Hi everyone!
I'd like to ask for some thoughts regarding the opportunity to introduce a second cat.
I have a tortoise female sterilized 4 year old indoor cat called Bubi. She is very shy, afraid of most things, we can't even have a walk with her, because she just rushes back to her carrier bag outdoors. Provided that she doesn't hide when she realized we are going somewhere (we only go to the doctor because of this). She is very hard to pet, doesn't like to be held, and only accepts petting when she is on her safety blanket. However she can get wild when playing with toys or just with me hiding / catching her.
Why we think it would be good to introduce a new kitten:
- We are moving soon. We think that this could be a great time to introduce a new kitten, because it will be a new territory for booth cats. We will be able to separate them easily, as the new home will be bigger than the current.
- I'm working from home so I'll be able to support the entire adaptation period on booth sides.
- Despite we try our best to entertain Bubi there are times when she just sits down, stares at us, and meows till we move. When we do, she hides, and expects us to find her and play. At least that's what I think. With a new kitten she might find her play buddy.
Why we think it would be a bad idea:
- Moving is stressful. We had her travel to relatives for a few days, she was very curious, active but rarely interacted with us, she was busy with exploring the dangers of the new place.
- The previous experience was the only one when she met other cats, it was a senior sterilized male cat. She was very curious about him, didn't leve him alone to the point he had to hiss on her to declare he doesn't want company. Bubi however only seemed curious, she didn't hiss or try to attack. Not sure what the next step would have been from her side.
- She recently had one of her eyes removed because of confirmed melanoma. The entire experience was very stressful for her, and I still notice some tiny things that changed in her behaviour compared to the past (for ex.: she doesn't fight back when we play. She used to chase me and playfully bite my hand, now she just runs away). Other than this, she fully recovered.
On the other hand we (me and my girlfriend) are ready for a new cat, new home is big enough space, we have experience thanks to Bubi, and know the responsibilities.
At this point we are not sure how good or bad idea would be a second kitten. I'm very careful (maybe even too careful), so I'd like to make sure I make the best decision, and prepare for everything.
Currently the plan is to see how she adopts to the new home, if she eats, plays and not afraid to come out for days then we might give it a try. However currently I'm against the idea, I don't want to face Bubi with even more stress, but because we are moving I feel like there won't be a better time than this.
We already have a contact with one of our friends, where there are ~month old kittens that they want to give away by the time we move in. We will have the option to return the kitten if something goes horrible, but that would be a heartbreak for us. I feel like the worst that could happen is that she never accepts the new kitten. And to find that out that could take months.
So I'm curious about hearing your thought about this topic, and experience if you have any.
Thank you!