r/CatAdvice • u/Phoebe-Louis • 13h ago
Introductions Are 2 kittens better than one when you already have an older cat at home?
Hi everyone,
I have a 7 years old cat, who used to live her whole life with another cat (same age) that passed away earlier this year from cancer.
Recently I adopted a 4 months old kitten. He has a neurological problem and I also found out he’s deaf after I adopted him.
I introduced them slowly and he’s been with me for a month and a half now.
He’s super cute and wants to play all the time. My older cat doesn’t like that. She’s not territorial, she’s ok with him while he’s calm. But when he wants to play it stresses her out. He keeps jumping on her and doesn’t get that she’s not interested because he’s deaf. I play with him a lot, but his favorite toy is my older cat..
I was thinking to get another kitten so that they can play together and the all the energy will go towards each other and not my older cat.
Does someone have an experience with this kind of situation? Will adopting another kitten help?
Thank you!!
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u/Ahhshit96 12h ago
From my experience experience, yes. They entertain each other better and will leave your older cat alone more
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u/Eternalm8 12h ago
So, group cat dynamics can be very hard to predict. But I had a similar situation. I have an older cat that was getting pestered by a kitten, until I got the kitten a kitten, now they at least all tolerate each other.
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u/Phoebe-Louis 12h ago
OMG it’s my dream!
How long did it take you to get the 2nd one? How long did it take for him and the kitten to get along? And how long did it take for the older cat to accept this new arrangement?•
u/Eternalm8 12h ago
The two kittens bonded pretty much right away. Old lady Moze, furthest away from the camera, tolerated them after about a month or so. She still likes her space, and sometimes hisses at the other two, but mostly they're all chill now.
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u/schleeroberts 12h ago
In the same situation wondering for the same advice. The baby wants to be with her so badly
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u/Phoebe-Louis 12h ago
Same in my case! Johnny is obsessed with Phoebe and wants to play with her badly! But Phoebe is not interested at all. I really can’t handle the screams anymore 🥺
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u/BenSteinsCat 12h ago
I can’t say for sure because of course it depends on the temperament of the kittens and the cat. I can’t say that I recently adopted just one kitten because it was handicapped and it desperately, desperately wants to play with our 10-year-old cat. However, it took that cat about six weeks to warm up to the kitten. Meanwhile the kitten is starting in and tapping it and rushing up next to it when it walks and the big cat is doing the equivalent of rolling its eyes and the little kitten just says love me love me love me.
So I kind of wish we had adopted two but as they are in a tentative friendship now, I don’t want to disrupt the apple cart.
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u/Phoebe-Louis 12h ago
Haha my kitten is also like “love me! Play with me!” but it always ends up with screams..
He’s been with me for about 6 weeks now and it’s getting worse. At the beginning he was afraid of the older one, but now he has gained confidence and chases her. So in my case there's no friendship to ruin 🫤
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u/Prestigious-Side3122 12h ago
Not in all cases. My daughter got her cat a kitten and she ignores the poor guy lol. And will likely continue to. I can see it if they are litter mates. But getting more than one cat “just because” doesn’t necessarily mean they will bond . And, double the costs.
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u/Phoebe-Louis 12h ago
I wish my older cat will ignore the kitten. He keeps jumping on her because he wants to play and she doesn't like that at all. He's deaf so he doesn't get that.. So I was thinking to bring another kitten that’s also playful and has a high play drive so that they can play together and leave the older cat alone
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u/schleeroberts 12h ago
I have the same thoughts but my senior is 15 and I dont know what I would do if both of the youngsters wanted a piece of her. That's what I worry about..
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u/spacer_geotag 12h ago
It will absolutely be better for the kitten to have a playmate their own age.
Right now, I have a couple of kittens (about 4-5mo) that I'm fostering and my resident cats are all ages 1.5, 2, 5, and 6 respectively. Even the youngest one (1.5) is a bit too sketched out by the littles to play with them or keep up with their energy as he's always been rather shy. The 2 year old is just an overly calm chonker who isn't interested in playing but he will just sit and vibe with them like a chill capybara in a Japanese spa. The 5 year old wants *nothing* to do with them and screams at me to let her into a different room when the kittens are around (mind you, we have all been co-habitating with the fosters since July, she *really* does not like kids it seems lmao) and our 6 year old will kind of play with them when he's feeling up to it but he's just hella Unc, he tolerates them but he's really not interested in play.
It's honestly been so fortunate for the babies that they have each other at this time. Otherwise they would probably be really lonesome, even in a house with four other resident cats.
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u/Phoebe-Louis 7h ago
Thank you for sharing your story! Looks like the right thing to do to have another kitten in the house
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u/Cats-Pens-Bingo17 12h ago
Yes!! We had two cats two and a half years ago, one 16, one 21. The 21-year old passed, and we let things be for about 6 months or so. He has a thyroid issue, stops eating every once in a while, and we thought we were about to lose him too. Well, fixed his meds,he did much much better, but seemed bored and listless. He'd been around 2-3 other cats all his life, and we thought he needed a new sibling. So, we got a kitten. I got the most mellow one, she's such a sweetheart, but she really really wanted to be friends with our old boy cat. She is always super respectful, always dropped back when he complained, and a year later, things were ok. Share a chair, but no cuddling or touching allowed by grumpy old man. He definitely benefitted, perked up a lot, and now at 18 with his meds being monitored is loving out his life well-loved. But the now year-old cat seems lonely, though she is my shadow, and let's me cuddle her and pet her. So, we decided to get her a kitten. Omg, best thing we've done!!! The one-year old plays with her, grooms her, chases her and let's herself be chased. Again, i found a mellow and gentle kitten. She's a cuddle bug with her humans as well as her big sister, and basically ignores the grumpy old cat. Who watches their antics, and seems less bored. So. Yes, do get another cat. Make it a kitten, do your best to pick a personality you think will fit.
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u/Entire-Gap-4522 12h ago
Okay, in June '13, I adopted two sweet adult boy cats from a local no-kill shelter. They are great, but the house just needed a little spark. In December I adopted a kitten from the same shelter. One of the boys loved her and the other hid to get away from the playtime claws and teeth. In March, a friend's beautiful cat had 4 kittens and I immediately claimed 1 boy and 1 girl. I figured they were close enough in age to my girl and it'd relieve the kitten playtime stress on the older boys. And yes, that plan did work just fine, although I came home with 2 orange girls and 1 white boy, raising my total of 6. The four youngest are still super close friends, with everyone over 12 yrs old now.
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u/Crazy_Cantaloupe_102 11h ago
I adopted a bonded brother sister pair. I kept them separate with me. I did the first meet with littles in the carrier to let everyone sniff. All the order cats just went whatever. One cat hissed. Since then the littles run around with each other and play. The older kitties dont really show much interest. Definitely get your kitten a kitten!
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u/TheSocialight 12h ago
100% get him a friend. It will relieve some pressure off of your older cat and it will give the baby a buddy while your resident cat gets used to the baby energy. You never know, in time, watching them play could encourage your elder cat to someday join in the fun!