do you think it's ok to introduce a kitten to a 18 yr old cat? do you think he'll get to stressed??

. My cat is 18 yrs old and i want an Ocicat. My mom says the old one will get to stressed out and pass away. what do you think?

Asked by Member 619309 on Apr 9th 2008 in Kittens


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Without knowing your cat, who can say? Some senior cats are rejuvenated by having a younger cat around, but others find the wee interloper a nuisance. It's hard to know which it would be without knowing your cat's temperament, which perhaps gives your mom's opinion a slight advantage...

in general, though, unless you get a second cat while the first cat is fairly young, it's likely that their activity levels will not match, which means that the kitten's attempts to play with the older cat would be interpreted by that cat as the kitten trying to pester him. It very well might make their adjustment period (i.e., the getting to know you part) very stressful for both cats and all the humans involved.

If you must add to your feline family, you might want to consider getting a pair of siblings rather than a lone kitten, as they would more often play with each other, and let the senior cat alone if s/he does not want to be bothered.

Boris answered on Apr 9th.

Other Answers


the kaya skye & shyloh paige

we agree with boris. there was already a cat in residence-age ten-when we adopted the wee orange demons. they had each other to play with, so churrah was able to more or less stay in his own space. we got a pleasant surprise, however-he now plays with the kittens, actively seeks them out for wrestling and mad chase scenes. when i caught him sticking his tail under the bathroom door for them to play with from the other side i told him he could just stop his fussing, he was officially busted-he likes them. ((-:he was one of those 'senior' cats who was rejuvenated by the addition of young companions-but i suspect if we'd just taken in one he might have reacted differently. if you take in two, introduce them slowly and are careful not to slight your oldest child, even if they don't become pals they'll probably tolerate each other. although, my parents took in a feral kitten when their other cat was i think fifteen and she became his 'mom'...but she'd recently been bereaved.

the kaya skye & shyloh paige answered on 4/9/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


now, why would he get stressed? cats are social creatures, but are also able to live without animal company,but some cannot bear without humans, tg (thank god) for you! as long as the ocicat is gentle and not assertive, plus you are willing to take on challenges of ocicats and bear through, it should be fine. but, this part of my answer is:truewrong, heres why. all the other people say he might be emotinally stressed to the appearence of a cat, a new one, with sights and smells, all new, and never experienced. he may be stressed because he is very old, we used to have a black cat who was like 20, or at least poppy did. old cats may find a new cat irritating, because kittens are playful and like staying up like me, and old cats can be as lazy as my brother, dont hire a behavorist, just introduce slowly.

persian paws and siamese scents,
p.s. best of luck!!!!

Member 601834 answered on 4/11/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer