Getting a new kitten

I have a 5-year old cat named Fluffy, she's a female obviously and since
we're (me and my mom) aren't home for like 9 hours and she's a cat who likes
attention so it's kinda a problem. Now I'm getting a kitten that's 8-weeks
old. I really want them to become good friends. See the problem is should I
get a female or a male kitten? If I get a boy he might get along with Fluffy
better but I'm worried he might spray everywhere and that's going to be a
huge problem,but if I get a girl she might get inhuge fights with fluffy but
you know she won't spray so I'm kinda confused right can you give me some
advice? Oh and does anyone know how to tell if a boy is alpha?


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Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

"Sydney O via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...

I have a 5-year old cat named Fluffy, she's a female obviously and since
we're (me and my mom) aren't home for like 9 hours and she's a cat who
likes
attention so it's kinda a problem. Now I'm getting a kitten that's 8-weeks
old. I really want them to become good friends. See the problem is should
I
get a female or a male kitten? If I get a boy he might get along with
Fluffy
better but I'm worried he might spray everywhere and that's going to be a
huge problem,but if I get a girl she might get inhuge fights with fluffy
but
you know she won't spray so I'm kinda confused right can you give me some
advice? Oh and does anyone know how to tell if a boy is alpha?


--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com


I can't provide anwers to your questions because I have always adopted adult
cats (the youngest was Holly, and she was about 6 months old at the time).
I do have a couple of comments, though: First, is there any reason you will
be getting a kitten at the age of 8 weeks? You really should wait until the
kitten is 12 weeks old, with 10 weeks as the absolute minimum. Kits younger
than that should remain with their mother. Second, why are you worried
about spraying? Male or female, your kitten should be spayed/neutered at a
young age, and that will *greatly* reduce any likelihood of spraying. I
have *never* had a problem with spraying, in all of my years of feline
companionship. Finally, *DO NOT* even consider declawing. That is partial
amputation and often leads to both physical and behavioral problems
(including inappropriate urination). I realize that you did not even
mention declawing, but I wanted to bring it up before it becomes "too late,"
in case you were considering it. Here are some sources of information on
declawing. Please look at the first reference, in particular.
http://www.stopdeclaw.com
http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html
http://www.cara-adopt.org/declaw.html
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawvettch.html
http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=002

--
MaryL

Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

How long has Fluffy been with you?

"Sydney O via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...

I have a 5-year old cat named Fluffy, she's a female obviously and since
we're (me and my mom) aren't home for like 9 hours and she's a cat who
likes
attention so it's kinda a problem. Now I'm getting a kitten that's 8-weeks
old. I really want them to become good friends. See the problem is should
I
get a female or a male kitten? If I get a boy he might get along with
Fluffy
better but I'm worried he might spray everywhere and that's going to be a
huge problem,but if I get a girl she might get inhuge fights with fluffy
but
you know she won't spray so I'm kinda confused right can you give me some
advice? Oh and does anyone know how to tell if a boy is alpha?


--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

"Sydney O via CatKB.com" wrote:

I have a 5-year old cat named Fluffy, she's a female obviously
and since we're (me and my mom) aren't home for like 9 hours and
she's a cat who likes attention so it's kinda a problem. Now I'm
getting a kitten that's 8-weeks old.

I am sure she enjoys your attention, whether or not she will enjoy
another cat's attention.

In my opinion, you're being very considerate, but you might want
to consider alternatives.

.... give it a view of the outdoors

.... bring the outdoor sounds indoors by using a cordless infant
room monitor for example (if possible, hooked up to a better
speaker), you can find them at most major department stores for
little as $20 USD. I would not leave home without one.

I really want them to become good friends. See the problem is
should I get a female or a male kitten?

I think your main problem is what are you going to do with your
new kitten if they do not get along. By the way, since you are
thinking about multiple cats getting along, cat claws are
essential like human fingers, but I think also useful (clipped)
for a controlling an aggressor.

Like MaryL, I have always adopted adult cats. Cats are not like
human beings, they do not have to be adopted as children. There
are many unwanted adult cats in the world.

If I get a boy he might get along with Fluffy...

Lots of speculation. I think the consensus here is that you never
know.

Oh and does anyone know how to tell if a boy is alpha?

I do not know what "alpha" means.

Good luck.

"Sydney O via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...

I have a 5-year old cat named Fluffy, she's a female obviously and since
we're (me and my mom) aren't home for like 9 hours and she's a cat who
likes
attention so it's kinda a problem. Now I'm getting a kitten that's 8-weeks
old. I really want them to become good friends. See the problem is should
I
get a female or a male kitten? If I get a boy he might get along with
Fluffy
better but I'm worried he might spray everywhere and that's going to be a
huge problem,but if I get a girl she might get inhuge fights with fluffy
but
you know she won't spray so I'm kinda confused right can you give me some
advice? Oh and does anyone know how to tell if a boy is alpha?

Pop by your local humane society, or ask them about rescue groups. You can
find an older cat that the staff and volunteers know well - by adulthood,
the personality is well established, and the humans there can give you a
solid idea of how the cat may respond to another cat. Often, they have
multiple cat rooms or kitty cities where a bunch of cats that all get along
live together.

It sounds like you're concerned that Fluffy might bully the new member of
the family because she's established and likes her attention, right? A
kitten probably isn't the best idea in that situation. Kittens NEED
attention, too. You're better off with a laid back older cat who likes
attention but isn't going to be pushy about it.

Whatever happens, you do need to make sure that Fluffy gets lots and lots of
extra attention whenever this new cat or kitten comes home. She's less
likely to be aggressive if she knows this new cat's not replacing her.