Advice wanted please

Gemmah · 01-02-2009, 01:05 PM

Hi

I had four cats, two, Jess & Charlie, are moggies who live in the utility room/hallway at the back of our house with free access to the smallholding that we live on. They are 8 and 6yrs old. I also had two British Shorthair brothers, Teddy & Bertie, who were 15mths old who were housecats and lived only in the main part of the house.

On Thursday my BSHs went in to the vets to be neutered. Sadly the vet couldn't get Bertie breathing on his own again after the op and we lost him

. I'm not dweeling on this as I know the vet well, on a personal as well as a professional basis, and am confident that she was not to blame in any way.

The advice I am looking for now is on getting another BSH as company for Teddy. He has firmly attached himself to me since Bertie went and I'm sure he would be happier ultimately with more feline company.

So...opinions please on the following:

Should a period of grieving be left or is it better to get another cat ASAP, or doesn't it really matter?

He is a neutered male, obviously I am keen to get a cat that he can, if possible, build a companionship with so would a male or a female be the better bet?

In general would you recommend a kitten or an older cat?

Thank you

Gemma x

dinahsmum · 01-02-2009, 01:18 PM

What a sad first post.
I'll say Sorry for your loss and move on

Although I think the majority of pets 'grieve' for a while for a lost companion, it's not really the same as human grief and I think it is shorter and more easily 'diverted'. I'm sure there are exceptions which prove the rule but in the main - they miss former companions and usually do well with new ones, particularly if they, themselves, are young,

Teddie is barely more than a kitten himself. I think he would do well with a kitten. The sex is probably unimportant, as the newcomer will be neutered in time.

My advice, or what I think I would do for myself, if I was in this position, would be to get a new kitten as soon as you feel ready. ?Get the boldest in the litter, as it will have a boisterous big brother.

God luck

angieh · 01-02-2009, 01:26 PM

Very sorry for your loss Gemmah.

Can I ask whether you have tried introducing Teddy to Jess and Charlie? Are there reasons why they can't be companions together?

Gemmah · 01-02-2009, 01:42 PM

Thanks for both of your replies.

Angie, the main reason that Jess & Charlie live in the hallway part is because over the years Jess was unreliable and would urinate on soft furnishings in the house so we transferred their beds out there (it isn't a small space by the way, about 20' x 8'). Teddy is a housecat and if he were to live with them then he would have access via the catflap to outside. Also on the odd occasions that they have met up there has been a fair bit of hostility towards Teddy (he's sporting a bit of a scratch above his eye at the moment). Charlie and Teddy are both quite bold personalities. Charlie is a real character actually, he thinks he's the farm dog I think and follows my father in law around the fields while he does his jobs!

Leesy · 01-02-2009, 03:12 PM

I am so sorry to hear of your loss

, it is such sad news.

Like dinahsmum I agree that you should get another kitten as soon as you feel able, as your Teddy is still a little baby himself

, again I don`t think it will really matter what sex the new kitten is but I would certainly say you want to get a bold and boisterous kitten, there is 3mths difference between my 2 Maine coon kittens and when I got the youngest they did play really boisterous together and still do LOL,if the youngest had been a quite timid kitten I think she might have got hurt accidently

dandysmom · 01-02-2009, 05:40 PM

In my relatively limited experience I'd go for an opposite sex kitten. But definitely a lively outgoing one. Misty, an adult female obviously grieved for Sultan, who she was very close to when he had to be PTS, but never bonded at all with the adult female I got to keep her company; they simply tolerated one another; however she became very fond of the little male kitten I got also. But as your kitten is relatively young, it may not matter.

I'm sorry for your loss, a sad first post indeed.

calismum · 01-02-2009, 05:47 PM

Sorry about Bertie.

I agree with all the advice above. However would emphasis the opposite sex. In my experience I have always had better outcome when I introduced male/female/male etc.

Good luck, and welcome to Catsey.

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