Is My Cat Lonely For Another Cat?

[JenniferAnn099]

Hi everyone, I'm a first time cat owner, so I would really appreciate any advice you could give me.

I'm seriously considering adopting a 9 month old, rescue Maine Coon girl into my home. I already have my Milo, a 3 year old Maine Coon which I have had for almost 2 years now. My question is, would he be happier with a cat friend? I work for my father's construction company and often work home on my computer in the mornings and run errands and meet customers in the afternoon. This means I have a lot of time to spend with Milo. I play with him every morning, and we hang out together while I work. However, in the past 6 months or so, he seems like he wants to play, but is not satisfied with any toys and ends up being cranky and swatting me and biting my feet while I try to work. He does this at night as well. He also wakes me at 5 am for companionship. When I am not home, my husband says he often cries and moans before finally settling down. These factors make me think he might really benefit from having a feline companion. Especially for play.


Milo is my first cat and I love him so much. I want what is best for him. My vet says he is one of the more demanding cats she has seen - I wouldn't know cause I grew up with dogs. I devote a lot of time to him because I don't have any kids, so he is not lonely for me (except when I leave the house.) People who have met Milo and are experienced with cats say he is one of the most social cats they have met. He gets along fine with my family's dogs that he has encountered and doesn't care much about them, but I am not sure how he would react to a cat.

What do you all think about this?

Attached are pictures of Milo. In one of them he is sitting on the computer, angrily

blocking me from work.

 

[GameJeannie]

First of all: wow! Milo is such a handsome boy! Thank you for sharing those gorgeous photos.

But onto the real issue, if he should have a companion. To be honest, I don't think I would ever suggest introducing a second cat into a home for another cat's companionship. That's not to say that cats never get along or never do well with a companion, but it can be a very frustrating and time-consuming process to introduce them. If done properly (here is an excellent article about it), and if they have conducive personalities, they can be lifelong friends, but it might not be the only (or the easiest) solution. Of course, if you want another cat yourself, that's another story.

It actually sounds like Milo is a lot like my cat; they're both very demanding and very imprinted on us for attention. And it sounds like you're really doing a lot to give him the attention that he needs and making sure that he's happy. If you feel like he's getting bored, there are a few things that you can try:

1. Vary his toys. This can even be just giving him the same toy in a different colour. When cats play, they're practicing hunting, and if their toys don't change in appearance, then they may be led to feel like their hunt has been unsuccessful. Varying the kinds and colours of toys your cat has can be a great way to keep him stimulated. Also, after you've finished playing hunting games with him (I assume you're doing this when you play with him) you an try laying the toy next to his bowl and feed him a small meal, which always seems to make my kitty feel extra proud of herself.

2. Try bird videos. I know it's crazy, but some cats go WILD for watching these. There are a ton of them on YouTube, so just load one up, and let him watch the birds frolic on the TV while you work.

3. Add bird-feeders near your windows. If you have any kind of a yard, adding a few bird feeders will give him something to watch instead of pining for you. I live in a flat, so it was a bit difficult to do this, but about once a week I sprinkle birdseed outside my apartment window and Echo loves watching the birds as they feast.

4. I'm assumign that Milo is an indoor cat here, but you may try taking him otuside for walks. It's super different than walking a dog, and you may stand around a lot while he sniffs the same bush for five minutes, but it might be a good way to keep him stimulated.

Anyways, I don't mean to digress too far from the original question, but hopefully this will help give some ideas as to how to keep your handsome fella entertained, and some insights in case you decide to bring home a friend.

 

[nunnc84]

My cat moans and wakes me up carrying her ribbon I use to play with her.
Recently, I’ve made a big mess.
She was the second cat, the first cat was aggressive.
Now she is on only cat.
Until I got a hyper love spounge kitten last weekend

(ear mites, fleas, ecclesias virus, clean ears twice daily, give antibiotics twice daily, shoulder pain, gorging and throwing up)

He is gone.
Now she is bad to crying moaning waking me up to play.

