I think my cat is bored. Do I need another cat?
The cat we adopted a couple of months ago is a neutered male that had been declawed by a previous owner. We play with him (he loves feather toys) and give him all the pets he wants.
But what he really wants to do is roughhouse in a way that gets one of us (my wife or myself) bitten. He doesn't bite hard. I am sure he is being playful. He also tends to bite one of us if he feels ignored -- not often, but enough to make it an issue. I am starting to think he's bored and frustrated at not getting enough of the cat-like play he really likes.
The shelter told us he'd be best in a home without other cats. But I think that was mainly because of his no-front-claws situation.
But I am wondering if what Coltrane needs is a companion he can chase and wrestle with. It'd probably have to be another high-energy cat. We'd almost certainly need to find another declawed shelter cat -- probably about the same age or younger. And I think the other cat should be female to avoid a struggle for alpha-cat status.
What do y'all think?
I am worried that my latent desire to have as many cats as possible could be making me biased toward getting another one. But I also know that cats are more social than many people think.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Just wait till Freddy puts on his headphones 
getting another pet to solve a pet problem is a huge gamble. The biting is likely a result of him being declawed, as that is a common "side-effect." If the shelter suggested him being an only cat, I'd certainly talk with them about their reasoning.
How old is he? He might outgrow the roughhousing phase.
I like the idea of fostering. At least that will give you an idea of how he would get along with another one.
As far as the gender issue, as long as they're both neutered, it shouldn't really matter. Females can be pretty dang alpha-cat too.
Let us know what you decide! 