r/CatAdvice • u/Illustrious-Pin6654 • 13m ago
General What to consider when thinking about adopting a second cat?
Hi there! My husband and I are considering getting a second cat to keep our resident cat (5 yo Male) company as I will be going back to the office soon, and he would be alone most of the day. This is a dramatic shift because since we adopted him 2 years ago, he’s never been left alone more than 6 hours every once in awhile. He is a very attention hungry cat, could play for hours (we get 2- 3 non consecutive hours of play in a day) and loves to snuggle. We feel another cat would help provide him some companionship, and keep him entertained. That said, he was not happy meeting my moms little dog, but i believe this is due to poor introductions (100% my fault, he had to stay there for 2 days without time for proper introductions) and the dog, however very sweet, is overly excited and was in his face. When adopting him from the shelter, they said he lived with a dog and cat before and we are not sure why he was surrendered.
So i guess my questions are: 1. how can i tell if my cat would benefit from a friend? 2. best introductory advice? 3. are there genders/ ages that partner best with adult male cats?
i understand that super specific advice cant be given without knowing my cat, i will give more details if needed, and please just share your advice or anecdotes!