Should I adopt a male kitten when I already have 2 female cats?

Question

I have 2 female cats, one is about 2 years old and the other about 4 years old. When I got the younger one, the two adapted to each other pretty well. I fell in love with a kitten at the pound who is about 3-4 months old, but he is a male. He will be neutered before I bring him home. Should I not mix the different genders?? And also, will they be territorial with the litter box?? Any info and details would be greatly appreciated and will get 10 points!!

Oh and this is kind of urgent. I have until 10AM on 7/17/07 to decide!

I just wanted to add that there is "harm in trying."
I will have to pay about $100 dollars for him and theres no refunds from the pound if it doesnt work out.

Im so confused!! =0)

Answer 1

it's not a problem mixing male/female cats, as long as they are spayed/neutered. I have 4 cats, 3 male, one female. There is a little personality clash once in a while (one male is mean to the female occasionally), but the others get along with her great, and she treats the youngest like her baby, cleaning and sleeping with him.

You will probably need an additional litter box. It's not really a matter of being territorial, just practical, so there is more clean litter for them to use.

If there's a deadline, I hope its not because they are going to put him down!! I say go for it!! Take him and give him a great home!!

Additional note: Just saw your additional infor about the adoption fee.

My opinion is that it will work out. I originally had 2 cats (brother & sister), added a third (male), then a female. One of my original cats passed away (the female), then took in a male stray from the street. While there are a few minor "scuffles", they get along ok. It may take time to adapt, but your other two cats have always had each other, so they were never an "only cat", and the little guy is young enough to adapt to them being there. The $100 is worth the risk if you really do love this little guy!!

Answer 2

It will be fine.. I have 4 cats, 3 females and 1 male, they get along alright. Especially if its a kitten you are introducing, sometimes adults dont get along as fast but in any case for the first few weeks your cats will act like they hate the kitten then they will ignore him, then they will be fine.... I have gone through it 3 times and trust me it doesnt matter what sex the cats are, as long as they are all fixed, they will get along fine. They wont be territorial with the litter box, just get another box so that the cats have a choice if one is in the box already they can use the other one.

PS People worry too much, just throw them all in the mix together they will adapt.. they wont hurt one another, they will be aggressive at first but the sooner you let little kitty run around the sooner your other cats will get used to him. Don't be confused either.. just go get kitty and have fun. I am not one for keeping them seperate it doesnt make a difference as far as I can tell... I had to keep my last cat quarantined for a few weeks because when I found him on the road he was ill and had an upper resp infection. My cats still took the same amount of time to accept him after I brought him out.. About 2 weeks and longer for some. Just so you know I also have 3 dogs, all of my cats and dogs get along and all of them live together, the cats have each their preffered buddies and so do the dogs, some of the cats like the dogs enough to cuddle some dont but still get along. It doesnt matter if is male, female, cat, dog.. as long as you give them all attention and love they get along fairly well. Never had a fight in my house yet.

Answer 3

If you have the room and budget for another cat, I say why not?

The cats will work things out for themselves. There may be some hissing and yowling until they do, but as long as no blood is shed, don't worry. The older cats may not like the kitten at first because kittens are so full of energy and are always getting into mischief such as tormenting older cats.

Realize that at his age, he is in a phase of development when instinct is making him obsessed with hunting and pouncing. He doesn't mean to be bad, he can't help himself. He'll outgrow it in a couple of months, but it can be very exasperating to older cats.

Introduce them gradually. Put the kitten in a small room such as a bathroom or utility room with his food and water dishes, a bed, and a litter box. Let the cats hear each other and smell each other under the door for several days maybe a week, before introducing them face to face. At first, monitor things whenever they are together.

You should have at least two litter boxes in separate locations because if cats aren't getting along or if one is an ornery kitten, a favorite thing is ambushing a cat at the litter box.

Answer 4

As long as all the cats have been spayed and neutered...it shouldn't be a problem. However you might want to set up another litter box for the new cat but I would put it near the other litter box. You might be surprised they might all get along perfectly and the older cats using the litter box might help train the new kitten. Good Luck .. if it doesn't work out you can always take the kitten back to the pound !! LOL!!

Answer 5

Go ahead and take him in. Buy another litter box, and make sure he learns he is the kitten. Introduce him slowly, and make sure you give the other attention too, so no one gets jealous. if you did it before you cna do it again, genders aren't so much a big deal in my experience. Since he is nuetered there shouldn't be too much of a problem since he will be less hormonal so to speak. It is actually harder having 2 girl together than than a male and female. Just introduce him slowly, and get another litterbox so if the girls don't want to share he still has a place where he can go.

Answer 6

cats adapt pretty well. i have a five year old male. a one year old female and a 10 month old male.
I've had them all for almost a year. all rescue cats. they get along fine. just make sure they have plenty of space to run and hide as they get to know each other. at first they will act like they hate each other but usually stay at a distance.
then they get closer and closer to each other and eventually form a bond. then you'll have three crazy cats running havoc in your house. ha ha.
i did however find that one litter pan was not enough. i have two side by side and they work out well.
good luck.

Answer 7

I would say that it is safe. We had 6 cats at one time and 3 were male and 3 were female. Each time we introduced a new cat into our home, there were growls and hisses. But that lasted a few days and then they get over it. There will always be tension at first between them but it will calm down.

Answer 8

As long as he is neutered, you should have no problems. The other cats may be a little territorial at first, but they should adjust to him quickly. Since the other 2 are females and he is a baby, they may actually try to take care of him.

Answer 9

You should have at least one litter box per cat, unless they go outside a lot. Three cats is really too many for one house, but they should be okay if you pay plenty of attention to each cat without stopping play with one to play with another. No interruptions, that indicates that the 'interrupted' cat is less important.

Answer 10

Have her checked for feline leukemia before being put around your cats. Get all of the vaccinations done and be sure to keep her on a de-womring program. Crate her for the first few days and let the cats introduce themselves through the door. They should adapt soon.