Hi,

We recently got a wee boy kitten, Gizmo. We have had him 8 weeks now and he is 16 weeks old. We both work full time and I'm wondering whether he is lonely. He used to be scratching and crying at our door all night. Now he isn't so bad but he still seems to have had enough of being on his own by around 4am or 5am. If he had another kitty to play do you think that he would be feeling less lonely during the night and whilst we are out in the day?

Also, is it best to try and find a kitten around the same age as him, or just start with a baby again around 8 weeks? And what sex would you recommend, a wee girl or another boy?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks
Lisa

hello, i own lots of cats myself as well as a dog.

I believe getting another cat would be nice but i would make it a girl and make sure your male is castrated hah, because if you get another male then it might get defensive of it's territory (the home) which can cause fights.

YAY my favourite subject hehe x get another

Mine are male and female and came from the same litter and LOVE each other to bits, though as they are getting older they are getting a little more indepandant.
We are grateful every day that we got two. We couldn't bear thinking about leaving the little girl that we got on her own, so we got her lovely brother and now wouldn't have it any other way!

The ONLY down side is the extra expense. If that isn't a problem there is no reason at all to not get two. They will be so grateful for the company believe! Two will keep each other entertained, tire each other out (less "naughtiness", less scratching at the door, less meowling, more sleep for everybody) and think how you'll feel if you ever go on holiday and get the neighbours to feed them for a while - a lot better knowing that two are company for each other.

Oh and the other (minor) downside to having two is that it's harder to know which is the perpetrator of any "kitten crimes". But it doesn't really matter an awful lot seeing as cats react much better to preventative measures than being told off anyway, so knowing which cat pooed behind the sofa is far less important than getting rid of the smell with bio powder, if u get me!

If you get another male they'll be great friends plus you won't have to worry about getting them done so quickly (I got my boy done at 5 months just to be on the safe side - don't want any inbred kittens thanks!) - though tbh if you'll be neutering them anyway I shouldn't think it'd make much difference. The newcomer may be a bit hissy at first (my daughter's little mate brought round a litter twin uninvited for a visit and she was rude as anything, I guess she felt a little "displaced") - but I'm sure once they've settled in you'll be so overjoyed to see your babies playing together and knackering each other out, legging it round the place like little mosters - you'll wonder why it took you so long

I would think get another of a similar age; they'd work it out eventually if they were different ages but it might take longer for them to become acclimatised and if as you say you're working a lot I guess time is of the essence. Plus older kitties are harder to rehome than little 8 weeks cutesies so you'll be doing the kitten a bigger favour x

Was beginning to think I'd overposted these links a bit but hey, if they're useful...

When two is better than one

10 Reasons Why Two Kittens Are Better Than One

hi ya i got my salem at 6 weeks due to the poor health conditions at the house when i went to get him , he was lovely but then started to get a bit nippy and wanted to stratch my legs alot cause he just wanted to play and he was all by him self , i went looking for a new kitten was salem was 10 weeks old i thought it would be difficult but i went to see a new kitten a female that was ten days younger then salem my boy she was 9 weeks when we got her and i brought her home and put her straight in with salem they sniffed each other and that was it fate they have loved each other ever since and now salem is nearly 17 weeks and zelda is 15 weeks. They play together eat together and sleep together am so glad now i got two cause zelda calmed salem down so much and he is such ahappy content little thing now, am evern going to get them neuterd/ sprayed on the same day so they dont have to be taken away from each other now, so i would say yes get another one if u can, then yr little kitty has a little friend to play with while u at work. I would pick one in similar age good luck xxluv becks x

Hi

Thank you for your replies, so would you say it is better to get a wee girl or a wee boy? And in general do they take to each other OK or would we have to separate them whilst we are out for a couple of weeks or something. I called a few people last night but all their kittens were gone already but I will keep a look out.

Thanks
Lisa

I would say it doesn't really matter an awful lot - either a boy or a girl would make a great companion for little Gizmo - so it's really up to you! With a girl unless you neutered one or both of them you would have the possibility of her getting pregnant by Gizmo as early as February with the mild winters, with a boy you have the "he may spray" thing even if you do neuter him early. In one of the links I posted it mentioned that young males in particular need a "buddy" so you may find that boy beween the age of 4-12 months takes a tiny bit easier to Gizmo and a new home, and if they are introduced this young they shouldn't have too many territory problems xx
I would say in your situation tis probably slightly more important to get a kitten of similar age/temperament/ size than worry about the sex.
Why don't you go and visit some rescue centres hun * I'm sure they would be over the moon for the custom and then you really would be doing a good deed for everybody concerned. Plus the kitten'll come ready neutered which will save you a few quid and a trip to the vets as well. I admit ours were from a neighbour- my kid came back saying her friend was getting one and they were "free" so I found myself put in a position, but we were planning on rescuing one.
I expect you will have to play it by ear with the old leaving them together but as any new kitten or cat should really be kept, fed and littered mainly in one room for about 3 weeks to acclimatise to their new surroundings, this time will give you a chance to introduce the two and you will soon know whether they'll both be happy in the same room together straight away or whether it'll take a little time. As I say though if you get a kitty of similar temperament and build they will most likely take to each other almost instantly, and be playing monstery games all over the house before you know what's happened! And don't worry too much if they scrap, ours spend a lot of time pinning each other down, kicking each other in the head and chasing each other all over the house! What Halo lacks in size compared to Harry she makes up for with speed and deviousness, and they care about each other so much and are such good company for each other that now I'm really not worried about leaving them alone over Christmas for a week, the neighbours are going to feed them 3 x a day - whereas we were originally thinking of asking someone to stay for the period!
Really glad you're up for getting another, it will be the best Christmas present ever for your lil boy! Best of luck finding your new baby x and as I say -if possible, get a rescue kitten!

Hi
Thanks for your reply again. We have tried the Cats Protection league and our local cat and dog centre (we're in Aberdeen) however neither have kittens at the mo. We are going to see a wee boy tonight who is grey with tiger stripes whos owner had an add on the net so we will see how they get on there. He is slightly older though, 4 weeks. Do you think thats too much of an age difference?

We had a brother and sister who were 9 years and got a 10 week old kitten from the shelter. They all got on really well, except the kitten needed someone to play with. So, when he was about 6 mos, I got him a 10 week old little girl. They became the best of friends immediately. Then when he was just over a year and she was about 9 months, a 6 month old stray girl adopted us. She's the only one not fixed at this point. Again, everyone gets on quite well and all three of the younger cats play together. It's great fun to watch and they seem happy as can be. Every once in a while the two younger girls hiss at each other, but then they'll cuddle to sleep, so I imagine it's all part of playing.

No not at all. It'll be fabulous! go on go on go on go on go on go on go on! Really hope he's a goodun, sure he will be x sounds like lovely markings! and don't assume they've immunised, deflead dewormed and litter trained, microchipped etc, grill them won't you and find out dates of everything you can (usually they should have some paperwork for immunisations, microchip etc) and ask them what food he's used to xx

any news yet?