Getting a second kitty

[WitchyWoman]

I think i'm trying to convince you to convince me its a good idea when it seems more like it isnt.

We're just pulling from our barrel of vast examples and experiences the things that might backfire so you can make a fully informed decision. If you decide to get the girl, try to renegotiate the 6 month neuter/spay stipulation just to ensure you don't end up with a houseful of babies. What will you do regardless of the addition of another cat, if your boy starts showing signs of sexual maturity before he's 6 mos. old? That's something you should discuss with the breeder.

 

[Jacob Steel]

I am planning to neuter him soon if I get the girl, I don't have a breeding license and I am not equipt to handle little fur babies running around! I am on good terms with the breeder, I dont think it should be a problem at all. I'd really hate for them to bond with each other and just ignore me They are stuck with me though either way haha.

 

[Patti]

Shes a F5 so don't think the bonding is quite as strong as a f3

So he's F3 and she's F5? Then they couldn't possibly have the same mother (unless they have a miracle fertile F2 stud )

As the others have said, there are several reasons for quarantining a new kitten for two weeks when you first bring it home

• developing a bond with you
• giving Muffin time to get used to having another feline in the home (he may have completely forgotten her by the time she arrives)
• keeping her separated in case she develops illness from the stress of moving
• giving her time to adjust to her new home without becoming completely overwhelmed by a huge (at least from her perspective) new and strange environment
• learning where the food, water, and litterbox are located so she doesn't have accidents while looking for an appropriate elimination station

Given that the kittens come from the same breeder I can understand that you are inclined to be more lax with the quarantine requirement - what you decide to do will ultimately be up to you of course, we are just sharing our experiences and best practice recommendations

If you do bring the little girl home I would definitely recommend you neuter Muffin before she gets there, or at least during the quarantine period, if you do plan to keep them separated during that time.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Haha I think i'm trying to convince you to convince me its a good idea when it seems more like it isnt. I am more worried the little guy is bored during the day and needs a friend. Maybe its too early to tell though.

Yes, that is exactly what it seemed like, LOL! I do get it. You worry that your kitten is lonely and the reality it IS...it was used to having siblings that aren't there any longer. But kittens adapt pretty quickly.

If i spent the next few days in there with them though, would she bond to us both? Shes a F5 so don't think the bonding is quite as strong as a f3.

I disagree. You are doing the F5 a disservice to assume you will not bond as strong nor will she bond as strongly. Whilst I think F1s are more intense than other generations, past that they are all interactive kitties and it is more individual differences than a difference between F3 and F5.

It is of course possible that you won't be as into the second kitten as your reasoning to get her is as a companion for your first kitten, not for a burning desire for that particular kitten...

 

[Jacob Steel]

Haha shes really cute also, and id never play favorites. At least I could recognize myself doing it lol. I just want link to be happy and I have more than enough love to give for two little ones. I don't want link to suffer while im at work!

 

[SV Dad]

They all have their own personalities. My three SV's are all unique in their relationship with my wife and I. But it usually comes down to this: Who feeds them. The feeder is the best pal in the world!

 

[Jacob Steel]

I am the king of the food :D Being he lives alone with me :D I guess ill start a new thread on wet food soon haha.

 

[DougRD]

First of all I think a second SV is a great idea, I just added my third this summer. I can also give some firsthand experience to why it is best to follow all the good advice given here and quarantine them separately.

My 3 year old girls are half sisters and about 2 months apart in age. Abby is a F3 and Frosty is a F4. When I got them, Abby was 3-1/2 months old and Frosty was 5-1/2 months old. When I got them home I had put Abby in my bedroom and Frosty in the adjacent bathroom. Frosty was terrified and found a space between the cabinet and the wall to hide. I didn't even realize there was a way into this space from the toe kick area. After a day I decided it would be best to allow Abby in the bathroom to make Frosty feel safer. Of course this greatly slowed down my bonding with Frosty. Frosty did not let me pet her for 6 months, and even then it was a quick pet. Abby wasn't a problem and had quickly bonded with me. Now both are very bonded to each other and me, but it took a long time for Frosty to come around.

Now for the health issues. I took Abby to the vet a couple of days after coming home, Frosty didn't go because she was hiding. It turns out Abby had giardia, so they gave me medicine for her but they won't give me any for Frosty because they hadn't seen her. In the end they passed the parasite back and forth and I had to treat Abby 3 times and Frosty 2 times. If I had continued to quarantine them separately, I probably would have only had to treat each of them once and saved a lot of money.

I would definitely get his half sister, but definitely quarantine them separately.


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[Jacob Steel]

Wow i'm glad frosty came along! So by introducing her to Abby, they bonded and left you out of it?

 

[DougRD]

They were actually already bonded because they grew up together at the breeder's house. The plan was to separate them during the quarantine period to give them a chance to bond with me.

I didn't have any troubles bonding with Abby because she was outgoing. Frosty was the issue. Thankfully, Frosty is very food driven so we were able to bond with time since I feed her. My 12 year old son wasn't so lucky, it wasn't until this spring that Frosty would let him pet her on a regular basis.


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