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Old cat or young cat?

If you are wondering what is the right cat for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about purring and learning.

  
Patricia

The Old Lady		 
 
Purred: Sat Jun 2, '12 6:18pm PST 
The idea to adopt an old cat when I already have one - Patricia is almost 16 - is not very appealing because, if I do that, I will have two cat deaths in five years again. Plus I read it is easier for an old cat to like a young cat than another old cat.

But if I adopt a young cat, it can't share her food. I don't know if I could keep another cat out of her food and vice versa. When Patricia was a kitten it was very hard to make her eat the right food instead of Emily's adult maintenance formula.

How old should Patricia's next and last cat friend be?
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KitKat

Canned Food- Connoisseur		 
 
Purred: Mon Jun 25, '12 11:52pm PST 
Do you free feed or feed your cat on a schedule? If you did get a younger cat and fed them both on a schedule, you could 'supervise' their feeding, as in make sure each cat stays out of the others' bowl. However, a lot of brands have foods that are appropriate for all life stages. I know for sure that Innova has a cat and kitten food, I have 3 cats, one was about 5 month old kitten when I first put them all on that, the second was a 2 year old, the third was a five year old. All three cats did great on it, the adults and the kitten Simba is now a few months over a year, very active, healthy, long and a great weight. Innova is a high quality food, although I know a lot of people here are uncomfortable with it because P&G bought it a while ago (however, Innova is made in a factory separate from where P&G has their other pet foods made, so my belief is that if anyone wants to feed Innova, no problem, they should just keep a close eye on the label to make sure the food formula hasn't changed to add any less desirable ingredients). EVO's Turkey and Chicken formula is NOT made by P&G, Natura still owns them, and it is a cat & kitten food. So a food that's suitable for cats and kittens would solve that problem, or else having the kitten on kitten food and your current cat on the one it's on now, and just supervising them.

I know my cats get annoyed with the youngest pretty often (my oldest is turning 6 in early July, so he's not super old)... I think you should think of, is my cat the type of cat that will tolerate a kitten well? Kittens can be very hyper and active. Cats can adjust, but if your cat likes to rest a lot and has a lower activity level, a kitten may just tire her out or aggravate her. You know your cat the best, so if you think she would tolerate a kitten well, get a kitten. If not, maybe you should look at adopting another older cat. I hope this helped a bit.
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Fiona

I'm a princess!		 
 
Purred: Tue Jul 24, '12 2:05pm PST 
Honestly...My cats over 4 HATE kittens. They are always bouncing around and destroying things, and that pesky wanting to play business. I would recommend something at least 5 or 6 years- or even something as old as 12-16. Less people want the older kitties so they need homes badly!
if you are unsure, work with a rescue that will allow you to try fostering...it's a great way to find a possible perfect fit!
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