I don’t know what to do. I think I’m going to ask the vet who gave her to me to pair her up with another cat.

They have to share everything, so it’s important they get along.

I’m in the same position. I’m home a lot, and work at my computer all the time.
My schedule is changing so I’ll be gone more.
I don’t know what to do either.

 

[danteshuman]

OK I'm always going to weigh in on the side of 2 cats or more. (Thinking of adding a kitten lately ) that said I think it has way more to do with matching your cat's personality.

I got my sweet baby bear Salem a companion and for 11 years he has been looking at me going "can we take him back now?!?!?!?" They don't fight but they aren't best buds. Salem is a calm confidant cat. Dante (the punk) is a insecure neurotic hyper attention hog. So I really think you need to get a kitten that matches your cat's personality and do slow introductions.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Milo is super handsome.

My family, and now myself, only ever had one cat at a time, so I have no experience with multi-cat households. But I have read lots of threads here on this site.

Sometimes the cats become best buds.

Sometimes, not so much. And those are the ones we hear about. Stressed cats can develop all sorts of behavioral problems. So if you decide to get a 2nd cat, ensure you are prepared to keep the cats separate for a while as you do a slow introduction between them.

Here are the TCS articles on cat introductions:

Your Second Cat: How To Choose The Best Friend For Kitty
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction (hopefully you won't need this one)
The Multi-cat Household

Also, here's an article on The Maine Coon Cat

 

[nunnc84]

I've had an awful time choosing cats that get along! I had a siamese recently that drove me crazy! So I got her another cat to focus on. Except, she was violent. So I broke them up. She went back to the no kill shelter, and I kept the cat; that didn't have a home.
So, I thought Sassy was lonely. Because at night she runs around yelling, calling, moaning, what ever she is saying I don't understand this behavior.
I got a kitten (ear mites, fleas, ecilese virus) I was treating him for all these. Locking him up in a separate room was horrible for him. When I let him out, he was my shadow. He took the cat resources hostage. It was too much for me, and Sassy.
He went back to the no kill shelter. Sassy has now been able to use the bathroom more than twice a day, the stress in the environment has greatly decreased!
Please be careful when deciding what to do! These pets will break your heart when trying to manage the care of each individual animal. It's tough to drop an animal back off and say "It didn't work out". It will tear you up inside to make a decision like that. I know it has me.
I had a multicat household when I was a child. They were kittens (not related) they became a family; and my mom took the mother to a shelter because she didn't want kittens. That is when we fixed and declawed the cat that was left. He and I lived together until I graduated high school. There were ups and downs. Tiger Kitty will always be missed!

 

[nunnc84]

My cat moans and wakes me up carrying her ribbon I use to play with her.
Recently, I’ve made a big mess.
She was the second cat, the first cat was aggressive.
Now she is on only cat.
Until I got a hyper love spounge kitten last weekend

(ear mites, fleas, ecclesias virus, clean ears twice daily, give antibiotics twice daily, shoulder pain, gorging and throwing up)

He is gone.
Now she is bad to crying moaning waking me up to play.

I don’t know what to do. I think I’m going to ask the vet who gave her to me to pair her up with another cat.

They have to share everything, so it’s important they get along.

I’m in the same position. I’m home a lot, and work at my computer all the time.
My schedule is changing so I’ll be gone more.
I don’t know what to do either.

The vet will keep an eye out for another cat

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

Have you considered adopting a dog? Can be hard to introduce them as well but I've heard some cats get well with every other species except their own. Again I don't know, just a suggestion.

 

[sdkfjlasdf]

Two cats can get along but they get along BEST if they were littermates or introduced since very little kittens (8-12 weeks). Although every mainecoon varies, there are some consistent traits throughout the breed eg they need to burn a lot more energy and are more doglike compared to the average housecat. MCs can be hard to please especially an indoor cat, varying between many (many, many) toys seem to do the trick. You could also try puzzle feeders or hiding food around the house.