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I said goodbye to my cat of 20 years last February. I missed him so much. The house felt empty but I waited a bit so that I didn’t feel like I was trying to replace him. Instead it felt like an addition when I adopted 2 kittens that May. Oh and such a change going from an old cat to 2 babies! I think you’ll just know when you’re ready to add more cats to your life. There doesn’t have to be a certain amount of time to wait. And there’s so many kittens and cats out there waiting to be adopted!
As if they could ever be replaced, but we're human and have to have that guilt.
Hey, thank you everyone for your replies. It's been very helpful.
We still feel like we had the rug pulled out from under us. I can still feel her snuggled up to me, and hear her purrs.
Right now we'll just go with the flow. I dont know right now what we'll do. Pandemic is doing it's part to make impulsive decisions difficult. Stopped at Petsmart where we live and they weren't showing kitties.
Stopped off at the shelter to donate some leftover food we had, and asked if they had any cats, but they said we'd have to make an appointment. I had told my husband I just wanted to take a peek, but there might have been a chance I would have brought home a furry friend. Sigh. I think I'm a bit more "in need"... maybe it's a mom thing I've got going. I feel like my kitten was snatched from me. (Even if she was an old lady.)
Really missing her.
I didn’t think about it at all. Too sad, and I wanted to wait awhile and see what a 1 cat household would be like. The one “left” wandered around calling out for the one who passed on. He soon began sleeping all day and seemed to be depressed.
I adopted another one within 2 months.
My situation may be different since I had 2, so my suggestion would be to adopt 2 this time.
Last year we said good by to our 17 year old who was the surviving brother of a pair. Yes, having 2 is a hoot and a half! We found those 2 tuxedo kittens through the Humane Socirty. Frodo and Strider were wonderful kitties.
We had at some point planned on getting 2 kitten siblings, but we were going to wait a while until we got a bigger place. We had moved to a different state last spring and are in a very small 1 bedroom apartment for now.
Bringing Giacomo home with us was an unplanned surprise! She was the perfect cat too for our small space since she was older and so mellow.
The last time, the interval between my current cats, both 17, and the pair that preceded them, was less than a month. I think it was too fast looking back; I really did not have time to miss them and that's part of the process I think now. This time, I am going to wait. I'll do projects around the house including painting inside, replacing carpet and so forth - sparing any possible new buddies the smells and commotion. Then I will see about adopting again. My mother always had cats, but when her last cat died, a blue point Siamese and a non stop talker of 18 years, she was so devastated she never got another cat; I know when mine cross over it might be the same; they were my constant through a cross country move, personal turmoil and now a pandemic.
But you never know...one might just show up on my doorstep and adopt me; that's how it works sometimes. I got two cats decades ago like that.
Of course, now, at my age, kittens might outlive me and that too is a consideration.
When we lost 13-year-old Bertha in October 2018, I was grieving badly. A feral cat (never tamed, but we were feeding her) had taken up residence under our back porch and had a litter of kittens in our car port. She'd had the litter the August before Bertha died, with only one kitten of the four siblings remaining (the others either died or disappeared). I was lying on the sofa, crying over a photo of Bertha, when DH brought in little "Woody", saying, "He's so little and he's all alone. No one loves him", and handed me the kitten. Now, Woody is an irreplaceable part of our family, along with his older brother "Nobby" (from the same feral cat's litter born a year before Woody). Nobby had been one of a litter of three (we eventually found homes for the others), and we decided to keep him. I'm happy we did. These guys don't replace Bertha, but Woody looks very much like her now that he is full grown. Bertha was a large grey tabby. Sometimes I close my eyes when he's lying next to me, purring, and I almost think it's Bertha with me.
Sadly, the feral mother cat suddenly disappeared last spring (in the middle of Covid lockdown)...we had hoped to catch her and have her fixed when the mess was over.
The last time, the interval between my current cats, both 17, and the pair that preceded them, was less than a month. I think it was too fast looking back; I really did not have time to miss them and that's part of the process I think now. This time, I am going to wait. I'll do projects around the house including painting inside, replacing carpet and so forth - sparing any possible new buddies the smells and commotion. Then I will see about adopting again. My mother always had cats, but when her last cat died, a blue point Siamese and a non stop talker of 18 years, she was so devastated she never got another cat; I know when mine cross over it might be the same; they were my constant through a cross country move, personal turmoil and now a pandemic.
But you never know...one might just show up on my doorstep and adopt me; that's how it works sometimes. I got two cats decades ago like that.
Of course, now, at my age, kittens might outlive me and that too is a consideration.
