I have a indoor male cat, he will be two in a month. I want to get a new pet, but don't know wether to get another cat or a dog...he's never been around another pet before, so I just don't want to be dealing with fithing pets all the time,...I want to know what type of pet will take a long better with my cat,...cat or dog?....male or female?.........what age?.....I just want them to get along.....thanks!
2006-09-11 15:04:57 · 13 answers · asked by .: V :. 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
I don't think it really matters, as long as the new pet is properly introduced to the old pet... for instance, I have a 10 year old male cat and a 1 year old chihuahua - when I got the dog he was only 3 months old,. Careful & controlled introduction.. patience and understanding made it all possible... they are best buds now. You need to realize though that it doesn't matter which kind of pet you decide on, they both will need time to adjust to each other and the length of time will depend on your patience & understanding and their personalities.. but with lots of TLC.. it will happen. *s*.. The only thing for certain though is that the new pet MUST be a baby, otherwise the adult cat may not accept it, no matter what it is. Good luck.
2006-09-11 15:20:36 · answer #1 · answered by {isis}~ Trevor 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well to be honest, none of those will really matter. You can have another cat and age won't matter. A dog is a little different. If you get an older dog (over the age of 1 yr) then you will want to find out if it has been around cats before and how it got along. Otherwise if it is a puppy it won't matter. What matters the most is how you introduce them. If you just throw them in a room together, you might have a problem. There are various ways to introduce. I have found it easiest to have 2 cats. The older will hiss for a few days then it will be back to normal. A dog well, you will have to watch more. I have 3 dogs, 3 cats, a rat & a fish. If you want to know how I introduce, feel free to email me, same name here on yahoo.
2006-09-11 15:12:53 · answer #2 · answered by misstigeress 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't have too much experience with introducing cats to dogs, but I do know that they will eventually get along. It doesn't matter what breed of dog it is, as long as you get a puppy - the cat doesn't respond any better to an adult dog or puppy, but a puppy will adjust easier to the cat than an older dog. The downside is that puppies are a LOT of hard work!
Cat to cat I've got a bit of experience with. Get a girl cat - opposite sexes tend to get along easier. Your kitty must obviously be neutered - as you are a responsible pet owner and keep him indoors, so that won't be a factor!
Don't bother getting a kitten, cats do not have the same response to younger animals of their species as dogs do. Get a cat of more or less the same age as your cat - I would suggest a cat or about a year old.
The important thing here is is whether your cat wants a friend. I DONT reccommend taking him with to find a friend, cats DO NOT like traveling or strange situations, so he's not going to be at his best anyway.
I suggest going to visit a friend with cats, and stroking them and playing with them. Go home and see if your boy is interested in the smells of the other cats on you, if he is curious, he'll adjust. If he runs away and hides, you should probably keep his only child status intact!
The next reccommendation:
when I went to pick my 1 year old indoor kitty's new friend, this is what I did.
I went to the SPCA and narrowed my search down to two kitties. I then took each one out of their cage and held them next to the cat's cage next to them, to gauge their response to other cats. One cat puffed up and started hissing, the other approached the mesh curiously and tried to sniff the other cat (who hissed at her) - to cut a long story short, she came home with us! It's now a month down the line, and they groom each other and sleep next to one another (and fight - but it's just play!)
I think it was the best thing I could have done for my boy - he's less demanding of my attention (he's still affectionate though) and he's even lost a little weight! She keeps him busy - and she is such a honey in her own right!
I'm sure that whichever pet you decide to get, your boy will appreciate the company!
2006-09-11 23:20:00 · answer #3 · answered by Karring Kat 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would be best to get another cat. Make sure its a kitten. They tend to accept them more easily and I don't think it really matters if it's a male or female although he would probably accept the female faster I think he would get along in the future more with a male. A dog could cause problems cause I have gotten dogs before and it has caused my cats great stress and anxiety.
2006-09-11 18:42:12 · answer #4 · answered by Turtle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless your cat that you have now is already fixed, I would say a female kitten (and have one or the other or even both fixed ASAP unless you want to for sure have kittens). Main reason is the whole territorial machoism. I have a male and female cat (got them together) and they "fight" a lot with each other but when they settle down and start going to sleep beside each other its the most adorable thing. They are both indoors and there are a few neighborhood cats that like to sit outside on our patio and both cats love to just sit there and watch every little move the one outside makes...just b/c they are curious...
2006-09-11 15:43:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Either cat or dog will be okay. Get a younger animal, especially if it's a cat. Get a smaller dog. To socialize them, let them meet through a window screen or fence for awhile first. If you have a baby gate, use that! They're brilliant. Give them at least a week to sniff each other out that way. Do it slowly.
2006-09-11 15:49:36 · answer #6 · answered by Esma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
probably best to get another male cat, unless u want to breed, cuz they might be territorial at first, but they'll learn to cope with each other and become accostomed to having a companion in the house, as a dog, would be confused of the species, if not seen it b4, and would not get along with it as well as a cat would...the cats will play with eachother and love having a friend.
2006-09-11 15:12:28 · answer #7 · answered by sk8chik1300 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would go with another cat, but it really depends on what you want and whether your current cat gets along. You may want to take the cat with you when finding another to see if it approves. This may sound silly, but the cat's opinion should matter. He may start acting up.
2006-09-11 15:24:01 · answer #8 · answered by heather m 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest another cat but get a female so they don't compete. If you get a kitten then it will be easier for the cat to adjust to the new pet.
2006-09-11 15:06:46 · answer #9 · answered by mamaloo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That would be up to you. They can be trained to live together quite well, and an established cat is going to get his nose put out of joint no matter what kind of new pet you bring home!
2006-09-11 15:38:09 · answer #10 · answered by justmeinNC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