Should I let him bring her home?

[Veesmart]

Just got a message from the boyfriend, an administrative assistant at his office brought in a 3 month old Calico Kitten that is in need of a home.

Both of us are huge animal lovers, but he has developed this love of Calico's in the last few years (No clue why or how).

He wants to bring her home.....I will admit that I am a sucker for animals, especially babies but I'm hesitant (which is rare because normally I'm the one bringing anything with fur home).

We have 3 pets already. 2 male cats (10yr & 4 yr) and a 2 year old Chihuahua. They all get along swimmingly.

We live in a fairly large 2 bedroom apartment and though it seems the perfect size for everyone, I worry it might be too small an area for 4 animals.

Also, she's female. I have no clue how the boys would react to her. Both of them are very social and docile, but for all I know we've just been lucky with their interactions to date (they've both lived with other cats).

Thoughts?

I should add that financially this isn't an issue. We are able to vet and feed an additional mouth. I'm more concerned with square footage, litter boxes and the family dynamic.

[Melinda]

as long as the boys are altered, I see no reason not to bring her home...go for it, give her a good life.

[Sylvie]

I agree with Melinda. If the boys are fixed and you can give her a good home and have her fixed then go for it.

[Veesmart]

Yes, they're fixed.

Apparently so is she...but I have yet to confirm how that is known by the girl who brought her in.

[pattymac]

I'd take her in too. I found a kitten, a calico last winter. Didn't really think twice about it and I already had 3 male cats, all fixed and a dog. If she's not fixed it's pretty easy to tell when they're in heat!! As I discovered!! Her big brothers weren't too impressed! We had a pretty small house, around 700 sq ft and it was tight but everybody did fine...go for it!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Veesmart

I'm more concerned with square footage, litter boxes and the family dynamic.

I think it's great that you're thinking of these things, not enough people do. As far as square footage goes, don't forget about vertical space. If you could add more places for the cats to get up high, like shelves, window hammocks, tall cat condos, this can add significantly to each cat's territory.

Regarding litter boxes, perhaps putting an extra one in a closet somewhere would be enough, or replacing a regular sized box with a large under-the-bed storage box. You could also look into those "discreet" boxes that do double-duty as a piece of furniture: http://catsplay.com/litterbox_concealment.php3

And then there's the matter of whether everyone will get along. Certainly slow introductions can help ease the process. Can you put the new kitty in her own room for a while as everyone gets used to each other's smell? A couple Feliway diffusers might also be useful.

Good luck!