What did your vet say? I am not a cat person and maybe I am projecting but I don't think a new cat substitutes for one you've "grown up" with.

The vet said that it was a tough question. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. I know it wouldn't be a substitute for his old buddy. I'm looking at it more as a potential new friend, and someone to keep him company so he's not all alone in the house while we are out. I'm hoping to hear if people here have actually done this (or not), and how it worked out.

It's been a long time since I had only two cats and ended up with just one. The last time that happened the solo cat was happy being the only cat and never really liked the new cat but they lived a peaceful coexistence for the rest of her life. The new cat was very laid back which made the adjustment easier I think. My latest situation is different. I got a kitten to be a playmate for my 9 year old cat who was very playful and my older cat didn't want to play with her. That has pretty much been a disaster - resident cat has hated the kitten from day one. It's now been almost two years and she still hisses and growls at the interloper especially when the new cat chases her and jumps on her.

I have a friend who was in your situation - one of the littermates died and she thought she should get a buddy for the remaining cat. Her cat sitter strongly advised against it - more trauma for the remaining cat. So she didn't get a second cat and just showered the resident cat with all kinds of love and attention and the cat did well for the rest of her life.

I think if I were you I might not get a second cat. If it turned out like my latest situation it would be really hard on your remaining cat. If you do get one, I'd look for an adult cat in a foster situation so you can find one with a verified easy going (not alpha) personality who gets along well with other cats. And one where you can give the cat back if it doesn't work out. Of course if you're like me, you'll find you just can't give up the new cat no matter how bad they get along.

Thanks, 3katz. I remember the havoc when you got your kitten.

I am in a good position to meet and evaluate potential new cats, as I am an active volunteer in a large local shelter, working solely with the cats there. I would absolutely look for an easy going adult that I can observe with other cats in our large cat room, and could do a foster-to-adopt situation where I could return the cat if things didn't work out. But yeah, the problem is that I would not want to return the new cat. I do a lot of cat adoption counseling at the shelter and I really hate when people return the cats they adopt for (what I think are) stupid reasons. And I wouldn't want to traumatize any newly adopted cat by offering it a home and then sticking it back in the shelter. So a lot of reasons to be torn on this.

My experience is similar to 3katz4me. There are now times when they will be snuggled next to each other, but only because the older cat lets our younger one at those times. I think she is just too tired to want to move when he comes to lay down. It's been 5 years.

It might just be best to try to shower him with your attention more so than what you did when you had two. I'm sure you're both grieving and maybe time to adjust without additional stresses would be better at this time.

We adopted Scoot as a kitten when Gracie was one-year old. They got along then, but as he grew three pounds heavier than her, she was put off by his desire to wrestle. Eleven years later, they'll at most sleep on the same bed, so I don't know if they're bonded. For them, their activity level and idea of fun don't mesh well. We will lose Gracie first, and maybe a kitten would work with Scoot, but you don't know what a kitten will grow in to.

Secondly is territory issues. One way to determine how territorial your cat is would be by how he reacts to a strange cat. Scoot had seen our neighbor's kitty numerous times on our deck and appeared to like her. One day I carried her into the house and he jumped on me and clawed the back of my legs trying to get at her.

Zora moved about five years ago and we didn't see another cat in the yard for a few years. One day a new cat appeared and I said to Scoot "There's Zora." He remembered and raced to the window, meowing frantically. We have had a few "Zora" kitties in the yard since and he always goes ballistic, so I wouldn't dream of getting a companion for him.

I agree with the advice to try to give your cat more attention to see if that helps. I think that bringing a kitten into their home would be very stressful for a senior cat.

We found ourselves in a similar situation years ago. Hanna was 13 when her brother died. They were very close. I hoped another cat would fill the void. It did not. She wanted nothing to do with a 5 month old kitten. We became a house divided. The new cat became extremely needy. He didn't understand why Hanna wanted nothing to do with him. So we got another cat for him. Fortunately, the two of them hit it off. For the next five years the boys lived in one part of the house and Hanna in the other. It was far from ideal, but we made it work.

My advice is give your cat lots of love & attention. That may be all he really needs.

I'd be hesitant as well - it just doesn't seem like the greatest reason to take in another cat.

And if he's already improving, I think I'd just keep up with what's working. Cats are solitary by nature anyway.

This is tough. We got Panda when Shelby was an older cat, and they got along OK. In general I've experienced if you have a cat that is part of a multi-cat household, they might be OK with another cat. I've followed some advice to get a younger and opposite sex cat, that they tend to be more accepting. Panda was 6 when we got her, and Shelby (a male) was maybe 12? Then when Shelby passed, we waited a few months and got Blue who was about 18 months old. So, now Panda is 15 and Blue is 5, and they get along well, although she was a little annoyed by his presence at first. She still gets annoyed by him, but they do sleep together, sit on our laps together, and groom each other. She came to us from a home with multiple dogs and cats. Blue was in a foster home with other cats.

I just wanted you to know how much I admire your care for your kitty even though you must be so sad. It's so hard watching the "left behind " animal and who knows what the answer is? Nobody, that's who. It sounds as if you encounter a senior cat while volunteering, that you think "this is a fit", you'll decide then.

I would be torn, too. I’ve watched quite a few new cat intro videos and the ones that seem to work well is when you can keep them in separate quarters for a good long time, so the older cat is made aware, and often they become so curious that when finally allowed to meet, there is less stress. Sometimes the new cat is allowed to wander the rest of the house at night and the older cat is sequestered in the owner's’ bedroom. They get used to each other’s scents and the new cat gets familiar and comfortable in her new surroundings, so the intro isn’t so stressful for her, too.

I have two. If one departs I will be adding a 2nd to keep him company. My cats are inseparable. How could I not. I would add another senior to keep the energy level similar. The happiness level needs to be maintained. (Note: My cats were donated to Denver Dumb Friends League by an elderly man with dementia. He collected "breeds" of cats. One of each....he kept many...giving away 10. My two were used to living in a thriving colony.)

I am a dog person, but in my experience when one passes the other pet grieves just like we do. We had one dog who quit eating for a period of time after his lifelong companion died. Our vet said it was normal. I don’t think adding another cat at this time would be a good idea. I am sorry for your loss.

I was just thinking about that time I was down to one cat. She was not at all disturbed by the absence of the second cat. In fact when I did finally get another cat she went on a hunger strike for about two weeks. I took her to the vet and there was nothing physically wrong with her. She was just PO’d that another cat came in and ruined her only cat life. She always was a prima donna.