Okay, I have a male cat, who is about 14 years old, and he is still very active. Recently we've been having a stray cat who looks to be at most a year and a half old come around our house. It is a girl, and she hangs around our house all day. It is a gorgeous cat, and we've been considering taking her to the vet, getting her spayed, and cleaned up from her life outdoors, then bring her in to the house as a new addition to the family. Will this have any negative effects on our current 14 year old male cat? We would love to bring her in, and the only thing stopping us is the possible negative effects it could have on our current house cat. Any advice would help! Thanks a lot.

The following is my advice based upon having cats all of my life and also taking in a stray.

You would be doing the correct thing by taking the stray to the vet and having all of the medical things done that need to be done as well as tested for any possible diseases. Just wanted to add that last part about diseases, because it is very important.

Your 14-year-old cat will probably enjoy the company. There will be some time for them to stake out their individual territory at first. Cats will do that. But, in the end, I am sure that everything will be okay, as long as both cats are healthy, physically and mentally.

I have a 15-year-old male who lost his mother a few years ago. I know that he is lonely because of the way that he has acted when I have been away. I have been thinking of bringing a younger cat into my home for him to have some companionship. With my cat, I don't think that there will be any problem. But, what happens in your home, greatly depends on the personality of your 14-year-old cat.

I took in a much older cat many years ago. I already had two of my own. There were some problems. I think that the problems could have been overcome with time. The cat that I brought in escaped through an open window in the basement and was never seen again. I think that the younger the cat is that you bring in, the better. Because the younger one will learn things from the older one.

Very sound advise Clough...

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Originally Posted by firmbeliever

Very sound advise Clough...

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Thank you for your comment, firmbeliever. I am by no means an expert in this field. But, I have had cats all of my life. And, I have had experience taking in a stray as well as a cat that needed a new home.

There may be someone who might come along who could offer better advice than I have...

Now, where is my cat when I need him.. :)

Hehe
Clough I know...
Experience with cats is one of the best things in life.
I understand your answer as I too have had cats (have lost count how many), but by no means am I an expert! ;)

Clough is right a lot depends on the cats. I think a boy girl combo should be fiine. My very aggressive neutered male indoor/outdoor cat was around 7 when I brought a female kitty around him. It took about 2 months for him to not want to eat her. Mow there are 4 cats and 2 dogs in our home. Yes he was an only oet for 7 years. I would lbring her in and give her a room to her self and maybe put her in a cage a hor at a time so they could be in the same room together. Also the room she stays in leave the door slightly cracked so they can sniff and interact through it. A screen door would be perfect for this if you have one. Either way you go I would take it slow so neither one gets hurt. But with a little patience it should work out.

Thank you! I really appreciate everyone's opinions and advice. I definitely will be taking it in to the vet to get it checked out and cleaned up. And I think we're going to bring her in. If worst comes to worst and she does not get along with our current cat after time... then we can find her a new home. Now... any ideas for a name :)

What does she look like? Any specific markings? What color or colors? My neutered male cat is named "Boots." That is because all of his paws are white.

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Originally Posted by Clough

What does she look like? Any specific markings? What color or colors? My neutered male cat is named "Boots." That is because all of his paws are white.

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Well, she's solid gray with very bright yellowish brown eyes. Her fur is not short, but not long. Gorgeous cat.

How aboout Princess,Georgeous,Countess(we had one countess, but ended up calling her tessy for short).
If she looks sleek, then lady sounds nice ;)

I like the answer above! If solid gray, how about Shadow?

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Originally Posted by firmbeliever

How aboout Princess,Georgeous,Countess(we had one countess, but ended up calling her tessy for short).
If she looks sleek, then lady sounds nice ;)

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I'm just having some fun here. And, I like all of the name possibilities that you have given. But, I was just thinking what it would be like if I had a cat named Gorgeous or Lady who I would let outside, and what the neighbors might think, since I am a man, when I would be calling her to come in. "Hey, Gorgeous!" "Here Gorgeous!" "Come on, Lady!" "That's a good Lady!" "You know you're my kitty, Lady!"

:D :p

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Originally Posted by cdf18

Well, she's solid gray with very bright yellowish brown eyes. Her fur is not short, but not long. Gorgeous cat.

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Sometimes people name their cats because they act a certain way a lot. Is there a way that she acts that sets her apart from other cats that might be helpful in deciding a name for her?

Just another idea here, is that if you have children or other close relatives or friends who might enjoy taking part in the activity, you might have them write down on small pieces of paper what they think she should be called and then pull one of the names out of a box for a winner. I have done this before and it was fun!

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Originally Posted by Clough

I'm just having some fun here. And, I like all of the name possibilities that you have given. But, I was just thinking what it would be like if I had a cat named Gorgeous or Lady who I would let outside, and what the neighbors might think, since I am a man, when I would be calling her to come in. "Hey, Gorgeous!" "Here Gorgeous!" "Come on, Lady!" "That's a good Lady!" "You know you're my kitty, Lady!"

:D :p

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:D you are right!

I had one called what-to-do and squinty too
There was a chic and chip too.

What to do is the one who never knows what he wants... so we called him that and squinty was a bit squint and then there was browny too.

And I meant FUN in my comment!! ;)

When I was growing up, one of the cats that we had was called P.F. The "P" meant Purr, because he purred so much. And, the "F" meant Flash, because he was so fast in his actions.

Hmm, I like those a lot. We've been considering Shadow. Thanks for the suggestions! I do have another question though...

I think we are going to take her in. But we need to make a few calls to the vet before we can... so right now she's outside still. So, to prepare I bought a flea/tic collar and put it on her today, and she was very scared and bolted out of the backyard and I saw her again today and she seemed very irritated. Was this a bad choice to put the flea collar on while she's still outside? I checked to see if it was too tight and I don't think it is. Her food and water is still in our backyard so I'm hoping she'll keep coming back.

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Originally Posted by cdf18

I think we are going to take her in. But we need to make a few calls to the vet before we can...so right now shes outside still. So, to prepare I bought a flea/tic collar and put it on her today, and she was very scared and bolted out of the backyard and I saw her again today and she seemed very irritated. Was this a bad choice to put the flea collar on while she's still outside? I checked to see if it was too tight and I don't think it is. Her food and water is still in our backyard so I'm hoping she'll keep coming back.

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I see nothing wrong with putting a flea collar on her while she is outside.

If she knows there is food, love and caring by you, then she will return. It's just going to take her and you some time to get used to a routine, i.e, what you do and what you expect. She will learn.

Cdf, just make sure that the collar is loose enough to come off in case it gets hung on a tree branch or a fence. If not it could choke her to death or if she is trying to escape another animal this may help her to get caught.

She's been acting very strange lately and seems irritable and hasn't been eating the food we've been putting out. I took the collar off today due to the weird behavior.