Feel so lost as to whether my cat would like a new companion after his brother’s passing

[catlover1717]

We adopted two male cats from the humane society back in 2007 - brothers. They were close. They enjoyed cuddling up together quite a bit, play wrestling, grooming, etc. Sadly, we unexpectedly had to put one of our gorgeous boys to sleep this month. He was almost 14, so I guess that’s not unusual, but it’s been devastating.

My heart is breaking for his brother, who is now without a feline companion for the first time in his life. His appetite has decreased, and after a few weeks now he’s started crying at the door to our garage at night. Not sure why he chose that door. But he’s certainly grieving.

Part of me is tempted to try to get him a companion once some time has passed. However, I feel so torn and uncertain about this. He’s confident and friendly toward human strangers (he pesters the heck out of any visiting home improvement workers), and I’ll never forget a few years ago when a neighbor brought their new puppy to our house. His brother wasn’t pleased at all, but this guy followed that puppy all over, trying to give him a good sniff down.

However, in other aspects he’s a bit anxious. He jumps at noises sometimes, and when we moved to a new house, he peed outside the litter box (sometimes normal peeing, sometimes spraying) for about a solid year. Nothing we tried worked - just time. That was a rough period for sure.

Does anyone have any advice or stories they can share? The last thing I want to do is set off another year-long nightmare. Plus, he has IBD (he’s recently been put on prednisolone for this).

I’ve read some conflicting articles recommending getting a kitten for an adult cat, while others say it’s better to get another adult. I just don’t know what to do. Cats can be so hard when it comes to this sort of thing.

 

[CatladyJan]

We adopted two male cats from the humane society back in 2007 - brothers. They were close. They enjoyed cuddling up together quite a bit, play wrestling, grooming, etc. Sadly, we unexpectedly had to put one of our gorgeous boys to sleep this month. He was almost 14, so I guess that’s not unusual, but it’s been devastating.

My heart is breaking for his brother, who is now without a feline companion for the first time in his life. His appetite has decreased, and after a few weeks now he’s started crying at the door to our garage at night. Not sure why he chose that door. But he’s certainly grieving.

Part of me is tempted to try to get him a companion once some time has passed. However, I feel so torn and uncertain about this. He’s confident and friendly toward human strangers (he pesters the heck out of any visiting home improvement workers), and I’ll never forget a few years ago when a neighbor brought their new puppy to our house. His brother wasn’t pleased at all, but this guy followed that puppy all over, trying to give him a good sniff down.

However, in other aspects he’s a bit anxious. He jumps at noises sometimes, and when we moved to a new house, he peed outside the litter box (sometimes normal peeing, sometimes spraying) for about a solid year. Nothing we tried worked - just time. That was a rough period for sure.

Does anyone have any advice or stories they can share? The last thing I want to do is set off another year-long nightmare. Plus, he has IBD (he’s recently been put on prednisolone for this).

I’ve read some conflicting articles recommending getting a kitten for an adult cat, while others say it’s better to get another adult. I just don’t know what to do. Cats can be so hard when it comes to this sort of thing.

Hi Catlover1717, I personally think it depends on personality and age if your cat isn't really warm to others a kitten maybe overwhelming and there are a lot of older cats in need of adoption.

Is you cat neutered?

I had 2 brothers who were very close as well before the one passed away I had also taken in my mom's cat after she passed away. The brother left did grieve and was a bit independent even though we had my mom's cat.

You might want to see if you can foster for a rescue and see how that works out.

 

[verna davies]

Some cats grieve for a few weeks others for months. You want know if it's the right thing to get him a companion until you try it but if you adopt and it doesn't work out, what do you do then.
I agree with CatladyJan , think about fostering with the opinion to adopt if it works out. An older quiet cat would be better as a kitten might be overwhelming.

 

[catlover1717]

Yes, he’s neutered.

I may look into fostering, although I was reading the page about it on our local shelter’s site, and it sounds like it’s most often needed for cats with medical issues. They mentioned fosters may need four hours of care per day, which may not fit with our work schedule.

 

[verna davies]

Are there any shelters near you that will allow you to adopt a cat with the understanding that if it doesn't work out, the cat can be returned. There's nothing to lose in giving them a call and explaining the situation. Often older cats are harder to find good homes for so they may be open to the suggestion.