New pup coming soon, Kitten as company?

orinoco

orinoco

Old school tPFer
O.G.
Jan 31, 2006
3,114
5
#1
Ok, i've asked around and got EXTREMELY contradictory comments :hrmm:... so i know i'd get some good honest opinions from my darling animalicious purse addicts! :idea:

SO here's the deal... My Pom will be coming home soon in a few months, i've made the deposit with the breeder eons ago, this was before i was fully aware of the plight of the shelter animals...

so i was thinking... since my pom would be the only pet i have... should i get her a kitty brother/sister for company? sadly my budget (or time) wouldn't allow for another dog, besides, i've always believed in having a good mixed family :girlsigh: shutup no brangelina cracks! :upsidedown: so maybe this time i'll adopt a kitty from the shelter?

Is that a good idea? would they be able to grow up together? would i be able to handle it? is it a recipe for disaster?

TIA everyone!! :flowers:
 
#2
I am not a big fan of getting one animal merely to keep the other one company. That's like having a baby in order to procure bone marrow for your other kid, IMO. Now, if you have always wanted a kitten and think that now would be a good time to get one since you're bringing home a new puppy as well...that I could get behind. But a kitten is a living, breathing, feeling creature who needs love and care, the same as a puppy. What would you do if the puppy didn't like the kitten--get rid of it?
 
#3
I think its a good idea... animals get lonely but along with getting it for your pet not to be lonely you have another delightful fur ball to love!! The puppy and kitten will more than likely grow up sleeping together and playing... at least from my experience with people I know who have had a puppy and kitten. One of my friends got a black lab puppy and later got a siamese kitten and they're sooo funny together, the kitty curls up and sleeps with the dog and they run after each other its really great!

I also agree with madamefifi, she's right in thinking that if its (kitten) not something you want as much as the puppy and the puppy and kitten don't get a long... well what would you do? It is a possibility that they might not get along (or co-exist which isn't that bad) and you should consider that.. Its not fair for the shelter cat to be given away just in case (I don't know if that's what you would do, I'm just assuming)
 
#4
In the longterm, cats can cost as much as dogs. You can obviously get a kitten for a cheap cost upfront, but cats tend to live quite a long time. More and more domestic cats are living to 20 years and beyond. There is not a lot of difference in terms of cost for veterinary care or food between cats and dogs. So it might be best to wait if you are concerned with budget.
Also, kittens can be quite destructive. While they may not chew everything or have problems house training like a puppy does, they are notorious for shredding carpets, couches and curtains.
 
#5
I have three dogs and two cats. Over the years we've had our moments of chaos....dogs chasing cats under the bed, dogs snitching the cat's food, cats annoying the dogs while they're trying to sleep, etc. but to me, their interaction with each other is wonderful.

They seem to enjoy each other's companionship in an intangible, quiet sort of way.
 
#6
madamefifi said:
I am not a big fan of getting one animal merely to keep the other one company. That's like having a baby in order to procure bone marrow for your other kid, IMO. Now, if you have always wanted a kitten and think that now would be a good time to get one since you're bringing home a new puppy as well...that I could get behind. But a kitten is a living, breathing, feeling creature who needs love and care, the same as a puppy. What would you do if the puppy didn't like the kitten--get rid of it?
Click to expand...

oh NO not at all...!!!:wtf: would never think of it...!!! what i meant is that i've always wanted to have a kitty, but since i've already made a deposit on the puppy, and haven't done any sort of commitment whatsoever on the kitten, i should be considering on my pup's part. If it doesn't seem to be a good idea to bring a kitten and dog together, i won't, i'll have another puppy in the future, kwim? so like u said, ^^
 
#7
don't feel bad about getting your puppy from a breeder first of all! Those animals are well treated and responsibly bred and are not the cause of the overpopulation of our shelters and rescues.

I would let the puppy settle in a bit, puppies are sort of crazy and let him grow up and mature and get some training in. It will be much less stressful to housetrain him and teach basic obedience when you can focus on him only. If he seems lonely, getting an adult cat with an established predictable personality may be a good idea.

But don't do it while your puppy is still all young and crazy, let him grow up a bit.
 
#8
he432 said:
don't feel bad about getting your puppy from a breeder first of all! Those animals are well treated and responsibly bred and are not the cause of the overpopulation of our shelters and rescues.

I would let the puppy settle in a bit, puppies are sort of crazy and let him grow up and mature and get some training in. It will be much less stressful to housetrain him and teach basic obedience when you can focus on him only. If he seems lonely, getting an adult cat with an established predictable personality may be a good idea.

But don't do it while your puppy is still all young and crazy, let him grow up a bit.
Click to expand...

thanks so much! will definitely take that into account...!:yes: wouldn't want the cat to take a swipe at the pup when she's being annoying... :s

and thanks for the breeder bit... it did make me feel a bit better... :P have been feeling a bit guilty ever since making a trip to the spca.. :sad:
 
#9
You mentioned in your op that you still have a few months till your pup comes home. if it were me, i would adopt an adult cat now, and within a few months he/she will be settled in and introducing a puppy to it would be easier than vice versa.

on that note, i adopted a pom 2 months ago that LOVES LOVES LOVES cats. worships the ground they walk on. so i think a cat would make a great companion, for my pom at least
 
#10
My 14 year old ****zu loves our persian kitten and really cant stand our labradoodle so i would say it depends on the dog !! But it is nice for your pet to have company if you are out at all during the day...
 
#11
Leelee said:
I have three dogs and two cats. Over the years we've had our moments of chaos....dogs chasing cats under the bed, dogs snitching the cat's food, cats annoying the dogs while they're trying to sleep, etc. but to me, their interaction with each other is wonderful.

They seem to enjoy each other's companionship in an intangible, quiet sort of way.
Click to expand...

We have two dogs (great dane and golden retriever) and three cats and they all sort of keep to themselves, now that the pecking order is worked out. The cat food is in a room only they can get into (long story) so we dont have any issues with dogs stealing their food, but one cat is very fond of the hills w/d the dogs are fed and likes to steal it if any is left in the bowl.

We do have issues with the dane annoying the cats but they just smack her around a bit (literally, its like wham wham wham) and run off and all is well again.

The two dogs really keep each other company more and exercise each other and stuff. We rescued an older dane (3 at the time) after our last one died so that we wouldnt have a puppy torturing our 10-at-the-time golden. They are now 7 and 14 and aging at the same rate almost and are the best of friends. The golden has cataracts and is a little bit deaf AND was just diagnosed with a controllable melanoma and still play fights with the dane.
 
#12
I actually had an adult cat when i first brought my toy poodle home from the breeders. My poodle grew up with the cat and got used to playing like a cat. He is actually rather cat-like now...he likes to clean other dogs! LOL!

I would recommend getting your dog, having it settle in and then consider getting a companion. How about adopting a dog from a shelter instead of a cat? There's always the off chance of the two not getting along, regardless of whether it's a dog or cat. You'll need to bring your pom to the shelter to 'interview' the dog/cat first...good luck!!


ETA: The cat was really good at keeping my puppy in line. However, he had claws and would sometimes scratch Dookie's belly which I didn't like. It's more likely that the cat will hurt your pom than the other way around...
 
#13
I think if you were planning on getting a cat eventually anyway, it would be good to get them both and have them meet when they are young so that they can grow up being on equal ground (on your home).

We have a 6 month old cavalier and are thinking of getting a new puppy at the end of this year, part of me wishes we got two at the same time so there wouldn't be any "turf" issues.
 
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