One Kitty or Two?

This is Harlo:

You might have heard me mention him before.  Isn’t he handsome?

Handsome, but not all that well behaved.  In fact he is known to get a bit feisty with Karla and me.  Lately I’ve been considering getting him a friend {another kitty} so that he won’t be lonely and will stop trying to play {fight} with us.  When I told my dad my bright idea he told me to, ‘stop trying to give the cat human emotions.’  Maybe I am making something out of nothing, but I feel bad that he doesn’t have any interaction with other cats.  I feel like this might be the reason that he is so feisty.  Ever since I rescued him from the shelter he has seen nothing but people.

Last week a woman at work told me about some new kittens she has and said I could have one.  I had a green light from Karla, but I continued to fret over the decision {me? Be indecisive…no!}.  I did a couple searches online for how to introduce a new cat to one who has been alone for awhile.  It turns out to be an intense process.  I learned that it’s not wise to just throw them in a room together.  Instead you need to take it slow and do things like rub each of them with the same washcloth to ‘mix their scents’ and give them food when they meet so they have happy associations with each other.

This week I thanked the woman at work for her kind offer but told her I wouldn’t be taking one of her kittens.  As much as I was excited at the opportunity to get a friend for Harlo, I think I need some more time to figure this one out.  The main thing holding me back is the thought of Harlo hating the new kitten.  If that happens then I’m not really helping Harlo at all, instead I’m just agitating him and torturing a poor kitten!

Lord help me when I have to make these sorts of decisions about children!  Have any of you ever introduced a new animal to a loner?  How did it work out?  The picture to the left shows exactly what I hope to accomplish with a new kitty.

*Don’t forget to enter Sarah’s Give Away.  She’s giving away handmade greeting cards!  As someone who has seen her work first hand, you should really enter…they are always beautiful!

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