Hi Everyone... Looking for a bit of advice finding a new playmate for my 12 mnth Male neutered Bengal.

He's a gorgeous gentle laid back fella and as much as the family adore him and provide lots of 'human' playtime and affection, we all get the feeling - after watching him try to make friends(?) with other neighbourhood cats - that he would benefit from a feline household companion. Question is what should I look for to make his experience a good one?

Knowing his temperament, I personally think he would make friends with any new arrival, but I obviously want to make things as easy as possible for both, as you can imagine... Does anyone have any advice as to whether I should consider a small kitten (m/f?) or a more mature cat (again m/f?).

Any advice much appreciated xx

Nobody knows your household like you do! Your kitty is now an adult! Know that male bengals are territorial. You have to also decide whether to get a male or female kitty. People often jump to conclusions that aren't there -- my bengal is bored, my bengal wants companionship. That may or may not be the case. Adding a new cat to the household can be stressful and can take a lot of time and effort so the kitties get along together. There will be at least another litter box, extra toys, double the vet costs, etc. And are you prepared to handle two maniacs running around at times?

When we are out on our walks and Raiden sees another cat, he runs over to it -- not to play, but to fight it! I have a neighbor's cat who likes my yard and Raiden does not want him here and makes that very clear. The other cat is so laid back, it doesn't really care.

You just have to think long and hard as to whether you are up for this. I'm sure your kitty can find a way to get along with either a kitten or a cat of similar age. And it may not matter whether the cat is male or female. Introducing the cats properly is the key.

The thing is your Bengal may look like he wants to make friends with all the local moggies but this is HIS house and it might not be that straight forward. He may not take kindly at all to another cat invading his territory and his humans.

I got a Bengal kitten as I know my Burmese is a lovely laid back boy and he was fab with the kitten. It was the kitten who took a while to come round to him. Sadly my Bengal passed away at 9 months.

Looking back I think I was extremely lucky that it worked out so well and I think it was a totally stupid thing for me to do now! I'm not going to run out and get another kitten until my old Burmese (may he have many more years left in him) passes on.

I think it can be quite tricky to introduce a kitten to an adult cat but it has been done but just wanted to warn you may not be as easy as you think.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

I think that if you are observing your cat's reactions towards other "intruder" neighborhood cats, and he's not being overly stressed or hostile, then that gives you pretty nice insight into how your cat would probably react to a newcomer to the household. Nothing is 100%, but at least I think that greatly increases the odds that it will work out imo.


I would definitely do it if I were you. And getting a kitten is far preferable to getting an adult or young adult cat to pair with your 12 month old. The reason is pretty simple: if you get an adult, then you have to worry about two egos instead of one. The newcomer may reject the resident cat, or the resident cat may reject the newcomer, wheras with a kitten, you mainly only have to worry about the resident cat's acceptance of the kitten. And I think your best bet is another bengal.

The other part of it is that if you wonder how they kitten might be with your cat longer term, you may be able to glean some insight about how well the kitten is socialized to other cats by observing him around his litter-mates. That can change of course as he gets older, nothing is for certain, but I think it's still insightful.

One thing to consider is that a lot of people have said that perhaps their bond with their only kitty is lessened somewhat when their kitty gets a playmate that he really loves. But to me the potential plusses definitely outweigh the potential negatives in a situation like this. If you do it, just go slow, and read up on cat introduction techniques.

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The little monsters 3

Great advice, Brian, as usual! You're lucky to have three kitties who get along with each other (and are trouble makers -- I've seen the videos). I understand why people are hesitant and ask questions about adding another cat. It's the unknown. You hope for the best and prepare for the worst -- and as we've seen from several topics here -- once the cats are together, all craziness breaks loose and the owners go insane trying to deal with it. Yes, perhaps they didn't introduce them properly and over time. I'm all in favor of cat lovers opening up their hearts and homes to multiple cats. It looks like I'm going to have to take care of the neighbor's cat who refuses to return back home or be inside their house. They've about given up on him and he prefers it here as I do take care of him. There is no way Raiden will accept this kitty -- so one is indoors and one is outdoors. Raiden won't even share his enclosure which has nice heated beds in the winter time. I spent two days fashioning a cardboard box, adding insulation to it and wrapping it up in plastic for this other kitty who will probably not use it even with a heated bed inside. The best scenario would be two happy cats -- but that isn't going to happen, thanks to Raiden.

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The little monsters 3

How many cats before one becomes a crazy cat lady or man? That's a topic I've googled, even though I have ONE cat! I guess if I could feed 10 outdoor cats, I would -- but thankfully, I don't have but one who hangs around and feeding him is easy! I do think the woman in Russia who has over 130 cats is a bit much, but at least they are off the streets. I just don't think each cat has enough space to call a territory.

In my opinion it is much easier to introduce a kitten to an adult cat, rather than an adult cat to an adult cat.

No one knows your cat better than you. You said he is laid back and relaxed? Speak to some breeders, ask about their cats and kittens. Visit them if you can, interact with the kittens and see if you find one with a similar personality and/or energy to your boy. I know it is hard with kittens are they are all hyper, but the breeder should be able to tell you which ones are more active and which ones are more calm.

An adult cat can usually recognize the other cat is a young kitty -- and the young kitty doesn't know any better! That's probably why it works out so well for most people.