Hello all! Just wondering if anyone can help with my question?

At home we have a 6 month old male kitten who we got from the cat protection. He was found on a farm at a young age where there were mny cats running wild. We have had him for 4 weeks or so now and to start with he was very timid and wouldnt come from out the bed but now he is much better and plays with you, follows you round the house and is ok to be picked up and handled. But I think he'll always be a softy.

Today we are due to pick up another kitten from the cat protection who came from the same farm but was a different litter. She is a similar age but from what we saw last week is quite a bit more outgoing than our little chap. So is it a good idea or not? Will our boy appreciate having a friend (they are both used to other cats) and will it make him more outgoing?

And if it is a good idea, how long do we keep them separated? The new one would have to go in the spare room where are little boy liked to be but he also likes our bedroom so that should be ok?

Any advice on the matter would be gratefully received. Thankyou

I would have to say get one or the other neutered immediately, the boy is old enough to have his evil way and he would be the cheapest to get done. The girl you can get done later. If he has been done I would start introducing themselves to each other right away

from my experience cats protection neuter/spay cats before they rehome, assuming they're old enough of course.

when I rescued leo I introduced them by putting a small house in the corner of the room, and showed leo into it, so he could come out and investigate at his own pace.

They're now the best of friends, most of the time anyway

Sorry, yes forgot to say. They have both been "snipped" and had all the check ups and vaccinations etc.

They were both picked up from the same farm aswell, so altough they were not from the same litter they could well be related!

As I say, Hugo, our boy has only been at home for 4 weeks so I'm guessing its not like intoducing a kitten to an adult cat who is really used to the home and wouldnt think much of a newcomer.

Thanks saynamore, so you really think an introduction could be done straight away, or should we give her some time to settle? Hugo is really getting used to the rest of the house now so shouldnt mind the new girl in the spare room on her own for a while. I have moved his litter tray, scrath post, toys etc out and he is fine so the room is ready for her.

I just hope they like each other

Yup! deffo go for it, they could take up to a week to settle with each other tho, so remain positive!

I agree with Chrissy - introduce them straight away.

My breeder gave me a good tip...............
When you go to pick your new kitten up, take a blanket with you that your other cat uses. Then when you are about to take new kitty home wrap her in the blanket so that she no longer smells of the place she came from. She will now smell of your house.
That way she wont smell as strange to your boy.

And then ofcourse there's the question of whether getting another cat is a good thing for my boy. My girlfriend is worried about the extra mess, food, cost etc but I am worried about Hugo being a bit lonely when we are both at work.

It's so hard knowing what the best thing is to do for him, just not really sure!!!!

Maybe keep them separated for a night or so-they'll smell each other and play it by ear,being young they should be fine but i would say slowly, slowly some are quicker than others and they've had some big changes already in a small amount of time Also 1 cat/kitt is just as much as having 2-not much difference and twice as many cuddles and fun ti be had I'm sure you and they will get along just fine-and please do try and post pics of your cuddle muffins

Thanks all for the advice. I'm picking up the new kitten tonight. Fingers crossed they get on

Fingers crossed for you, hopefully they've been introduced by now