Adding to household with older cats

[njg55]

I have two cats, a 17-year-old male and a 12-year-old female. I recently lost another female, the daughter of my current girl, and lost another female cat (age 17-18) last year. I would love to have a couple more cats, but aside from still grieving, I'm not sure it's a good idea, period. When I brought home the mother and daughter, then ages 4 and 5 years, it was an extremely difficult transition. My two older cats (then about 10 and 12), especially the female, were aggressive and hostile, and I had to take exceptional measures to keep them apart (while allowing sensory contact) for a very long time for the safety of the new cats. Even when it was safe to take down barriers, open doors, and let everyone go where they wanted without constant supervision, I ended up with two pairs of cats who kept to different parts of the house and rarely had any contact.The two new ones essentially decided to stay in the master bedroom area about 99% of the time, and the other cats chose not to go in those rooms very often, rather than everyone feeling comfortable everywhere in the house. It's still that way with my two "survivors," and they are a bit wary when their paths happen to cross, although there's no real risk of conflict. I can't predict how either of them would respond to new arrivals, whether kittens or older cats. The male has cancer, diagnosed more than a year ago, but he's been stable on medication, so it's not as if I'm likely to lose him any time soon (although anything could happen). I don't think he'd be happy with new housemates, but in his condition (cancer, arthritis, general old age complications) he might not be much of a threat. And even if I lost him, the response of my female to a new housemate is unpredictable. She's a sweet kitty, but who knows. For 11 years she and her daughter were as close as can be, but would she tolerate or like a new cat? Should I just wait for years, until both of these cats are gone, before adopting? I'm a very experienced cat owner who's had anywhere from 2 to 4 cats at a time for years, but I don't think I could handle another rocky introduction. I guess you could say it all worked out in the end, although not quite in the way I thought it would (everyone content in their own zones), but it was traumatic for the family and the felines until a state of detente was reached. Any thoughts from other multi-cat owners?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

With cats, you just never know. However, I would suggest older cats, perhaps 7-9 years old, settled and calm. Nothing can drive an older cat totally bonkers than a kitten or 1-2 year-old, still with a HIGH play drive.

All cat introductions are somewhat fraught. Cats, like people, can take a like or dislike to another for no reason other than "because."

Regardless of what you choose to do, my deep condolences on the loss of your precious cats, and my best wishes for the future, whether you choose to adopt sooner, or wait. And we will be here, regardless, when that time comes.

 

[susanm9006]

Older cats are just so set in their routines and as you know newcomers disturb all of it. Especially when one of those cats has medical issues, I wouldn’t add in additional cats. Let your two - and you - live put their final years in an environment they are most comfortable in.