# Question for more than one cat owners!



## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

Well, my kitties are brothers, so we got them at the same time....

But, when I've introduced cats in the past, the key is to GO SLOW!!! Keeping one of them in a closed room (have them take turns) so they can smell each other is a great start. From there, using stacked baby gates works really well so they can see and interact with each other without getting to each other. From there, test the waters... 

I love boy cats - They are (in my opinion and experience) so much more loving and cuddly. I always recommend boys!  

Good luck!!!


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Sophie_Mom said:


> Well, my kitties are brothers, so we got them at the same time....
> 
> But, when I've introduced cats in the past, the key is to GO SLOW!!! Keeping one of them in a closed room (have them take turns) so they can smell each other is a great start. From there, using stacked baby gates works really well so they can see and interact with each other without getting to each other. From there, test the waters...
> 
> ...


Thank you for your advices!  I did read everywhere that you have to go really slow! I'm sure it will be fine, my cat has already been with another cat once (though it wasn't mine) And only after a week they were okay together!

I agree with you on the boys being more loving and cuddly! That's why I would like another male, but I was just wondering if it's okay.


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## justmejanis (Feb 25, 2007)

I have had cats all my life. A neutered male cat should accept another male kitten with little problem. I agree, introduce them slowly. Your male is likely to have his nose out of joint for awhile. Eventually though curiousity will get the best of him. Expect lots of hissing and spitting for a few days but in time it will calm down.

I love male cats but somehow managed to rescue two famales and a male in the past 6 years. My older female Bella is a joy, sweet and very loving. My second rescue female, Poppy, I raised from a kitten and she is largely aloof and not too friendly. My male Pistol who I rescued with Poppy two years ago is wonderful. Personality plus. I generally prefer male cats as well. I got lucky with Bella!

Good luck to you!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have put together two males, one adult and one kitten, and they ended up being great friends.

Recently I put a female kitten with my adult female. It is now about six months later, the kitten loves the adult, but I really can't say the same about the adult.

At night, the chase each other and make all kinds of noises. At first I thought they were fighting, but now I think it is really rough play.

I think it depends on the cats, and if they don't like each other, they just end up respecting each others space, and will live in different parts of the house on their own.


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

justmejanis said:


> I have had cats all my life. A neutered male cat should accept another male kitten with little problem. I agree, introduce them slowly. Your male is likely to have his nose out of joint for awhile. Eventually though curiousity will get the best of him. Expect lots of hissing and spitting for a few days but in time it will calm down.
> 
> I love male cats but somehow managed to rescue two famales and a male in the past 6 years. My older female Bella is a joy, sweet and very loving. My second rescue female, Poppy, I raised from a kitten and she is largely aloof and not too friendly. My male Pistol who I rescued with Poppy two years ago is wonderful. Personality plus. I generally prefer male cats as well. I got lucky with Bella!
> 
> Good luck to you!


Thank you for you reply! I am really happy to hear it's possible! 
Yes, boys are the best to I think! I've had females before and they were not too friendly! Simba is my first male cat and he is a dream! Never had such a cuddly and loving kitty before!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

... and I agree with above.... my boy cats have always been my lap cats.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

We have 4 indoor cats, 3 boys and 1 girl. They all get along great and love to play and snuggle with each other. Our 3 boys are all neutered and our female is spayed. We have never had any major issues when introducing a new cat, other than some hissing and slight growling, which is totally normal and to be expected, but they were playing with each other and grooming each other after just a few days. We got our Russian Blue, Eddie, almost exactly a year ago when he was 8 weeks old and our 3 adult cats didn't have much trouble adjusting to his arrival. We kept an eye on them for a while until we were 100% confident that they would be fine alone, which didn't take long at all. Our older cats pretty much avoided him for the most part during the first day or so that he was home. We have had all of our cats since they were kittens, except for our female, Abby, who we adopted at the shelter when she was just over a year old, and we had no issues introducing her to our boys. In fact, she came right into the house and very quickly let them know that the queen had arrived! :bowl:


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Thank you for your replies!  I'll go with another male then! can't wait!


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Good luck with your new kitty! I think you've gotten great advice. I also think males tend to be more affectionate than females. Also keeping the new kitty in a bedroom separate from your resident kitty is a good idea. Then switch so you're cat can smell the kitten, and the kitten can have a chance to learn/explore your home without fear of being attacked. Of course, do this over the course of a week-10 days. I'd love to add another cat, but our little alpha female won't like it much.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I have had just the opposite experience then everyone else. Did exactly what everyone said exposed my two males very slowly to each other. My first male cat acted normally with my male kitten and then after about 3 months started attacking him till the other cat would not go near him at all. Then my male started marking and urinating all over everything we owned to show the other cat it was his. We had to keep them seperate from each other till the first cat passed away. It was odd because we had alot of tests done to see if there was a health issue with his kidneys and they all came out negative and he ended up dying of kidney failure very young. Also he had mental issues. One day he would be very sweet and then when you would be walking by he would attack you. He was all white with blue eyes. 

My female cat Starr is very affectionate and lays on my lap all the time and sleeps on me every night. She is such a love muffin and runs around with the puppies all the time.


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Wow! I hope nothing this bad will happen!  

Knowing my cat he'll probably hiss a few times but he's so curious he'll eventually calm down and go see the kitten and accept him. That's what he did when he saw a friend's cat (That we 'babysit') a few months ago. After a week he was okay with her. He even got close to her on a few occasions to smell her but SHE hissed and ran away : She was even using his litter box and he didn't mind.

