Even with the advent of Daisy’s passing I am still determined to get another cat. I have reconsidered the appropriate age for our future adopted cat from the same age as our Digit (8 + years), and am now leaning toward an under 4 year old. Hubby on the other hand is completely fixated on getting a kitten.
I haven’t asked him, but I am convinced that he has never had a kitten and doesn’t know the work that is involved. Most of my cats have been taken on as kittens, with the exception of Digit, who was 3 years old when I adopted her. I am well aware of the work that kittens can be. Don’t get me wrong – kittens are absolutely the cutest, most adorable little balls of fluff that exist on the earth (emphasis on “fluff” so as to exclude human babies – nothing beats a human baby in my cute/adorable book), but kittens can do more damage in no time flat than most tornado’s I’ve seen. Not to mention the “accidents” that happen when training said fluff ball where the litter is kept.
We would definitely have to kitten-proof our home before we got a kitten, but even as I write all this I’m beginning to think the kitten direction is the right direction. Digit would handle a kitten well, and I think she still exudes the energy that would only be encouraged by having a kitten around.
But there are some many older (anything over 1 year) cats that are in desperate need of a good home. You need only take a quick glimpse a any animal shelters web pages to see that. But I suppose that getting an older cat is much like purchasing an older car – you would be (potentially) inheriting someone else’s problems. Which I recognize might sound mean, but you have to remember what we’ve just been through.
I digress ….
Ultimately I want a good fit for our household; a cat to be a good companion for Digit, and a friendly cat for hubby and me to love.
I want to know what you think? I recognize that you may not be a cat or even a pet person. That’s ok – I want to hear what you’ve got to say.
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2 comments:
To kitten or not to kitten...that is the question. That's a hard decision.
We've never adopted a grown pet as a 2nd pet. I guess I've always figured that when adding a pet, adding a baby will bring out some type of nurturing instinct in our current animals.
On the OTHER hand, you're right about so many grown animals needing homes. A grown cat from a shelter is going to be used to being around other cats and would probably adapt well to living with Digit.
How did Digit accept Daisy? Did they ever bond?
One more thing. You can play with, hold and cuddle a kitten to teach them to be playful, cuddly cats (if that's what you want) but if you adopt a grown cat, they've already formed their basic personality.
I would agree this is a hard question. When we had to put Gizmo [cat] and Shadow [dog] to sleep recently my brother and I got my mom a new cat and we opted for one over a year old. And he is still a feisty troublemaker, but he knows how to use his litterbox. I think you have to figure out what would be best for Digit and for you and T.
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