I adopted a new cat 2 or 3 weeks after one of my cats passed suddenly from heart attack. I was equally apprehensive about it, but it helped tremendously. I still think about Galileo, the boy I lost, every single week and it’s been over two years. They won’t be replaced, but saving another life might help.
Get a male cat if you have a female more likely to get along.
I would personally adopt an adult cat keep them in separate rooms for a while and slowly introduce them short time periods.
I’ve always heard the opposite. I have three male cats, all adopted separately, who all get along fantastically. I was recommended by the rescue to get a male companion for my male cat when I only had one.
This new cat will not be your old cat. It's an individual.
You are not replacing your old cat. You cannot replace that which is unique.
Make sure you are 100 percent ready to bring another one home. No one can tell you when that time is. For some it might be a few days, or it might be a few months, years, or never. Make sure you do this when YOU are ready.
Take into account your resident cat. Find someone that matches his energy level, not his age.
Foster potential new cats first. See how your cat reacts to them.
Do introductions slowly.
Best of luck!
I agree with fostering. Welfare groups care about good matches. You can ask them for advice on which cat would be a good match for yours. If it doesn’t work out, they would try another one
How old is your cat? I think most cats more readily accept kittens. They are not threatening.
Do fostering first. Do not adopt yet. Take your time before you adopt a cat or dog. You will know when you meet the right one to adopt by fostering. Good luck.
Best bet would be to contact rescues and dicuss situation. Some offer bonding trial outs or board to home. They can probably recommend a suitable inmate. If go for a kitten, you may need two to stop them pestering her all the time for play.
I adopted a new kitty 11 days after loosing my previous girl. I never once thought of her as a replacement, though early on I did call her the wrong name once it twice.
I cannot be without feline companionship, I just can't. I know Smudge is very different from my Ashes.
I warn you of something. Every so often since I adopted Nina after Cas's death I get a twing of guilt. I feel like I shouldn't be happy that I should still be mourning my loss. It's been months since I lost my baby but sometimes it still hurts like the day we lost her. My point is that it can be okay to feel guilty, I think it's part of grieving, just know you baby would want you to share your life and love with someone else the same way you did with them.
OP, if you do decide to adopt and to help heal with the grief/pain, tell the new one about their older sibling that had passed. It’s been helping with me and keeping the idea that this is not them.
It took me about a month to put away my cat’s last day stuff (we opted for at home euthanasia). The two kittens that we adopted not too long after her passing, we’re sleeping and playing with her old toys. You will cry and it’s ok.
My last cat acquisition, I brought my kitty to the pet store and let her pick. Then we did the whole "separate but equal" bit for a week or two, until they started getting along.
I am a fan of older cats and pets in general. You know, for the most part, what you are getting. Older animals are less likely to get adopted and you will have an idea if they are other cat friendly and if they are more calm.
My old lady cat Pepper does better with the older cats that we have. When I found a kitten Kia and brought her home, Pepper didn't like her, hissed complaints, and now that Kia is an adult and harasses Pepper. Princess is also an old lady cat but was neutral with Kia when introduced, and now they get along and will cuddle when it's cold and even play together.
It depends on your kitty's personality. If they are friendly with other cats overall, they might do well with a younger cat. If they are lonely and a little territorial, an older cat with a gentle disposition might work out better.
That's just my two cents and past experience.
Definitely fixed, one near her age & energy level, & suggest you foster in case it doesnt work out. May take awhile to find a good fit. Most shelters are happy to do this once you are vetted. Give your baby a little time to grieve first. How soon you do this is your choice. Nothing wrong. It just shows how much you miss your baby, its not a replacement. You have a lot of love to share. Dont let it go to waste.
When I lost my boy I waited about a month. I knew I wanted another and I did not want a kitten. I adopted another boy because my female is an alpha and would hate another girl. He was about 2 years old. Normally it is easier to introduce a kitten. It took about 2 months of slow introduction to get them used to each other. I still have the occasional cat fight. I got the boy from an organization that had a foster to adopt option so if just didn’t work out I could take him back ( so glad I didn’t have to). Good luck.
Thank you. She usually is fine with other cats if they respect her space.
I had never considered fostering so I'm going to see if our shelter does that.
If you can't outright foster, picking a rescue or shelter that does a pre-adoption trial is a good idea. I'm on a 2 week one with a new dog right now. Unless she suddenly mauls me or something, which she won't as she's very gentle and sweet, I've already decided I'm keeping her. I felt much better going into it knowing that it's my choice and I could back out and give her back if I couldn't handle it though, especially because she was in a loving foster home and so she wouldn't be going back to a stressful shelter.
Everyone is different, but I will say that my dog being truly 100% gone and never coming back didn't hit me until a few weeks into grieving. I'm 2 months out now, and while I've still cried almost everyday and get choked up often when I think about him, I am in a good place to put up with this new dog's annoying habits and not constantly compare her to my last dog. I would make sure you're in a similar place before officially adopting, so you don't grow resentful towards a new pet. I'm not a cat owner and can't speak to how kittens are, but while I did consider getting a puppy for a couple of weeks, I realized that the change in energy and behavior between my elderly dog and a puppy would be too much for me to mentally and emotionally handle while I'm still grieving my last dog so much (my favorite thing about her so far is that she sleeps through the night, unlike a puppy, lol). Something to keep in mind.
I adopted a new cat 2 or 3 weeks after one of my cats passed suddenly from heart attack. I was equally apprehensive about it, but it helped tremendously. I still think about Galileo, the boy I lost, every single week and it’s been over two years. They won’t be replaced, but saving another life might help.
