When we found our Bengal, we had a Maine Coon who refused to be an indoor cat. He was born on a farm outside and adopted by my family when he was about 6-7 weeks old. The MC REFUSED to stay inside. He was angry and destructive, so we let him out. And then he was killed by a stray dog. It was the most heartbreaking story.

The Bengal was heart broken, so we adopted a kitten from the shelter. That was great for a few months until the kitten was diagnosed with FIP. OMG!!! More heartbreak. The Bengal grieved and it was insanely sad. WE were all sad and then to have a cat that was mourning too was even worse.

With FIP, you cannot introduce a new cat into the area for at least 6 weeks. I had no intention of getting another cat but the Bengal is becoming aggressive and I think he needs a companion. We homeschool, so someone is in the house ALL day. We all play with him and we have places for him to get up high and he does. But he is getting aggressive, smacking our legs and generally trying to get our attention. This morning, we have all played with him (all 4 family members) with his little noisy mouse on a string and the laser pointer.

I think he needs a companion. I am not sure what his history is but I want to think that he came from a home with other cats.

I am also leary of getting another cat from the shelter OR another cat from a home where the cat was born outside. A friend has some feral kittens that she has been taking care of and trying to re-home. I do believe she has been taming them but I want to make sure that I am not going to adopt a cat that refuses to be kept indoors.

I raw feed so I prefer to start out with kittens rather than deal with the drama of transitioning a grown cat and I think a kitten would be easier to introduce. What would you advise? one of the kitties from my friend OR wait and find a kitten that was born indoors and only knows that?

I'm not an expert on feral kittens. I do know they are difficult to socialize as that has to be done by humans and not the mother of the kittens. Personally, I'd go the other route. Cats can grieve just like humans and it seems your bengal prefers the company of another feline. I'm sorry you've had some bad luck with cats, but that doesn't mean your luck can't change. You obviously want to provide a home for another kitten. Here are some guidelines that I found:

Selecting the new cat

While I couldn’t guarantee the worried cat owners their next cat would not develop FIP, I did suggest some steps for choosing a healthy cat:

Kittens are the most susceptible to contracting FIP and coronavirus is ubiquitous in the feline population. Kittens starting life as strays, in a shelter or from a coronavirus-infected cattery may have had early exposure to coronavirus.

Prospective kitten families should choose a kitten from a coronavirus-free cattery or perhaps a kitten reared in a private home, without exposure to other cats, which decreases the possibility their new kitten has been exposed to coronavirus.

Kittens exposed to coronavirus may not have a positive antibody blood test until after 10 weeks of age and if the prospective family wants to keep their feline friends free of coronavirus, testing should be performed after the kitten is 10 weeks of age.

Once a lucky kitten is chosen as the new family member, it should be kept indoors to prevent future exposure to coronavirus and other outdoor dangers.

I hope that helps.