Yeah, I know the older cats tend to get overlooked. When I looked at the local Humane Society, there were a lot of cats over a couple years old. I would consider an older cat to go with my 12 year old, but with the money I spent on vet bills on my 16 1/2 year old, I'm a little gun shy. I know kittens / younger cats could be costly too though. I think pets get a little more costly as they get older.

Sephia, here is a link to the Kitsap county humane society. I don't know where in Washington state you are but if I counted right, there are 43 kittens at our shelter in western Washington. Makes me think it is kitten season here, at least.! Kitsap Washington humane society kittens

Is there a PAWS anywhere near you? My former neighbor used to volunteer there a lot. I know there is kitten 'season' but still, kittens can be - and are - born any time.

There are a couple of PAWS here for starters....

Lots of luck in your search, that perfect kitten (s) is out there for you somewhere.

Have you considered "foster to adopt" a kitten/cat as feline integration can be challenging esp. with a middle-aged cat.

I hear you about avoiding more than one geriatric cat at a time due to potential vet bills. How about a 1-2 year old?

My daughter (19) talked her Daddy into letting her get 2 kittens a year ago...I thought for sure when she was hitting me up and I said "go ask your Dad" he'd say "No".... How wrong I was. I love those 2 crazy kitties so much but their first year a life was sketchy! I had to clear every flat surface in our house. They broke some things that almost ended their furry little lives! We also had to find a home for my parakeets because they were traumatizing them. I'd think twice about kittens they are a handful and a half!! They have calmed down quite a bit after they turned 1...if you're up for the challenge of babies go for it. I have this big beautiful boy purring away on me now.

Weezel he is beautiful!!

Sephia, my condolences on the loss of Timmy.

While I join the others in suggesting shelters, in my area there is a steady stream of free cats and kittens on Craigslist from those who don't spay their female kitties and have litters.

Sephia, I'm so very sorry to hear about Timmy. That's great that you're wanting a kitten so soon.

There are cat-adoption rescues which always have cats. My favourite pet store, an independent one, gets kittens from cat rescues who are ready to be adopted. She fosters them in her store where they can interact with people and they run loose in the store. She has 3 now, and one just got adopted this weekend. So yes, there are kittens to be had!

Kitten season may be mainly spring, but my cats were born in November, July, September and October, respectively.

I am sorry about your Timmy... :(

The local animal shelter here is full to capacity with cats and kittens. They are offering discounts just to try and find them a home. Myself, I have the neighbor's mother cat and two six months old kittens taking up residence at my home (I do NOT feed them, the neighbor puts out food every day) but for some reason the mother cat brought the kits over as soon as they could walk and they hang out in the garden all day, nap and sleep overnight in my little barn. I think I've found the male kitten a home, the person almost took it one day but we were uncertain as to its age and he wanted to get it neutered right away. Now I know he's at least 5 months, maybe six. Hopefully when the guy comes back to finish some work here, he'll take the little fellow.

It may not be kitten season, but I found a 3 week old kitten a few days ago. I was driving down the road, and thought I saw a squirrel cross the road....but it was a little kitten, all hunkered down. She was hiding in the weeds by the road, when I stopped to get her. Far from any houses. Someone had dumped her out. She didn't even know how to eat yet.

Schoolhouse, tell your friend that it is best to wait a little bit before having a kitten neutered. In males, if you do it too early, they will often have bladder problems later in life, due to the fact that their urethra doesn't develop normally and is too narrow. If they are worrying about the kitten spraying (marking territory), like many intact males do, he has a while to wait for that. I wouldn't have him neutered before the age of 9 or 10 mo.

I'm sorry about your loss of Timmy, too. I had a dog and a 10 year old (at the time) cat and I got a kitten. Well, he and the dog were great friends, but he terrorized my older girl for the last two years of her life. He was so energetic and constantly leaping on her from out of nowhere. I felt bad that I had even gotten him. She is long gone and he is 14 now, but I wouldn't have a kitten with an old cat ever again. I think he truly thinks he is a dog. I have 2 different dogs with him now and they all get along just fine.