A new kitten for Ziggy

Ziggy is a 4 month old kitten. I got him only about a week ago. I was thinking of getting another kitten to be his companion. I need some advice:

1. Would it be better for Ziggy to have a friend?

2. Would I need to follow the introduction process if they're both kittens? Or could I just put them in the same room? They're both kittens so maybe they'd be friendly to each other right away?

3. Does gender matter? Ziggy is male, would he be nicer to the new kitten if she were female?

Thanks. Any other concerns about having a second kitten are welcome...

 

Kittens love companions especially when you go out. They can get very lonely. Another cat would be a good distraction. The introduction process might be gentler if you separate them like Lynnhaz did:

http://www.auspet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4135

It was very successful. Lynn's Max and Mikey get along really well now. They even play Footsie under the door that separates them!

I don't think gender makes a difference at the kitten stage because not all their personalities are set yet so they are more likely to accept newcomers.

These are just my thoughts. Lots of others here have gone through pairing up kitties and they can give you better advice.

 

They may get along fine without the slow intro but it is probably a good idea to do it anyway since it will help them get used to each others scent before meeting causing less stress.
In general, its often recommed to get cats of the opposite sex when you are getting more than one but when they are so young I don't think it will really matter. I have 4 males and 2 females. All of them get along great.
Keep us posted.

 

1. I think it would be great to get him a friend. I just did this with my 6-7 week old kitten.

2. I never separated them. I wouldn't do it unless you dont know if the new kitty has anything thats contagious. Make sure you take it to the vet beofre you take it home. Oh and please resuce one instead of buying one.

3. I had the same problem with gender. If you check out my forum you will find it. I couldnt decide and ended up getting a boy and girl for my boy. From what I've heard it doesn't really matter.

 

hi ziggyboy. as a rule...slow intros are better. even if they are young. but of course there are always exceptions to the rule. what happens if it is a negative experience initially, is that it gets imprinted in their brains...and it can be difficult to undue negative impressions. :m3:

i took the slow route, and it really did pay off....max was chompin at the bit to get a look at mikey when they finally met. i kept a towel under the door for four days...then max took the towel away and they started playing "footsies" like vene was saying. then, i let them see each other when i would open the door but not get near each other. by the time i opened the door, max was just about ready to break the door down he was so excited to have a new friend. but in that process...they got used to each others scents...etc.

the other reason i went slow...is because mikey was a rescue cat...he had been in a shelter. even though he had not diseases...had his shots and serious disease ruled out...i was a little concerned that because he had so much exposure to many other cats....that he could be harboring a upper respiratory infection which has an incubation period of 5-10 days before you see any symptoms. :-& the last thing i wanted was for mikey to come down with something, and then transfer it to max. :m14:

but i tend to be a little conservative...slightly obsessive, and very cautious. :roll: