Contemplating 2nd Cat - general and specific questions, scratching, etc.

[allenboy]

I will try to make this concise and easy to follow.  I am the lucky mom to a fur baby - Allen, a 3yo kitty I adopted at 4 months of age.  He is my loveball and I adore him completely.  Ever since I got him, he has essentially been a solo cat, as I have not had the space really to get him a companion.  He was raised in a foster home with multiple cats, and has good interactions with my mother's cat Merlin and my sister's cat Goose over holidays, etc.  I believe he would really enjoy having a playmate to hang and tumble with, as he has a fairly high play drive and is also quite a snuggler.  If anything, he's perhaps a bit too needy.  I actually had an Ohio State vet behaviorist diagnose him with disassociative attachment disorder lol.  He's a very one-person cat and acts terrified of strangers in general, but will warm up quickly in some situations, like when I have my aunt stop over 1x a day to feed him when I'm out of town.  Once he figured out she was the MFF (Magical Food Fairy), he was obsessed with her.

So, I currently live in Ohio but am moving to South Carolina in less than 2 weeks for employment.  We are driving, and Allen will spend ~9 hours in the car with a one night stay in the hotel.  He's been started on Prozac to hopefully help make the move easier, as he is prone to stress-induced UTIs.  However, he has been a very good traveler and is very quiet, usually choosing to snooze.  The maximum he's been in a car is for 2.5 hour trips.

I've been asked by family members if I am getting him a friend after I get settled, and this has made me seriously think about it.  My apartment is 1150 square feet (2bed, 2bath), and I can put the litterbox in the laundry room.  My work is about a 30 minute drive from where I will be living, and I'm not exactly sure what my weekly hours will be - it's in a hospital and I will be in administration.  These are my reservations:

1.  I would need at least one more litterbox preferably, and it would have to go in the guest bathroom, which I'm not sure I would want.  I do clean the one box daily, and I've heard 2 cats sharing one box although I know it is not ideal

2.  This position is year long guaranteed, with the option of staying in the hospital if a position is available.  It's basically a hospital fellowship.  So I could be staying in the city, or having to move after 1 year.

Last reservation, and NO JUDGEMENT:  I did get Allen declawed.  I DO NOT WANT TO DECLAW A CAT AGAIN.  EVER.  TRULY, CROSS MY FINGERS, NEVER.

Honestly, Allen seemed to get through it just fine and does not appear to have any hangups (except for some UTI related inapropriate peeing).  However, I hated doing it and it was so stressful FOR ME.

My family all has their cats declawed, and they believe I can't take the risk because I have nice furniture - nice couch, dining room furniture, really expensive antique bedroom furniture, etc.  They don't want it to get ruined by a cat scratching, and neither do I.  But I DON'T want to declaw another cat.

So, I will sum up my questions:

1.  Should I wait to get Allen a friend until after the year period when I know if I am staying or moving again?  Moving with 1 feline is stressing me out enough lol

2.  Would one litterbox be okay if cleaned daily?

3.  Best age?  Kitten kitten or something like 3-4 months old?  Male, female, etc?

4.  What are the best tips/strategies/ideas to prevent a cat from scratching innapropriately?  I am seriously looking for an arsenal of ideas that may either convince or dissuade me from getting a second baby.

I guess the way I am leaning now is possibly getting a 2nd cat, but only if I am very confident that I am control or prevent innapropriate scratching.

Thank you!

Lisa

 

[sivyaleah]

Have you considered giving a home to a cat already declawed?  While it may have some litter box issues, perhaps you'll get lucky it won't.  Homing a cat in need, especially one which may not be adopted otherwise, could work for you.

Other than that you can't guarantee a cat won't scratch, even when given appropriate surfaces.  There are ways to help steer them away from those areas, such as sticky tape, citrus sprays and, applying nail caps which are temporary but usually work pretty well when on.  

Ideally, you should have two boxes for two cats, even better would be 3 but this can be difficult.  We have 2 cats and there just isn't anywhere to put that 3rd box in our home.  They are sharing the 2 boxes, with no bad effects thus far and it's been months now.  I would not, however, have them using only one since there are times when you get a cat which doesn't want to pee and poop in the same box.  Let alone one may not like the same litter as another.  Trial and error.

Last, I wouldn't get a kitten.  With all the changes you talk about, it seems too high energy and too high maintenance.  Kittens can be destructive by nature and it doesn't sound like this will fit in well with your life style.  Perhaps an older, more mature kitty would be a better fit - one more the same age as Allen, maybe even a little bit older, and of the opposite sex (although maybe that's a myth, but maybe not?).

Whatever the case, don't jump into this until you see how Allen settles in.  Too much change too soon doesn't sit will with cats and he sounds like he has a difficult time as it is.  Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and when you do, be sure to do proper introductions between them so that they have a better chance of becoming friends.  

Best of luck whichever way you go.  I'm sure you know in your heart what is in the best interests of your cat for this time period.  

 

[ritz]

Agree with Sivyaleah, either a cat already declawed or a special needs cat (three legged, one with distemper).  (I volunteer for a cat sanctuary that has these cats--they are all just fine with their mobility.)

And an adult cat, kittens take a LOT of time.  Also with an adult cat, its personality is more known.  And wait a while before getting a 2nd cat; too many changes at once can result in a UTI or other stress-induced illness.

 

[franksmom]

Your cat sounds a little like my Frank who also is easily stressed and does not like strangers. He also had one stressed induced uti and I will for sure have to give him something like Prozac if I take him on a long move.

I got him as an only cat but he took to my sisters cat right away when I would take him home to visit. When I moved back he really bonded with my sisters cat who sadly died. I just got him a new kitten and he really loves her. He is a playful four year old so he adores having a wild kitten to play with. He never even hissed at her even when she hissed at him, and now spends the whole day playing with her.

I think the advice of an older declawed cat may be a good idea in your situation. But if he is only 3 he may do fine with a kitten. I would wait until you move and settle in to get the cat though.

I have only ever had one litter box for 2 cats and never had a problem. I use the litter robot which cleans after every use so there is never an issue with it not being clean. I highly reccomend the litter robot for apartments because there is never any smell and my cat loves it! Now when you first get a kitten it is a good idea to get them their own small litter box so they can easily use it/ get used to using a new box and then you can transition them to using the same box. If cats have litter box problems it is a good idea to have 2 but I do think a lot of cats are fine using one clean box. I have had cats for more than a decade and have been lucky and never have had a litter box issue, so it does happen.