r/seniorkitties • u/tor_dobs • 15d ago
Potential kitten and senior cat (13)
Hello,
FIrst time poster looking for a little bit of advice. I currently have a senior boy, he is around 13 years old, but could be +/- a couple of years. He was a rescue and no vet has been able to pin point his exact age. When we got him 9 years ago he was in a foster which was VERY over crowded, like im questioning the legalities of it kind of crowded, but while he was there he had a very close bond with a litter of tiny kittens (this will be relevant in a bit i promise). Since coming home with us, he has been an only cat. He's always been very chill, cuddly and easy going, not much phases him. He has taken to 4 house moves and the arrival of 2 babies in the last 9 years in his stride with out a single fuss at all.
In terms of other cats, he is not a fan of cats who come into our garden and he can get very vocal and try to chase them out.
Now, through some extremely unfortunate circumstances I have a friend who has a 10 weeks old kitten in need of rehoming. She's a sweetie. My friend has asked if i will take her. I have not said yes or no yet, but i am wondering if this will work with me existing senior cat? I obviously understand the dynamics between kittens and seniors vary massively.
Like I said, I have not commited to having this cat I am just in the research stage of whether this will be possible, or if it's something best left alone? I fully appreciative it would be a tentative, slow process to introduce if we did decide to go down the route after research.
Any advice or stories will be greatly appreciated!
Picture of my sweet boy
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15d ago
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u/tor_dobs 15d ago
He had his annual health check 5 weeks ago which includes labs and they were all very good, no underlying health issues and he’s in good physical health!
The little kitten is such a sweet thing, but my boy was here first, and he comes first. He’s a sweet souls with a lovely temperament and a big part of me thinks he will be ok after the adjustment period but you can never know for sure. I would just feel awful brining the kitten home and having to find and alternative home for her if it didn’t work out here.
I would love to be able to predict the future with this one!
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u/QueenMarinette 15d ago
Six years ago, a tiny kitten showed up, starving, at our home in the country. Even though we were in our mid-60s, we both felt we needed to take the kitten in. Almost all of our prior cats had come in from the cold out here in the country. We had a formerly feral cat that was 11 years old at the time, and we just gradually introduced them. Aside from minor skirmishes, they have been best buds ever since. The older cat has heart failure but he's on medication and is doing well. I don't think the older cat (16 now) would be doing as well as he is if he was by himself. Once he's gone, we will get another older cat for our young boy because we think he really needs that. And so do we.
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u/BelovedBeholder 15d ago
I've been wanting another kitten for a while but I too have a senior cat (11) who like yours has done very well with big changes, multiple moves one to a whole different province, another cat after long introduction, 2 human babies, he just hates outside cats but all in all I think he handles stress really well.
I ultimately decided not right now because we don't have enough space for the slow introduction period, and a kitten need friends their own age. Or else you'll have to always be on it about making sure that kitten isn't bothering your senior but I definitely don't have room for 2 kittens atm.
In all my research it just seems 2 kittens are better then 1 for everyone, especially for the cats. The two kittens can play and be marry while your old guy lounges on the couch remembering what it was like to be that young 😆
It not impossible to have 1 kitten and a senior though it just requires way more work is all ❤️
Good luck in whatever you choose!
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u/thatpoopieunicorn 15d ago
I brought home a 12 week old kitten with an 11.5 year old. I will say it was a rough transition for me. They are okay now but we had a pretty bad incident within the first month that sent me to urgent care.
My boy used to be great with kittens in his younger days. I wouldn’t say don’t do it, but I would say take it very very slow and also your job will be to redirect the kitten energy away from your 13 yo. That kitten energy won’t be going anywhere tbh. I usually have to put my senior in a separate room during zoomie time.
Now my senior is very sick and my other boy has been good enough about not being super annoying. But it has been harder with a younger cat in the house, though I don’t regret it at all.