BTW, here's a recent pic of my little baby!


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## ilovemydogs (Jan 22, 2009)

I think that I have had very unusual cats. The male I have now is my first cat. About a month after we got him we got another male and there was absolutely no hissing or anything. They always loved each other. When Buddy got sick I knew Royal needed another companion. My coworkers neighbor had a stray momma and a litter of kittens, but the only boy was spoken for. So now we have Izabelle and Royal took to her just as well. It doesn't seem that my boy has a preference for a male or female companion.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

I have 5 cats (3 spayed females and 2 neutered males). They all get along pretty well except cat #2 (spayed female introduced as a kitten). She gets along great with cat #1 (spayed female), but doesn't really like anyone younger than her (#3 was introduced as a 6 month old, #4 & #5 were little kittens). The oldest pretty much likes everyone, although the youngest 3 sometimes try to play a bit rough for her liking. All of my cats are cuddly at specific times. If I sit in the living room I'll have #1 and #4 (F and M) on my lap. If I sit at the computer, #2 is all over me. #4 and #5 like to cuddle in the bathroom of all places, but will sometimes sit on laps in the living room. Whether a cat is cuddly or not depends more on the individual cat than the sex. FWIW, neutered orange males tend to be more laid back, cuddly (at least that's the trend I see in my job). I'm sure he'll do well with anyone you decide to introduce!


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

IowaGold said:


> FWIW, neutered orange males tend to be more laid back, cuddly (at least that's the trend I see in my job). I'm sure he'll do well with anyone you decide to introduce!


Thank you for your reply! Yes that's the first thing the vet said when he saw Simba ''Aaw, an orange kitty! They are really good cats!'' 

I'll go check at my local SPCA sometime. So I'll be looking for a male kitten.  Black if possible.. I have a soft spot for black and orange cats :


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## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

I think a younger male cat (kitten, if possible) would be the easiest. The little guy will just be so curious and playful, that he won't even think of asserting himself. I have to say, I think baby kitties are pretty much the trump card of cute! Keep us posted!! I love my kitty boys every bit as much as I love my Sophie girl!


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

EvilNessCroft said:


> I've wanted another cat for a while now. I've read a lot on the internet about how to introduce the new kitty to the older cat. Just ONE thing I'm not sure. My cat is a neutered male, is it okay if I adopt another male kitten? Or would it be better a female? I've read that cats do better with a companion of the same gender but I've also read elsewhere that they do better with the opposite gender! :doh:
> 
> So I would like your opinion! Thank you! :wave:


I have 4 Males and 1 Female. My boys all get along great. My female hates the boys and they tend to pick on her. I prefer males anyway. I think they are more affectionate. However, my boys would not accept an adult cat into the house but they will accept a kitten.


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Sophie_Mom said:


> I think a younger male cat (kitten, if possible) would be the easiest. The little guy will just be so curious and playful, that he won't even think of asserting himself. I have to say, I think baby kitties are pretty much the trump card of cute! Keep us posted!! I love my kitty boys every bit as much as I love my Sophie girl!


Yes me to! Molly and Simba are the loves of my life! :  I'll keep you all posted! Maybe this summer I'll have him! Thank you all for your advices!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I have 2 males and 2 females. My males are laid back and easy going. My females despise each other, attack each other occasionally and yell at each other any time they pass each other in the house. My one female also pees inappropriately, because she doesn't like the other female. They both claw the furniture to leave their scent, too.

I have always had multiple cats and these were my first two females. NEVER again! Boys only from now on.

By the way, orange tabbies and black and white tuxedos are your "dog" cats. They tend to be much more sociable than most cats. My oldest is a tuxedo (he's 14) and he is right in the mix with the dogs when we have company over.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

I'll just tell you what I did to introduce my newer cat to the oldie. I had Bodhi, 9 years old, first...he is a male neutered cat and the biggest love-cuddle bug ever. About 2 months after I got Bodhi, I decided he needed a playmate. He was 8 yrs old at the time. I was going to get an older female but when I got to the shelter, there was the CUTEST 8 month old orange tabby boy who just called out to me! I had to have him so I brought him home not sure what to expect. I kept the new kitty, Siddha, in my spare bedroom with the door locked for the first 18 hours. He meowed and yowled the entire time. Bodhi just sat at the door on the other side and sniffed. After about 8 hours on the first day, I barely cracked the door open and Siddha (new kitty) hissed a little bit, but kept putting his paw through the opening. Bodhi just sat there. Another few hours went by and I was about to lose my mind from Siddha's incessant meowing. So, I put Bodhi in my bedroom, shut the door, and let Siddha out to explore the apartment. Siddha went and sat right by my bedroom door. The next day I let Siddha and Bodhi be together, knowing that if either wanted to hide, there were plenty of places. Most people would say that was too soon to introduce them, but about 4 hours went by and after a few hisses on Siddha's part and slowly walking around each other, they were snoozing within 2 feet of each other on my couch. Now, over a year later, they are best of friends, play together, nap together, groom each other, everything. It's awesome!  Siddha keeps Bodhi young... I have never regretted getting such a young, male kitten. And, yes, I do believe male cats are more cuddly and loving, in general. But that's just my opinion, of course.  

Good luck, let us know how it goes!! 

Candace


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