by Sarah
(Washington)

Hello,

I have an almost 2 year old indoor, male cat named Krenshaw. About a month ago we moved from an apartment into our new house. The first week went great, as my cat hid away for a day or two and then ventured out and was using his litter box and eating regularly. During the second week he had 3 accidents and this has never happened before. We attributed it to the move, and also changing his cat litter box to the covered kind (it was going to be in a more open location and he is a bit of a mess maker) We removed the cover and bought a screen/room divider so that he could have a private bathroom. Since then he has been doing great! I would really like to get a second cat. Actually, we would like to adopt a rescue cat around the same age as my feline, so that he has a companion when we are gone during the day. Is it too soon to throw another change at him? And if not is getting a cat vs. kitten the way to go? Or what is the right amount of time to wait?

Any advise is appreciated.
Thank you!


Dear Sarah,

Although I cannot say for certain, it is very common for cats to begin going outside the box when you place a cover on a litter box. It seems more likely to me that this change caused your cat's accidents more so than the move itself. So, to answer the first part of your question, I don't believe it is too soon to introduce a new cat into your household. In fact, doing so early in your new home can actually reduce the amount of time it takes for the cats to acclimate to one another because your current kitty hasn't had much time to establish your new home as his territory.

In terms of the age of the cat you should adopt, while I love it when people adopt older rescue cats, I have to be honest in saying that introductions tend to go more smoothly if you bring in a kitten or young cat no more than a year old. The most important thing is to have enough cat litter pans, without covers, in enough locations throughout the house for your kitties. The general rule is that you should always have one more litter box than the number of cats you have in your home. So, if you have two cats, you should have a total of 3 cat litter boxes. Additionally, if your house has multiple floors, there should be a cat litter box on each level.

Best wishes with your new home and soon-to-be new cat,
Dr. Neely