Hi all,

I have a 5 month old female Bengal. She is my first Bengal and its been a joy and an education getting to know her and her Bengal ways. We have bonded well and she seems settled.

I live alone, in a one-bed, first-floor flat so she is a house-cat. I have trained her to wear a harness and plan to take her for some walks. I work 9-6 so she is alone during the day, though most days I go back at lunchtime to play with her.

I am now thinking that perhaps I should get her a playmate as I am worried about the time she spends alone. I have noticed that she seems far more relaxed and happy when I am at home with her during the weekend.

My flat is not very big, will it be noticeable having 2 cats rather than just one? I’m assuming I would need to have 2 litter trays if I have 2 cats, and that the food bill will double.

To get a second kitten I will have to wait till June, when I will have saved the money to get one and can take a week off work to help them settle. By then she will be 10 months old; will it work to introduce a new kitten to her at this age? Am I best getting a male or female kitten, or does it not make a difference?

Many thanks for your answers, I have found this Forum to be so so helpful!
Lucy

I think it would be a great idea to get another kitten. Is your flat big enough to allow the cats to have their own room/space if they want to get away from eachother during the day?? Cats, as they get older, do like their own space at times. That said, my 7 year old still hunts out the younger ones to snuggle to

You can still introduce a kitten to a slightly older cat so that should not be an issue really. Ideally you would introduce them earlier but i don't see it been a massive issue.

If it is just money that requires you to wait, you can get a kitten from rescue. They will always get on as well as another bengal (that's assuming you wanted another bengal, you may want a different breed).

Good luck hunting a second You will have endless fun watching them play, wrestle, cuddle, wrestle, play................

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Lollo

Yep I defo want another Bengal. If I can get a rescue bengal or one that needs rehoming I can get one soooner, so will be on the look-out. I've also emailed the breeder to see if she has any kittens available soon.

I imagine one cat could hang out in my bedroom and the other in the livingroom if they wanted space. In about a year I will probably move house and get somewhere bigger, so it would only be a year that they would be in my smaller flat

I would definitely reccomend getting a second cat.

We only ever intended on getting one, but made the decision to keep Bella as a house cat and since we are both at work during the day thought it was only fair to find her a playmate. So we ended up adopting Ayala.

Bella was only about 6 months when we got Ayala, and I was told that a cat under a year old should take quite well to a new arrival, so I'm sure things will be fine for you. The introduction still didnt go smoothly though, we had to keep Ayala in a separate room for the first couple of weeks while she settled in, as Bella was quite angry about it at first. However now they get on so well, they play and sleep together. So it was definitely the best decision I ever made.

I would definitely try to ensure you have a spare room available for your new kitten though, even if its a small room where you can put food, a bed and a separate litter tray. Doing this will make the introduction process and first few weeks much easier, and will mean you can control their meetings and ensure the little one feels safe and not afraid.

We decided to get another girl as I didnt want either of them getting too big, and I felt 2 girls might get on better and be easier to introduce, although I'm not sure how true this is.

Hope this helped and good luck finding your new baby

Thanks, yes that is useful. Glad it worked out. I do feel so guilty whenever I have to leave the flat so I think another kitty is the answer!

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