Getting second cat soon, how important is personality?

[crazycatlady248]

~~I am going to be getting a second cat in about two months (a long ways away I know, but I am obviously very excited! Lol) and my biggest question is how important is personality when picking out the second cat? My cat Arya is a very laid back kitty, she has her random bursts of energy and will run around the apartment for a few minutes, but other than that, she is pretty lazy. So is it very important to get a cat that is not overly playful? I certainly don’t want to get a cat that is going to annoy Arya, especially since she is obviously not going to like the cat to begin with. I would just hate to get my hopes up and fall in love with a super playful, rambunctious kitten and then have Arya and her not get along whatsoever. I had also heard that it is good to get a cat of the opposite sex, but which condition trumps the other? Meaning which is more important, opposite sex or similar personality? I would appreciate any help that you have to give!!!! Arya will be a year in 2 weeks if that helps, kitten will be adopted late March 

 

[jmljml19]

Has your cat been around other cats? And I would probably want to get one that's like your cat's personality but the problem with that is a kitten that seems laid back when you meet them could bring out it's crazy side as soon as you get it home. I know this cause I was told by both my younger cats previous "owners", that they were mellow and sweet, til I got them home and they got used to the surroundings and they just became wild cats lol. It might be because they're both Calicos though lol. As for the getting the opposite sex, I guess it just depends on your preference or your cat's preference lol

 

[tammyp]

Yes, it is VERY important.  I went to great lengths to get the best match for my boy, and did a lot of research (we have two cats in love with each other!).  These should help you out, including clues for kitten personality in shelter situations:

http://www.wayofcats.com/mission/find-your-cat-match

Not every topic is listed here, but she writes on matching cats- here's one of the posts:

http://www.wayofcats.com/second-cat/1478

 

[crazycatlady248]

 
Yes, it is VERY important.  I went to great lengths to get the best match for my boy, and did a lot of research (we have two cats in love with each other!).  These should help you out, including clues for kitten personality in shelter situations:

http://www.wayofcats.com/mission/find-your-cat-match

Not every topic is listed here, but she writes on matching cats- here's one of the posts:

http://www.wayofcats.com/second-cat/1478

I absolutely loved reading this, and discovered Arya is a gamma! Though it says they are perfectly fine on their own and dont need cat companionship, I am still definitely interested in getting another cat. I am sure once they get close she will love having someone to cuddle up with (one can hope that that would happen one day! lol) Thank you so much for sharing this! What types are your two kitties?

 

[bluebird gal]

I have to say it was a huge factor in the choice of a little brother for our now 19mo neutered male.  We watched our big guy's demeanor for several weeks while he was still a stray.  Obviously a dumped cat because he was not the least bit afraid of people, dogs, being handled, cars driving by, etc.  He remained just as laid back for the past 9mos that we rescued & have owned him.

Of all the kittens at a local shelter that were just a talking when we visited, one little guy stood out who was so friendly; just calm as could be while being held and had an enormous purr - even handing him back & forth to each other.  Head rubbins against our chin, etc.  We knew he was the one.

I think knowing our older boy like we feel we do proved true .. in that the formal intros between the two took about 60hrs, with only minimal hissing from Si, before our big boy was following him everywhere and ultimately in the same chair grooming little Monty.  We were both shocked and thrilled beyond belief that it went that well. 

Secondarily I do feel that Monty's age was just as relevant.  We had hoped, and frankly a ton of my research here heavily indicated, that Si might accept him much easier as a kitten.  Monty was 3.5mos old (now 5mos) when we adopted him.  They are thick as thieves now.

 

[crazycatlady248]

 
I have to say it was a huge factor in the choice of a little brother for our now 19mo neutered male.  We watched our big guy's demeanor for several weeks while he was still a stray.  Obviously a dumped cat because he was not the least bit afraid of people, dogs, being handled, cars driving by, etc.  He remained just as laid back for the past 9mos that we rescued & have owned him.

Of all the kittens at a local shelter that were just a talking when we visited, one little guy stood out who was so friendly; just calm as could be while being held and had an enormous purr - even handing him back & forth to each other.  Head rubbins against our chin, etc.  We knew he was the one.

I think knowing our older boy like we feel we do proved true .. in that the formal intros between the two took about 60hrs, with only minimal hissing from Si, before our big boy was following him everywhere and ultimately in the same chair grooming little Monty.  We were both shocked and thrilled beyond belief that it went that well. 

Secondarily I do feel that Monty's age was just as relevant.  We had hoped, and frankly a ton of my research here heavily indicated, that Si might accept him much easier as a kitten.  Monty was 3.5mos old (now 5mos) when we adopted him.  They are thick as thieves now.

I appreciate your response! I will definitely be paying attention to the cats personality. And I think a gamma will be typically pretty easy to spot because it will be a kitten that looks terrified lol thats how Arya was when I picked her up from the shelter too she was definitely scared....I had read that adopting an older cat that is the same personality might be easier because the new cat will give her more space, but I still really feel that Arya would feel more confident with a younger cat..maybe I will get a cat that's kind of in the middle, not a very young kitten but maybe 3 months or so..oh boy I can't wait!! I will soon be creating threads on how I should introduce the newbie to the home and Arya! 

 

[crazycatlady248]

 
I have to say it was a huge factor in the choice of a little brother for our now 19mo neutered male.  We watched our big guy's demeanor for several weeks while he was still a stray.  Obviously a dumped cat because he was not the least bit afraid of people, dogs, being handled, cars driving by, etc.  He remained just as laid back for the past 9mos that we rescued & have owned him.

Of all the kittens at a local shelter that were just a talking when we visited, one little guy stood out who was so friendly; just calm as could be while being held and had an enormous purr - even handing him back & forth to each other.  Head rubbins against our chin, etc.  We knew he was the one.

I think knowing our older boy like we feel we do proved true .. in that the formal intros between the two took about 60hrs, with only minimal hissing from Si, before our big boy was following him everywhere and ultimately in the same chair grooming little Monty.  We were both shocked and thrilled beyond belief that it went that well. 

Secondarily I do feel that Monty's age was just as relevant.  We had hoped, and frankly a ton of my research here heavily indicated, that Si might accept him much easier as a kitten.  Monty was 3.5mos old (now 5mos) when we adopted him.  They are thick as thieves now.

That's also so awesome that you had such a great success story, and in such a short amount of time! I would dream of a 60 hour adjustment period! lol 

 

[tammyp]

 I absolutely loved reading this, and discovered Arya is a gamma! Though it says they are perfectly fine on their own and dont need cat companionship, I am still definitely interested in getting another cat. I am sure once they get close she will love having someone to cuddle up with (one can hope that that would happen one day! lol) Thank you so much for sharing this! What types are your two kitties?

Ha!  Kato is an Alpha!  Can you imagine a single kitten alpha?!!  Seriously wore us out, and seriously made me get wise about cats!  Our little Ava is a beautiful Beta.  You can just see how important relationships are to her - even saw it in her intro to Kato.  We had her in a separate small room, but by day 3, she had had enough, marched out, called (maybe for cat friends?), and pranced straight up to Kato for a nose kiss!  Her separation was all about getting him ready (you need to wait until no fear, no aggression, just curiousity), and thankfully he was 'better'- then Ava just left him no choice!  Most importantly for companionship with Kato, is that being the same breed (Korat), she has just as much energy as him and loves wrestling and playing chasey.  So it's happy families.

I feel excited for you as you anticipate expanding your cat family!