Adding A New Family Member Before Vacation?

Pepsi216

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Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster.

Some background: we were a two cat household before our kitty, Bruce, passed at the end of August. He and Logan, our remaining cat, were happy housemates but not especially affectionate towards each other, but they'd sometimes play and would certainly provide company to each other when we were away. Logan seemed okay for awhile after Bruce's passing, but as time goes by he seems to be getting more and more lonely. He's 11 and as far as we're aware he's never been an "only" so we think he'd appreciate another feline companion around.

Our local shelter is trying out a new program to "foster a friend for the holidays" where you give a cat a home and some love for the week of Thanksgiving and bring them back the following Saturday. I was curious, so I went to the shelter and found two adult cats who I think would be a good fit as a companion for Logan (and us). It's tempting to bring them home for the week to see their real personalities, but let's be real. I'll fall in love and there's no way they'll go back at the end of the week. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but hubby and I will be overseas on vacation for a week starting Dec 5.

I sort of see this from two perspectives. On one hand, I don't want to leave Logan alone for a week if he's already feeling lonely. This will be our first long trip since Bruce passed. We have a friend who'll come and check on Logan after work every day, but otherwise the house will be empty. The other option would be to bring home a new family member now and spend the next two weeks doing introductions before we leave.

When we introduced Logan to Bruce it only took a few days before they were roaming the house together, so there's precedent for Logan getting used to a new cat relatively quickly. Of course, that was 7 years ago, and doesn't take into account the personality of a new cat (though both potential additions have lived with others before which is a good sign). In your experience, is a proper introduction like doable in two weeks? Or is this folly and we should wait until after we return? Would it be better to have two semi-introduced cats in the house separated by baby gates if they're not fully comfortable by the time we leave, or have Logan wait out our vacation by himself?

Thanks for your input!
 

ArtNJ

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The timing is indeed wrong. An 11 year old cat will commonly not react well to a kitten. I don't think the prior introduction really changes that -- too many years ago. It would be very common to do a 1 to 2 week introduction, and still have the older cat stressed once the kitten emmerges. The kitten wants to play, play, play and doesn't care that the older cat wants none of it. The older cat hisses, growls and runs away/hides. Its weird. But it happens a very high % of the time. And you don't want to leave them alone when they are like that.

In point of fact, its important to think about whether its really a good idea to get a kitten when the resident cat is 11. Stress can really linger, and a proper introduction doesn't necessarily fix that. In the eventually, the stress falls to manageable levels, but some level of distaste on the part of the older cat can really last quite a while. Your older cat is unhappy, potentially less affectionate with you, except in a room with a closed door perhaps, and its just not a great scenario. I'm not saying not to do it, I'm just trying to get you in a realistic frame of mind about it.
 
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Pepsi216

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Ah, I should have clarified. The two cats we're looking at as possibilities are both females and are 7 and 2 years of age. The staff said both are pretty mellow and are "family cats" who should be able to get along with anyone. I completely agree with you, a kitten would definitely be a bad idea!
 

ArtNJ

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Ah I see! I agree a well matched adult cat is definitely more likely to do well with another older cat. Still, you have to figure on a one to two week introduction unless neither cat seems to have any stress at all, which just doesn't leave much time for supervised interaction. I mean, it would *probably* be ok, but its certainly within the realm of possibility that you'll see clear signs of stress/hostility and extend the introduction to two weeks, and then things won't go especially well right away when you put them together. That happens. What would the backup plan be, separation during the vacation? Wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but a week is kind of a long time, will reset any progress perhaps.

The smart play is probably still to wait.
 
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m3rma1d

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Why not try it for the week and if it goes well, join the "Foster Fail" club with the rest of us chumps who've succumbed to a foster kitty's charms and never gave them back. :p

Seems like if the trial week goes well, it'd be lovely for Logan to have company whilst you're away. Just make sure the person who was coming to check on him doesn't mind doing it for 3. :)
 
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Pepsi216

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Thanks everyone! I've managed to resist for now but since I have errands near the shelter tonight we'll see if that lasts.

Should we decide to foster for a week and recognizing there's a chance we'll fail, who might be the best option as a future companion for Logan? There are now 3 cats available who seem like good options: a 1.5 y/o female, a 2 y/o male, and a 7 y/o female. Logan is ~11 and still likes to play; he and Bruce used to mostly chase each other and sometimes wrestle, with Logan usually the instigator. Most of the time though Logan is happily curled up somewhere or following me around the house. My first thought would be the 7 y/o female since she's at a similar life stage, but would a middle-aged girl generally be intolerant of this kind of play? Conversely, would a 1.5-2 y/o want to play more than an 11 y/o would and potentially bother Logan? All three possible fosters are described as being pretty mellow so none of them will have kitten-level energy, but if one would potentially work better then I'd probably start with that one.

Of course, my answer would be to bring them all home, but Hubby would probably move out if I did that! :)
 
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