My Siberian is huge at 2 years old and can only just squeeze through the cat flap - she won't be fully grown until she's 5

This is all good advice, as we are getting a new kitten next week sometime from a shelter

We already have an old female cat who used to live with a male cat who died a few weeks ago () so she's used to being around other animals

Would our cat get on with a female or male kitten more? I hope she gets on with the new arrival!

I have heard females are more territorial, males will happily wander away more and so are less likely to regard the house and garden as its place and noone elses to the same degree.

I think the same also applies to the way they are with people be it a cat or dog, personal guard dogs for instance a female one is more likely to be protective over the members of the family.

Of the people I know with cats they always seem to view the females as having a stronger bond with the owners, my last cat treated everyone in my family as if we belonged to her and so the idea of bringing another in we felt would not have worked she would have been too jelous .....it varies though.

The fact you already have a female will mean adding another female kitten who once grown may also try and be as territorial about her space as your older cat is...may cause issues later

So I would go for a male myself.

On another note since loosing my last cat some years back really was wanting to get another and had my heart set on a Singapura but these Maine cats just look lovely

Maybe a kitten of one of each

Ok so Lola just have a read of my last comment as I know from speaking to many folks myself and my old Vet swearing by that method has always worked.

It is the first meeting you want to make as hassle free as possible which means seperating them for some days initially but after that things should be a little more plain sailing.

If not dont despair will just take a little longer.

Thanks - I have been reading up on the best ways to introduce the 2 cats so hopefully it will all go smoothly haha

Can't wait to get new kitten

I read somewhere that an older cat is more likely to accept two kittens rather than one. My 15 year old cat lived with her "brother" for 13 years and hated his guts 'til the day he died! When he first arrived she only came indoors to eat and sleep for about 6 months, but after that she would just hiss if he got too near. Just got two 6 year old rescue cats and she likes them!

I once had three cats at the same time. Started with older female and then got a young female. I let them sort themselves out. Then I got a young tom and that was really interesting. Tom thought he was the boss but older female soon sorted him out. They all lived happily ever after once they learned who was who and in what order. Usually animals sort it out amongst themselves.

Funny thing was, I ended up with just the older female after a time. Re-homed the other two cats and a year or so later I got a puppy. Who won that contest? The cat did. Within a week the pup knew his place and he was nearly two before he learned that he wasn't actually a cat but was in fact a dog.

Guess my old moggy was just a bad tempered old sod and wasn't giving up on being Queen B to anyone

Just got in to witness another hissy fit from Madam. The plus side is that little Leo's tail fluffs up, which reduces any females present to a mushy pile of protoplasm on the floor. Can you imagine a 8" long coon cat standing there bravely fluffing himself up?

MAW hopefully they will sort themselves out given a little time. Most animals usually do but obviously you need to keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't get violent with each other.

Post some pics if possible

That's what happened with us. We had the cat first, & we thought she was a fair size. When we got the dog (a Border Collie pup), he was tiny but grew so fast & was bigger than the cat within a month or so. The cat ruled him from day one - she'd either play with his tail-hair or hold onto his tail to make him drag her across the floor, ride on his back, jump on his back to swing on a door handle to open it, & would regularly thump his nose if he tried to refuse her. If he was lying in a space she wanted, she'd either hiss at him or simply lie at right angles to his stomach & push her head against it until he got fed up & moved. He'd never complain or disobey her. Yet if I tried to get him to move, he'd open one eye to give me that look that said "It's not happening, so give it up like a good girl", shut his eye again & go back to ignoring me.