Hi. My cat, Mi-ke, is about 4.5 years old. I got her from a shelter, where she was housed with her siblings. She was a crazy and destructive kitten but has settled down now.
I've occasionally wondered whether she'd like a cat friend or not. The cat I had growing up was an only cat, so that's the arrangement I'm used to. But then, she had me, my brother, and my parents. Mi-ke just has me, and I'm out for about 10 hours a day.
She usually greets me happily when I come home and then follows me for a bit. Lately, she's been spending practically the entire evening asleep, more than she used to. Personally, I spend my evening on the computer, etc., so it's not a very exciting household. Plus I shut her out of my room at night.
I don't know how she feels about other animals exactly. Of course, she had littermates as a child, and she seems to have lived with a dog and children then, too. I know of only a few "encounters" since then (with dogs and cats). In those instances, she displayed curiosity about the other animal and no aggression or particular fear. Of course, she was only encountering the animals through doors, etc., not face-to-face.
I'm in an apartment and really don't have a spare room to use to ease the introduction of a new animal, so that'd make things tricky.
All in all, I just don't know. I mean, maybe she's fine by herself and a new cat would bother her. But maybe she'd like someone to talk to when I'm not there. I can't ask her--well, I can, but I wouldn't get a useful response--so I don't know which way to go. I wouldn't want to bring someone home just to have them rejected, but if I don't try it, am I doing her a disservice?
I can pretty much manage with just one--I mean, I only have one lap, anyway. So the issue is what she wants, not what I want. I guess.
Thoughts? Thanks.
I've occasionally wondered whether she'd like a cat friend or not. The cat I had growing up was an only cat, so that's the arrangement I'm used to. But then, she had me, my brother, and my parents. Mi-ke just has me, and I'm out for about 10 hours a day.
She usually greets me happily when I come home and then follows me for a bit. Lately, she's been spending practically the entire evening asleep, more than she used to. Personally, I spend my evening on the computer, etc., so it's not a very exciting household. Plus I shut her out of my room at night.
I don't know how she feels about other animals exactly. Of course, she had littermates as a child, and she seems to have lived with a dog and children then, too. I know of only a few "encounters" since then (with dogs and cats). In those instances, she displayed curiosity about the other animal and no aggression or particular fear. Of course, she was only encountering the animals through doors, etc., not face-to-face.
I'm in an apartment and really don't have a spare room to use to ease the introduction of a new animal, so that'd make things tricky.
All in all, I just don't know. I mean, maybe she's fine by herself and a new cat would bother her. But maybe she'd like someone to talk to when I'm not there. I can't ask her--well, I can, but I wouldn't get a useful response--so I don't know which way to go. I wouldn't want to bring someone home just to have them rejected, but if I don't try it, am I doing her a disservice?
I can pretty much manage with just one--I mean, I only have one lap, anyway. So the issue is what she wants, not what I want. I guess.
Thoughts? Thanks.