Cats choose you, not the other way around. Oldest DD acquired "Scotty", quite by accident. We had boarded our dogs while we were on vacation, and when we went to pick them up, we noticed a beautiful ginger colored Tom strutting around. DD (then 15) petted and fussed over him and they bonded immediately. We were told he was up for adoption...his elderly owner had died and the relatives left him at the pet boarding kennel. We had him for over three years (he was already 11 or 12 when we adopted him) and our whole family was devastated when he died suddenly.
Six months later, I was driving home from work and saw a sign, "Free Kittens". I decided on a whim to go see if they had a little ginger Tom kitten. I was told they had, but he had found a home...instead there was a little grey kitten left with sad eyes, who looked lonely. I took her home and gave her to youngest DD (oldest DD was at work), who was ecstatic. I told her to take the nervous little kitten into the laundry room to get acquainted (where she couldn't run off and hide). DH was less than thrilled that I did this on a "whim" (and declared Bertha was on "probation"), but he ended up loving her, too (even though his pet name for her was "Battleaxe Bertha").
Last edited by Mrs. Skeffington; 01-03-2021 at 09:09 AM..
Hey, thank you everyone for your replies. It's been very helpful.
We still feel like we had the rug pulled out from under us. I can still feel her snuggled up to me, and hear her purrs.
Right now we'll just go with the flow. I dont know right now what we'll do. Pandemic is doing it's part to make impulsive decisions difficult. Stopped at Petsmart where we live and they weren't showing kitties.
Stopped off at the shelter to donate some leftover food we had, and asked if they had any cats, but they said we'd have to make an appointment. I had told my husband I just wanted to take a peek, but there might have been a chance I would have brought home a furry friend. Sigh. I think I'm a bit more "in need"... maybe it's a mom thing I've got going. I feel like my kitten was snatched from me. (Even if she was an old lady.)
Really missing her.
I applaud you for giving an elderly kitty a loving and kind ending.
Go ahead and make an appointment. Talk to the staff about your needs/expectations about adopting another kitty. They may have the perfect cat just waiting for you.
Hey, thank you everyone for your replies. It's been very helpful.
We still feel like we had the rug pulled out from under us. I can still feel her snuggled up to me, and hear her purrs.
Right now we'll just go with the flow. I dont know right now what we'll do. Pandemic is doing it's part to make impulsive decisions difficult. Stopped at Petsmart where we live and they weren't showing kitties.
Stopped off at the shelter to donate some leftover food we had, and asked if they had any cats, but they said we'd have to make an appointment. I had told my husband I just wanted to take a peek, but there might have been a chance I would have brought home a furry friend. Sigh. I think I'm a bit more "in need"... maybe it's a mom thing I've got going. I feel like my kitten was snatched from me. (Even if she was an old lady.)
Really missing her.
I'd make an appointment at the shelter/rescue if necessary. I would never buy a pet at Petsmart or other stores. Are those rescues or what is their status?
The last time, the interval between my current cats, both 17, and the pair that preceded them, was less than a month. I think it was too fast looking back; I really did not have time to miss them and that's part of the process I think now. This time, I am going to wait. I'll do projects around the house including painting inside, replacing carpet and so forth - sparing any possible new buddies the smells and commotion. Then I will see about adopting again. My mother always had cats, but when her last cat died, a blue point Siamese and a non stop talker of 18 years, she was so devastated she never got another cat; I know when mine cross over it might be the same; they were my constant through a cross country move, personal turmoil and now a pandemic.
But you never know...one might just show up on my doorstep and adopt me; that's how it works sometimes. I got two cats decades ago like that.
Of course, now, at my age, kittens might outlive me and that too is a consideration.
Indeed that is a consideration. I'm fishing around on how to arrange my will to take care of the kitties, inside and out, should I go toes-up before they do. With one of our insiders only 3 1/2 it's a good possibility Ink, at least, will outlive me.
I don't want them tossed into a shelter. Though that would be better than being put out, which is what we suspected happened to one we adopted a couple of winters ago. Pretty Girl (aka Punkin) is clearly from a good home somewhere.
When we were first looking, and finally adopted Molly and River in 2016, there were 12 cats there whose parents had been killed in a car crash. Talk about surprise.
I'd make an appointment at the shelter/rescue if necessary. I would never buy a pet at Petsmart or other stores. Are those rescues or what is their status?
Plenty of orphans need homes.
Petsmart is a supply store that usually has a hospital and groomer on site. They have an area with cats and kittens up for adoption. Not one of those old fashioned pet stores. The one near us works with the local humane society.
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