Billy kitten

George had been an only child for some time, he loved to spend time with us. In or on the bed at night and on our knees whenever he could elsewhere in the house.

George sat on Daddy's knee

But we had to go to work and I began to wonder if he might be a little lonely.  I started to think that maybe he would like another cat for company.

Whilst I'd had a cat for some time by now I'd never had more than one at a time.  I have a number of friends who have a lot of experience with multi animal households, and so I asked out for advice on Facebook. Should I go boy or girl, cat or kitten?  I got lots of useful advice.

Within days a friend mentioned she knew of a black kitten looking for a home. I was told there was something special about this little boy and when I heard the kitten had extra toes, I was sold. I love black cats anyway, but if he had too many toes and George didn't have enough? Well that sounded perfectly balanced to me :)

And so Billy, the naughty kitten, arrived in May 2011 and we stared in wonder at his 'thumbs'

Billy's first look at his new home

I am very lucky that I have a back room in my house where Billy could become acquainted with his new home. It's really important, when introducing another animal, that you do it slowly. In 'Billy's' room he had toys, a scratch post, litter tray and his food.

Look at my thumbs!!

Kittens can be quite destructive at times. Most people need to leave the house at some point so its important that you don't leave them with your best furniture, designer curtains and priceless antiques.
They can also get into the smallest holes and gaps known to man. If you thought you didn't have any, you may find a new kitten will prove you wrong!  Under the sofa was a particular favourite for Billy.


He was full of energy and wanted to play all the time with George.  The older cat didn't dislike the kitten, but he did find him a bit annoying at times.  It was useful to be able to keep them apart for some of the day and give George a break.  We helped out too, playing with cats and kittens is always fun.

Billy and George share a rare moment together

As time went on there were days when I thought I'd made a big mistake.  Billy would chase George around, he just wanted to play.  Unfortunately, George didn't always want to and they often fell out over it.
Once Billy could go outside he was able to use up more energy and that helped their relationship.

Remember, if you have a kitten, you need to make sure they are vaccinated and neutered.   Follow your vets advice on how soon they can go outside.

The months passed and the two boys did bond, but Billy still wanted more from George than he wanted to give.

Spot the difference

By December that year I decided we needed a girl to come in and sort out the boys.