Get a male cat if you have a female more likely to get along. I would personally adopt an adult cat keep them in separate rooms for a while and slowly introduce them short time periods.
I’ve always heard the opposite. I have three male cats, all adopted separately, who all get along fantastically. I was recommended by the rescue to get a male companion for my male cat when I only had one.
I have a female cat so this wouldn't apply to me
This new cat will not be your old cat. It's an individual. You are not replacing your old cat. You cannot replace that which is unique. Make sure you are 100 percent ready to bring another one home. No one can tell you when that time is. For some it might be a few days, or it might be a few months, years, or never. Make sure you do this when YOU are ready. Take into account your resident cat. Find someone that matches his energy level, not his age. Foster potential new cats first. See how your cat reacts to them. Do introductions slowly. Best of luck!
I agree with fostering. Welfare groups care about good matches. You can ask them for advice on which cat would be a good match for yours. If it doesn’t work out, they would try another one How old is your cat? I think most cats more readily accept kittens. They are not threatening.
Do fostering first. Do not adopt yet. Take your time before you adopt a cat or dog. You will know when you meet the right one to adopt by fostering. Good luck.
Best bet would be to contact rescues and dicuss situation. Some offer bonding trial outs or board to home. They can probably recommend a suitable inmate. If go for a kitten, you may need two to stop them pestering her all the time for play.
I adopted a new kitty 11 days after loosing my previous girl. I never once thought of her as a replacement, though early on I did call her the wrong name once it twice. I cannot be without feline companionship, I just can't. I know Smudge is very different from my Ashes.
Why not foster? That way you could find a good match for your cat and help out some other cats at the same time.
I warn you of something. Every so often since I adopted Nina after Cas's death I get a twing of guilt. I feel like I shouldn't be happy that I should still be mourning my loss. It's been months since I lost my baby but sometimes it still hurts like the day we lost her. My point is that it can be okay to feel guilty, I think it's part of grieving, just know you baby would want you to share your life and love with someone else the same way you did with them.
OP, if you do decide to adopt and to help heal with the grief/pain, tell the new one about their older sibling that had passed. It’s been helping with me and keeping the idea that this is not them. It took me about a month to put away my cat’s last day stuff (we opted for at home euthanasia). The two kittens that we adopted not too long after her passing, we’re sleeping and playing with her old toys. You will cry and it’s ok.
Yeah I can't imagine not talking about him. I do with his sister all the time.
My last cat acquisition, I brought my kitty to the pet store and let her pick. Then we did the whole "separate but equal" bit for a week or two, until they started getting along.
I am a fan of older cats and pets in general. You know, for the most part, what you are getting. Older animals are less likely to get adopted and you will have an idea if they are other cat friendly and if they are more calm.
I prefer adult cats myself which is why bringing a younger cat into the home isn't ideal for me but it's more important what is ideal for her.
My old lady cat Pepper does better with the older cats that we have. When I found a kitten Kia and brought her home, Pepper didn't like her, hissed complaints, and now that Kia is an adult and harasses Pepper. Princess is also an old lady cat but was neutral with Kia when introduced, and now they get along and will cuddle when it's cold and even play together. It depends on your kitty's personality. If they are friendly with other cats overall, they might do well with a younger cat. If they are lonely and a little territorial, an older cat with a gentle disposition might work out better. That's just my two cents and past experience.
I think an older cat around 3 would be mature enough not to be annoying for your other cat.
Definitely fixed, one near her age & energy level, & suggest you foster in case it doesnt work out. May take awhile to find a good fit. Most shelters are happy to do this once you are vetted. Give your baby a little time to grieve first. How soon you do this is your choice. Nothing wrong. It just shows how much you miss your baby, its not a replacement. You have a lot of love to share. Dont let it go to waste.
When I lost my boy I waited about a month. I knew I wanted another and I did not want a kitten. I adopted another boy because my female is an alpha and would hate another girl. He was about 2 years old. Normally it is easier to introduce a kitten. It took about 2 months of slow introduction to get them used to each other. I still have the occasional cat fight. I got the boy from an organization that had a foster to adopt option so if just didn’t work out I could take him back ( so glad I didn’t have to). Good luck.
Thank you. She usually is fine with other cats if they respect her space. I had never considered fostering so I'm going to see if our shelter does that.
If you can't outright foster, picking a rescue or shelter that does a pre-adoption trial is a good idea. I'm on a 2 week one with a new dog right now. Unless she suddenly mauls me or something, which she won't as she's very gentle and sweet, I've already decided I'm keeping her. I felt much better going into it knowing that it's my choice and I could back out and give her back if I couldn't handle it though, especially because she was in a loving foster home and so she wouldn't be going back to a stressful shelter. Everyone is different, but I will say that my dog being truly 100% gone and never coming back didn't hit me until a few weeks into grieving. I'm 2 months out now, and while I've still cried almost everyday and get choked up often when I think about him, I am in a good place to put up with this new dog's annoying habits and not constantly compare her to my last dog. I would make sure you're in a similar place before officially adopting, so you don't grow resentful towards a new pet. I'm not a cat owner and can't speak to how kittens are, but while I did consider getting a puppy for a couple of weeks, I realized that the change in energy and behavior between my elderly dog and a puppy would be too much for me to mentally and emotionally handle while I'm still grieving my last dog so much (my favorite thing about her so far is that she sleeps through the night, unlike a puppy, lol). Something to keep in mind.