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My 15 year old cat (Simon) grew up with dogs since he was born. He actually thinks he's a dog (still plays fetch), so cute. When he was young, I got him another kitty friend, Buddy. They lived together for 12 years. He's always had another kitty and dog in the house. Unfortunately, we lost his kitty friend Buddy last year. But, he still had two puppies in the house. Due to a divorce, he is now alone with no other furry friends. He's used to sleeping with other furry animals, playing with them- just being around them.

My question is, do I get another cat? I've NEVER seen him interact with another cat other than Buddy. He interacts with dogs just fine....unfortunately, I cannot get another dog due to my apartment situation. I do bring the two dogs over once in a while for a visit and its like time hasn't passed. Thoughts?

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    Please tell me, does Simon raise any behavioral concerns due to recent loneliness? I would need to know more details to attempt answering your question. Cats are generally regarded as social but solitary animals, so unlike dogs they are able to live alone and not suffer from lack of companion. But I wonder how being raised with dogs and living a lifetime with them could have changed Simon's personality to be more dog-like in that regard.
    – lila
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 15:33
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    He has started excessive eating, he's always staring at the door waiting for something, walking around howling looking for "something", and he has been crying (which i have NEVER seen him do before). His whole life ive always seen him with the other cat or the dogs (snuggling/sleeping,etc). Now im worried that he will be to alone, esp when quarantine is lifted and i go back to the office.
    – Pamela Culberson
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 17:23

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It sounds like he is unhappy being an only pet, and since you can only have cats, that doesn't seem to leave a lot of options.

If he is still very active, then I would strongly consider a kitten. Sure, there may be some challenges with introductions at first, but most adult cats will at least tolerate a kitten and having a new playmate to occupy him will probably override that once he gets used to the new smell in "his" territory. And if the kitten is too playful, as kittens often are for an older cat, make sure he has vertical escape when he needs a break, e.g. a high platform that the kitten can't reach.

If he is more sedentary and just wants someone to cuddle with, then I would suggest an adult cat, though expect a much longer introduction period since they'll both consider each other a threat at first, or maybe two kittens who will spend most of their energy bugging each other while he watches and then coming to him for naptime.

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