Finding The Right Fit In A Second Kitten

lucicat

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Hi! We have a lovely tortie kitten who is 4 months old now and we'd like to adopt her a "brother" . . . so I'm trying to figure out what second cat will best suit us all.

Our current kitten is VERY bold, playful, feisty. She is super people friendly, but also high energy and not really a lap cat yet. She follows me around the house and wants to be in the middle of anything our family is doing. I think a kitten companion would be good for her, but I"m worried that I can't handle TWO super feisty kittens. Ha. So I'd lean toward a more quiet shy type kitten, but not sure that will be a good fit for her?

We are looking at two foster kittens. . .one is very shy, needs more socialization, has been separated from mom since 4 weeks (he's with one sibling currently). But foster mom says he is warming up quickly and will likely be a great mellow lap cat. The other guy is one of 9 kittens!!! and they are all in foster care with their mama, so they will get all that mama and sibling time till adoption, plus they have been with this family since they were 2 weeks old, so I know they are getting a good start on socialization. I'm not entirely sure of all the personalities, as there are so many!

Any thoughts? Do you think a shy kitten would benefit from a good confident kitten friend? Or should I not take a risk with a kitten that has been separated early from mom?
 

She's a witch

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I had two very active kittens and I wouldn't say it was too much to handle for me, as they mostly occupied each other. If you'll get a mellow kitten, there's a risk that the active one could pester him a bit too much. But it's also possible that the shy kitten could benefit from being with the bold one, one of mine was fearful at times with strangers but I think being around the brave one helped him be more confident.
I think it would make more sense to get an active one, but the truth is that you never know with the kittens. The shy one may grow up into active confident cat, and the active one may turn out to be lazy adult cat... So I'd just follow my hurt if I were you. Even shy kitten is a kitten and has enough energy and playfulness to entertain your girl.

Enjoy them both, it's so fun to watch the kittens play :)
 
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lucicat

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Until other members reply, here's a TCS article that might be helpful:

Your Second Cat: How To Choose The Best Friend For Kitty

Is that cutie pie in your avatar pic your current kitten?
Thanks, and yes, that's our girl!! She's a great kitten, but my kids are a bit disappointed that she isn't a lap cat. . .she's a PLAY cat! Although she will snuggle me quite a bit, but I think I'm her mom figure for sure. It would be nice to find a second that could play with her but also be mellow with the kids.

But yes, to the above comments points. . .follow our heart. <3
 

rubysmama

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Thanks, and yes, that's our girl!!
She's so pretty, and has such unique colouring.

She's a great kitten, but my kids are a bit disappointed that she isn't a lap cat. . .she's a PLAY cat! Although she will snuggle me quite a bit, but I think I'm her mom figure for sure. It would be nice to find a second that could play with her but also be mellow with the kids.
I think all kittens are "play cats", so she still may become a lap cat once she's older.

As for getting the 2nd kitten, maybe let the kids choose.
 

Etarre

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Aw, what an adorable little tortie! I've never had two cats at once, but I can confirm that kitten personalities can be misleading. I got my first cat, Gwen, as a kitten, and she was rambunctious and a handful, and very energetic. As she got older, she became very shy around strangers, to the point where many visitors never really got a chance to meet her because she would hide when strangers were around. She did become a really dedicated lap cat, though, so I'd focus more on a good personality match between the cats than trying to guess what they'll be like when they grow up. And your kids might have to be patient to get their lap cat either way....
 

WillowMarie

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What a beautiful cat! (My Katrina is a tortie, too!) When I picked out my two kitties, Katrina was very loving, climbed on my lap, wanted pets, and was very bold. Pursia would be happy when held and purr, and was also low energy, did not hide, although was not bold like Katrina, but also did not react fearfully. They were together at the shelter, got along, and I fell in love with both. They were introduced to my resident cat of over 9 years, and knew I needed cats that were more carefree and less fearful, since Isabelle has been great around easygoing dogs, but on edge around more nervous/reactive dogs.

After bringing them home, Katrina has been full of energy, and loves attention! If I didn't have Pursia, she'd probably be like your current kitty who is all up in your business all the time, haha. Pursia was shy, and it took a few days before she let me pet her when I wasn't laying down, despite her sleeping on me all night the first few nights. I think having Katrina so social and high energy helped Pursia, who was found outside and maybe didn't have the skills or knowledge of how to be a kitty/interact with humans (both kitties were about 3 months when adopted, and Pursia was at the shelter for 3.5 weeks, Katrina 1 week. Not sure if Persia was placed with other kitties before Katrina arrived). Pursia definitely seemed to pick up on things from Katrina and gain confidence from being around her. Such as, if Katrina was having a cuddle fest with me in my arms after Katrina walked up and begged to for attention, Pursia would walk up and act like she wanted attention, even if she was still hesitant about me putting my hand towards her. Persia seemed to feel safer approaching me when I was cuddling Katrina. Pursia has definitely gained energy, too, and while not as high energy as Katrina, they use each other for entertainment much of the day.

Good luck with picking out your kitty! Hope some of this helped.
 
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lucicat

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What a beautiful cat! (My Katrina is a tortie, too!) When I picked out my two kitties, Katrina was very loving, climbed on my lap, wanted pets, and was very bold. Pursia would be happy when held and purr, and was also low energy, did not hide, although was not bold like Katrina, but also did not react fearfully. They were together at the shelter, got along, and I fell in love with both. They were introduced to my resident cat of over 9 years, and knew I needed cats that were more carefree and less fearful, since Isabelle has been great around easygoing dogs, but on edge around more nervous/reactive dogs.

After bringing them home, Katrina has been full of energy, and loves attention! If I didn't have Pursia, she'd probably be like your current kitty who is all up in your business all the time, haha. Pursia was shy, and it took a few days before she let me pet her when I wasn't laying down, despite her sleeping on me all night the first few nights. I think having Katrina so social and high energy helped Pursia, who was found outside and maybe didn't have the skills or knowledge of how to be a kitty/interact with humans (both kitties were about 3 months when adopted, and Pursia was at the shelter for 3.5 weeks, Katrina 1 week. Not sure if Persia was placed with other kitties before Katrina arrived). Pursia definitely seemed to pick up on things from Katrina and gain confidence from being around her. Such as, if Katrina was having a cuddle fest with me in my arms after Katrina walked up and begged to for attention, Pursia would walk up and act like she wanted attention, even if she was still hesitant about me putting my hand towards her. Persia seemed to feel safer approaching me when I was cuddling Katrina. Pursia has definitely gained energy, too, and while not as high energy as Katrina, they use each other for entertainment much of the day.

Good luck with picking out your kitty! Hope some of this helped.
Yes, thank you! very helpful, it's always good to hear others stories.
 
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