your advice 

Well this morning I heard Hubby asking Jess if he would like a brother or sister so we might be getting somewhere with it all. We're away this weekend (first time of leaving Jess  ) so what I think we'll do is see how Jess gets on and take it from there. I've been in touch with the rescue where we got Jess from and they are going to see if they have a suitable laid back moggy.

[Mark]

Maybe a rescue would do you a "sale or return"  If they know you really want the 2nd cat and will try everything, I'm sure they would be up for it. I don't know what the rescue people think.

[snarf]

im wondering the exact same thing about lucifer! im worried about stressing him or making him feel rejected but at the same time i think he'd enjoy someone to play with and stalk (and then maybe he'll stalk me less!  )
ill be watching this thread avidly!

[Gemma H (Akandra)]

One of the best reasons to get two cats I read is that when kitty no 1 thinks "oooh, look at those curtains, I could climb those," kitty no 2 pounces on kitty no 1 and instead of climbing your curtains they spend the next hour chasing each other round the house.  So it might help with the mischief. 

I think two cats are not a lot more work than one - you are already feeding one, cleaning the litter tray for one, playing with one.  You can do all those things for the second cat at the same time.  In fact, it might be less work because another cat would definitely help tire Jess out.

Besides, we have a strict lap-to-cat ratio in this house - 1 cat per lap.  This means we aren't to get any more kitties (we don't really have room anyway) but also less than two is just not on!   

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I think the chances of Jess getting on with another cat are quite high given that he's still young so not too set in his ways, provided introductions are done properly and slowly.  I dont' think 2 are any more trouble than 1 really - in fact they sometimes keep each other out of trouble!  I know when I had Jaffa and his brother Magpie they spent all their time chasing each other around and playing and there was very little naughtiness.

[forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa)]

well i have 7 cats !
and they all get on fine except molly likes her own space at times and doesnt play with the others
they r all great company for each other although me or my oh are always here with them anyway.
sometimes it can b very hard introducing a new cat/kitten but if u have time and  paitients with the situation then most of the time its fine in the end they just need time to get use to each other n that .
if it s what u really want then id go for it
and as u say another one will b company for ur cat when u n ur oh r at work .

[Sarah (seldom_use)]

Hi Jess' Mum,

I have two at the moment, brother and sister, had them since they were kittens though, and they adore each other!
I don't know what I'd do if I only had one because my two play together constantly, go to sleep together, everything.

I've got a new arrival coming on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how they take to him, excited though!

Good luck, but I would say it's a good idea, probably better getting a younger cat too, because Jess is only 10 months he would probs enjoy someone to play with, which might keep him out of trouble haha..

Sarah x

[Leanne]

I've been thinking about rehoming another cat (would have to be an indoor moggy though), Jess is coming up to 10 months and I think he would like a companion as we are out all day at work 

Hubby is worried that it would be alot more work to have 2 and that it might upset Jess. Jess can be quite naughty  (he writes his explotes on the naughty thread) and I wondered whether another kitty would tame him a little.

Any advice??

Thanks