New cat?

I had meant to post yesterday but I spent most of the afternoon at the animal shelter visiting with prospective kitty buddies for Ian.  We found one that is extremely sweet and affectionate and seems to favor my husband (which, is what I wanted since Ian has attached to me).  He's all black (which makes him fall under a Halloween special of orange and black cats being only $25 to adopt during October... that was our main drive behind finding a buddy for Ian this month in particular).  (And we did look at ALL of the kitties, not just the ones on special... you can't choose a pet by their appearance, that's probably why people return pets to the shelter that don't work out because they choose them based on looks instead of compatibility.) 


But, I definitely feel apprehension about bringing in a new pet into our home since we got so lucky with Ian who has no behavioral problems whatsoever.  Could we really be so lucky the second time?  Could this new cat bring out problems in Ian? From Ian's paperwork I know he lived with another cat but I have no idea how well they got along.  While Ian is laid-back and non-aggressive, would this new cat perhaps make him feel threatened? 


There's also other things to consider.  Within the next year, we will be making a cross-country move to Washington state.  If my husband stays in the Navy, there will be many moves in our lives.  Can Ian and this new kitty handle it?  The prospective cat is ten years old and well above the age I pictured us getting.  There's just so many things to consider and it's difficult having a strong opinion about it when I spent very little time with the new cat.  


Before we had Ian, our options were endless when it came to researching a new apartment.  But with added pets, the difficulty of finding an apartment with all the criteria necessary adds to the stress.  On the one hand, I feel like I'm over-thinking getting a new pet.  But, on the other, getting a pet is a huge commitment (or should be!) and not to be taken lightly.  It's hard to decipher how I feel about this.  I don't want to tempt fate and throw off the delicate balance in the household because Ian is pretty much the most perfectly behaved cat ever. 


We're supposed to get word today if we can go through with the adoption after the animal shelter contacts our landlord (which, I can't even remember if we can have more than one cat, it doesn't even say in our rental agreement or pet addendum!).  


When we went to PetsMart to get little Manny (name subject to change...) a new collar, we saw a variety of different cat scratchers and furniture.  I think we're going to get the kitties something like that for Christmas.  Maybe something like this?

@ PetsMart.com

Though, I really don't like that it's covered in carpeting because the cats could get mixed signals about what's appropriate to scratch and what's not.  And in an apartment, I DO NOT want them scratching this carpet to make it look crappier than it already does. 

@ PetsMart.com

I like the ones that are covered in sisal rope because it seems like it would be a more enjoyable scratching surface than carpet.  Ian has one similar to the one above but it's taller and sturdier (because he's a pretty big boy and he even tumbles that one over occasionally). 


And also, why is cat furniture SO expensive for what it is?!  I wish I had the tools to just make and design my own, it would be so much cheaper.  There was one at Ross last week (that I should've taken a picture of) that was shaped like a small tree with green carpet as the "leaves" and it was so funny and adorable.  Still expensive but adorable. 


Well... now I'm off to stalk the mailman.  I'm waiting to see if I even placed in the Writer's Digest writing contest and I'll be notified my mail.  I don't want to hold my breath though... 


I'll leave off with an adorable picture of Ian-kins. 

Cabbage Hat!!!

Or... a couple.  He's a very photogenic kitty. 

Aww!