I have a five-years old female cat, that is the cuddliest cat that my husband and I ever encountered. She cannot be put on the floor, she needs to be on us (shoulder, arms, back) all the day. She loves to cuddle, to lick (she washes my husband's beard three times a day) and sleep in our arms. The only time we are left alone is when she's sleeping, she goes in her box. She is able to play alone, we sometimes stimulate her with sticks and wool thread, but she has her plushies she takes everywhere and fight. She's a home cat (we're in an apartment) and neutered.
It wasn't a problem before: my husband and I both had jobs and when we were back home, she was greeting us, so it was no wonder she wanted to cuddle. But when the pandemic started to strike, my husband lost his job and is now jobless since March 2020. He is almost 24/24 at home, and the cat never leaves him. Whenever he goes outside, even if I'm here, she cries until he gets back home, it's heartbreaking.
He's looking for a new job, and I'm 100% sure that when he'll be gone from the house, the first weeks will be terrible for her (for example, when I was able to go back to work after 2 months home everyday, each morning she blocked my legs when leaving the house), and I'm scared she will fall into depression or develop anxiety. So I wanted to adopt now another kitten (or adult cat?), so she would have a companion and not be alone all day. My husband is not okay with this idea: our cat is a real princess, she gets cuddle all the time, she gets what she wants when she wants (I'm talking about items she's stealing, not treats) and seems really in love with my husband, and jealous of me: whenever I'm kissing my husband, she runs towards him and block me from getting another. He fears she will take the new inhabitant as a threat and that it would be explosive.
Does anyone had the same problem we're facing? And what would be the options if we don't take another cat? Thanks a lot for your answers.
(Maybe a last minute addition: we live in a 65 m2 apartment (700 ft2), so 2 cats would fit.)