What if? Pondering on a second cat.

[madzoya]

It's been three months and we're still having the same problems with Bruce.

His high energy level, with our work schedulle results in him sleeping very short nights and waking us up at 5 each morning. 

We tried several diferent tatics and nothing works.

I'm taking him to the vet on Saturday as I think he has allergies (constant sneezing, and sometimes weird breathing and watering eyes). I don't know if he will change his behavior after being medicated (assuming it is allergies), but I'm not expecting much from it. He lives a normal life, eats, drinks, plays (a lot and rough), and it doesn't seem to bother him that much. I just want to prevent any worse cenario by checking this up now.

Although we were not keen on the idea of a second cat, specially because our appartment is not very big, and another litter box will be hard to fit in, I keep thinking that maybe Bruce needs a playmate and company during the day.

I was talking it through with my Mom and she asked a very important question: what if instead of fixing one problem, you end up with two?

If it was me, by myself, I would be ok with it. But my husband suffers from an anxiety disorder and one anoying cat is stressfull enough. I'm afraid two will send him off the deep end.

There is also the financial aspect to consider off course. 

I'm so torn about it. I want Bruce to have a happy full existence. But I need to do what is best for the entire family. And we need our sleep.

Bruce is 10 months old, so still a kitten. Maybe he will grow out of this high energy phase?! I also don't have idea if he will accept another cat. He came from a shelter, full of them, but a couple of weeks ago he crossed paths with our neighbours cat in the hall (my husband thought it was a good idea for them to meet and opened the door) and he freaked out completely, hissing like crazy. He also hisses at his image in mirrors or glasses.

If you have read till now, what is your opinion? Should we risk another cat? Should we wait it out? Are there any techniques to make him sleep longer (not food related, we tried several of those and Bruce wakes us up for attention, not food)? And believe me, we play with him constantly, this guy doesn't get tired. He will have an one hour sessions of chasing, grabbing and killing whatever toy he choses (he has a ton), sleep half an hour, and be ready for more.

 

[bengalcatman]

Cats vary in their social needs, some are very self sufficient and some require a lot of interaction. Certainly sounds like Bruce is the latter type and that a second cat may give him the interaction he needs. If you decide on getting another, get one of the opposite sex as this usually leads to a faster and more successful match. Introduce the new cat slowly - this site has a great article on intros here

Also, one of ours went through the "lets play at 4AM" phase, but quit after 2 months when we failed to react to it in any way. It was a LONG 2 months, believe me.

I would not try to guess what is best in your case - here is our experience...

We brought a second Bengal into our home and the intro took about two months - the new cat (Lilia) was overly timid and the current cat (Makena) was overly bold. Now they are best pals and play together often. Lilia was a rescue - and we had an agreement that we could bring her back if she didn't adapt in a month - perhaps you can find a similar arrangement. In our case, both cats had significant behavior problems caused by the situations with their previous owners; there was a distinct possibility they would never get along. As committed as we were to making it work, we needed an exit strategy.

In our case the second cat was a win for all involved. Makena got a playmate to keep his ever busy playful self occupied. Lilia, brokenhearted at the loss of her previous owner (who passed away) got a second chance at a loving home. Lastly, my wife and I got a bit of a break from keeping Makena occupied while at the same time getting a sweet natured cat that loves to cuddle.

Good luck with your decision.

Lilia and Makena, best friends...

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• bengalcatman
• Apr 6, 2017

 

[madzoya]

They are beautiful. Congrats.

There is no ignoring Bruce at night, He will pounce on us if we ignore him and then bolt. 

The other solution is locking him out of the bedroom, but he already spends the day alone, I don't think it's fair that he's alone at night too.

 

[yogakitty]

 
They are beautiful. Congrats.

There is no ignoring Bruce at night, He will pounce on us if we ignore him and then bolt. 

The other solution is locking him out of the bedroom, but he already spends the day alone, I don't think it's fair that he's alone at night too.

It sounds like my guy right now, who just turned 9 months. Apparently, this is the terrible teenager phase. Lots of activity, hyperness, sometimes even aggression, demanding attention and then not wanting it. Basically moody and annoying teenagers lol. No offense to anyone!

I would probably stick it out. If you have a small place and one cat, maybe two just isn't the solution. When you and your husband are home, play and interact with him as much as possible. Talk to him, bring out some toys and keep him busy. Our guy is alone during the day too. We both work. And we also live in an apartment/condo. I would also wait out the teenager phase. They are just about to reach adulthood. It may take a few more months.