I'm sorry you've lost your cat.

I probably would look for another male;
it seems to me that males are less "catty" about newcomers, & a young one, old enough not to get squashed or scared spitless but not mature enough to be a serious adult male rival, would be about right.

& remember:
there'll likely be some spitting, hissing, ugly-cat-face-making, maybe some screaming...for a couple of days.

Wine sometimes helps (you of course, not the cats!)

I wish you the best luck!

Sorry to hear you've lost a fur baby, but so happy to hear you're thinking of adopting from a shelter...You're right about the number of cats/kittens that are homeless...
I have no advice on the sex or age...You will find, each cat is different (and has a mind of it's own.) Our 1st was a male, then came along another male and then 2 females...Our 2nd male, Clancy, does not like 1 of the females, hasn't since the day she came to live with us...We really don't understand what it is, but he just doesn't want any part of her and she wants to be friends...Clancy is now 5 and the girls are 3 and he still hisses at her if she gets too close....
So be prepared...Here's a thought, if you get a kitten, your older cat might take on the mothering....
Let us know and bless you for adopting.....

I have had very good luck adopting through the humane society. The ones in my area place the cats in foster homes. The foster parent really gets a chance to observe their personality. I asked probably 30 questions about the one I ended up adopting my Cooper. He has been everything and more than promised. Truly socialized to live with both other cats and dogs. I got to visit the foster mom's house and it was immaculate. Also, the humane society took care of all of his vaccinations, neutering, and even micro chipped him. I can't say enough good things about the humane society!
Cooper at his foster home, he's the puff of fur on the left:
{{!gwi}}

I'm so sorry about your recent loss of Rocky Top. Death is especially tragic when it takes one so young.

These issues vary so much depending on the personalities of the felines involved that everyone's experience is likely to be different, as is everyone's advice. As far as my own experience is concerned, if your goal is to get another feline who will hopefully develop a close bond with Abigail Rose, your best bet is to adopt a young kitten - preferably female. Adult females like Abigail Rose who has only lived with one other cat, may deeply resent another adult, young adult, or even older adolescent feline invading her territory. She may find them threatening. A young kitten, however, is not nearly so intimidating and, if you're lucky, may even trigger her maternal instincts.

Male kittens tend to be relentlessly active and rowdy, making huge pests of themselves with other cats. That's why I think a female kitten may be more easily accepted by Abigail Rose. Female kittens are a bit less maniacal than males, as a general rule, and easier for an adult cat to tolerate. If you really want a male, though, avoid the most pushy and playful ones in the litters; they are the ones who will make huge pests of themselves with your female. In fact, whichever age or gender you decide to adopt, choose a feline with a middle-of-the-road personality. Avoid the more dominant, aggressively playful and affectionate kittens, as well as the shy, reclusive, "victim" types. Find an engaging feline with a non-pushy but friendly demeanor, confident and curious without being demanding, and gently playful. That's the type who will transition smoothly into your family.

Good luck!

Laurie

What wonderful advice from you all! I was thinking that a younger cat would be for the best, as Abigail Rose might find a "mother-instinct". She has been so different since Rocky died, hovering around me and wanting more affection than she ever showed before. I've had cats all my life and find each one is so different. Never lost one like Rocky though, leaving Abigail Rose on her own. I'll check all the local shelters and see what they have to offer.

I personally like male cats the best .... just my experience with them through the years. But I'll try to judge by what I see .... a cat that isn't too forward, but gets along with the other cats and dogs might be for the best.

Daisyadair ... thanks for the photo. I LOVE Labs and find that they almost always get along well with cats, other dogs and especially kids.

Just as an "aside" .... the best cat I ever had was dumped on me. The animal sitter who was watching the dogs and cats at our house while we were vacationing, had one of our cats die on her. It wasn't her fault, but she felt so guilty, she showed up at our door about 2 weeks later and thrust an adorable cat at us, then ran off. This turned out to be the best cat I ever had .... he loved everyone, all the dogs and other cats. We loved him so much.

People who don't have cats don't know what they are missing in my opinion. I've had them since I was a small child and while I love dogs too, cats are my favorite.

Hopefully I'll find just the right companion for Abigail Rose.

Thanks again,
Janice

the last two cats I have adopted have been females, got both of them when they were around a year old, one came from a shelter, the other from a grocery store parking lot one cold rainy night when I got an unexplainable urge for ice cream....came home with more than I had bargained for that night! Both were (one still is) awesome cats, easy to keep trained, easy to acclimate to my home. I don't think age has much to do with it though, they all, young and old, deserve a loving home.

And even if in the beginning the older cat does not seem happy about the arrival, they eventually are fine. Maybe not all cats will be the best of friends, but they will find a way to live peacefully together. You have to keep in mind that cats in the wild, which are very much the same as our domesticated cats, are mostly solitary creatures, and do fine alone and without the company of other cats. When wild cats do get together with other cats, it is not so much out of a need for company, but more for reasons of breeding, child rearing and protection/safety.

I am happy you are adopting instead of buying a kitten. A cat or dog, including pups, kittens, and purebreds, is put to sleep every 6 seconds in this country of ours. Every 6 seconds. "Shelter animals need a home more than a breeder needs your money" And really, how long does kittenhood last anyway? A month or two? Best of luck to you!!

Yep, Adopt from a shelter BUT don't feed what they premote. I'd do either a raw diet or give him something like Innova EVO or grain free wellness.

Don't declaw, Or IMO adopt one thats had this horrible act done as I think it supports it, ( if people everywhere knew that declawing would make a cat be PTS in a shelter strait away they might be less inclined to do it and do the right humane thing and either give it away or not do it) Most declawed cats have behavior issues that stem from having their first digits hacked off. Biting, litter box issues, stress, in rare cases even crippled walking. Plus it can be an issue for human safety I even heard of a woman ( it was mentioned in a yahoo forum) who lost her life to infection after her declawed cat bit her, cat bites are very serious not something to toy around with.

Getting a young kitten may be better then a teenage- pre teenage cat you can always put him/her in a room away from the other cat, We brought home a 11 week old kitten for our then 18 month old cat- worked like a charm after a few days. It will help to bring something along that smells like the new cat, and put them in seprate rooms, give the new cat something of the old and the old cat something of the new. And of course spay and neuter as early as possible.

If you want a set personality in your new cat, get a purebred from a rescue org, not from a breeder, I've gone the breeder path, its expensive, can be bad as you don't really have control over the welfare of the cat in question if your life changes/ breeder does unless you lie to him/her and sometimes breeders don't think of the futures of there kittens/puppies(- some not all). plus its silly when there are untold numbers of unwanted pets.