What would make a good friend for my loving 2 year old cat?

Meatball: What would make a good friend for my loving 2 year old cat?
When me boyfriend and I get our new apartment together I want to get our 2 year old cat a friend. We adopted her 2 years ago from a shelter and she is very loving and playful. We can’t decide between a small kitten (since our cat might warm up to a kitten faster) or a 1-2 year old cat. I would love to get a 1-2 year old because a lot of people don’t want them when they are grown, but I’m afraid there is a less of a chance they will get along.

Answers and Views:

Answer by horselover
when you decide on when to adopt one, bring your cat with you. let her meet the other cats and see who she seems to like, then check them out a bit more. this way there shouldnt be any surprises when you bring it home. good luck! 🙂

Answer by Luv is never ugly.
Did your cat ever have kitties.If not she’ll take the kitten as her own.With the grown cat, yeah it’s all about dominant cat and territory
I’d get the kitty

Answer by Nonnie22
If you get another female they’ll do fine together. And they’d play together, too. A kitten would sort of have to be raised. For a companion the 2-3 year old cat will be better.

Answer by Smuag
If your present cat has a good temperament, then you shouldn’t have any problems as long as you socialize and introduce the two of them appropriately. You are correct, older cats don’t get adopted as much as kittens- and they are usually cheaper to adopt, too. I have introduced a kitten to older cats, and a grown cat to other cats (both new additions to our home) with no problems either way.

Answer by chibs
It tends to be easier with a kitten, yes, since then you only have one cat who is used to being a single cat, but if you’re getting an adult cat who is used to having other cats around (many temporary homes for rescues have several cats at once; I have no idea how it is with shelters) it ought to be the same.

I would say go for the adult cat if that’s what your heart tells you. It might take a little longer, but unless they get very aggressive with each other you don’t need to worry. Just keep them supervised, and separated into different rooms when you’re sleeping or not at home. Some keep the cats entirely separated the first few days, letting them sniff each other through the crack under the door, but we’ve never found that necessary. There will be hissing and quick attacks that are more intended to frighten than to do actual harm, but if things get that far it’s time to step in and separate them (not necessarily into separate rooms unless they go right back at it when you let them go). If they don’t calm down within a week, or if things get very aggressive, there is a pheromone spray called Feliway that soothes cats and reduces aggressive behaviour; your local pet shop or vet should know more and be able to instruct you further on its use. It’s kind of expensive, but it can be worth it if you’re really worried.

Answer by CanadianPerspective
I like the idea of you getting an adult cat as well and btw kudos for preferring an adult cat over a kitten, it’s true they’re the forgotten ones. We plan on eventually getting our cat an adult friend as well for him to play with. I wish I could rescue them all : (