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- Dec 7, 2023
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Quick question! Looking for anecdotal answers if possible.
As some of you know, I'm trying to find my 5-year-old neutered male cat Rory a new feline friend.
My older cat, Lou, passed away in September very unexpectedly. He was anywhere from 11-14 years old, depending on who you ask. He was with me for three years, and with Rory for one.
Despite the age difference, they played together amazingly. Rory deeply enriched the last year of Lou's life, and for that I am forever grateful.
Their play consisted of a lot of very mild, very low-energy wrestling, mutual chasing, hide-and-seek, and 'under the door pawsies'. They would also play together with me, taking turns with wand toys and the like. It was honestly ideal.
I adopted a 2-year-old cat last month who I was told was very mellow and gentle. It turned out he was just sick and had just been freshly neutered. While he obviously liked Rory, his play was far too high-energy and frantic for Rory to feel comfortable with, and that--combined with odd bouts of extreme territorialism likely caused by his late and recent neuter--made it clear they weren't a good match. (The second cat has since been rehomed into a perfect-for-him family, woohoo!)
So now I am thinking Rory will need a friend around his age or older. What I'm stuck on is the sex.
In addition to playing, Rory loved just sitting by Lou, lying down near him, cuddling when allowed, and grooming him when he could. Even with the 2-year-old cat, he was trying so hard to just... chill with him. I used to think Rory needed someone who would be ready to throw down at a moment's notice, but after the recent attempt, I think his energy is far lower than I had realized. I was viewing him in comparison with Lou, after all, whose energy blossomed with Rory--but who was still a senior cat.
That being said, I do think Rory would like to wrestle now and then.
My question is this: I've heard that, as a rule, female cats do NOT like rough-housing after their teenage years. Is this always true? I've never had a female cat before, and part of me would really like to try. I know differences between the sexes are largely moot after desexing, but is this an exception? I would hate to frustrate a new cat (and Rory!) by introducing them and realizing their mutual play styles were completely different. I plan on asking a thousand questions to the rescue staff, but I also know there are massive limitations to what they know--and inter-cat play styles is typically one of them.
So I'm just curious as to whether or not I should only consider male cats, or if the conventionally held wisdom that 'female cats don't wrestle for fun' isn't always the case. Thank you!
As some of you know, I'm trying to find my 5-year-old neutered male cat Rory a new feline friend.
My older cat, Lou, passed away in September very unexpectedly. He was anywhere from 11-14 years old, depending on who you ask. He was with me for three years, and with Rory for one.
Despite the age difference, they played together amazingly. Rory deeply enriched the last year of Lou's life, and for that I am forever grateful.
Their play consisted of a lot of very mild, very low-energy wrestling, mutual chasing, hide-and-seek, and 'under the door pawsies'. They would also play together with me, taking turns with wand toys and the like. It was honestly ideal.
I adopted a 2-year-old cat last month who I was told was very mellow and gentle. It turned out he was just sick and had just been freshly neutered. While he obviously liked Rory, his play was far too high-energy and frantic for Rory to feel comfortable with, and that--combined with odd bouts of extreme territorialism likely caused by his late and recent neuter--made it clear they weren't a good match. (The second cat has since been rehomed into a perfect-for-him family, woohoo!)
So now I am thinking Rory will need a friend around his age or older. What I'm stuck on is the sex.
In addition to playing, Rory loved just sitting by Lou, lying down near him, cuddling when allowed, and grooming him when he could. Even with the 2-year-old cat, he was trying so hard to just... chill with him. I used to think Rory needed someone who would be ready to throw down at a moment's notice, but after the recent attempt, I think his energy is far lower than I had realized. I was viewing him in comparison with Lou, after all, whose energy blossomed with Rory--but who was still a senior cat.
That being said, I do think Rory would like to wrestle now and then.
My question is this: I've heard that, as a rule, female cats do NOT like rough-housing after their teenage years. Is this always true? I've never had a female cat before, and part of me would really like to try. I know differences between the sexes are largely moot after desexing, but is this an exception? I would hate to frustrate a new cat (and Rory!) by introducing them and realizing their mutual play styles were completely different. I plan on asking a thousand questions to the rescue staff, but I also know there are massive limitations to what they know--and inter-cat play styles is typically one of them.
So I'm just curious as to whether or not I should only consider male cats, or if the conventionally held wisdom that 'female cats don't wrestle for fun' isn't always the case. Thank you!
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