Please could you share your thought.....sorry this may be long.

MargaretN I am sorry to hear about you cat. That is very sad. I have no real ideas about how to stop then wandering. I can't help feeling that short of totally caging in your cat it cannot be done.
Probably try an older rescue cat with the proviso that you can take it back if the cats don't get on.
Cats are "free spirits"and so very much less bidable than dogs.

Maw Broon, your dog ready test gave me a laugh. You forgot one thing though! Smear all your windows and polished surfaces with dog snot and gloop. Mine are experts at that ?

So so sorry for the loss of your little cat. Perhaps you might think of adopting an elderly cat? He or she wpuld be company for your other cst but being older, may not feel the urge to go tearing about outside your garden. Perhaps s local cat rescue or animsl shelter could advise?

MawBroon Loved all you reasons about a dog,none of them would put me off having one if my health was up to it.You missed one thing off the list ,the smell of a soggy dog,heaven to my nostrils.

No don't get another cat,your far too old to consider another pet that would probably out live you.just be realistic and be happy with the one you have.I'm not heartless ,just realistic,I would love a dog but my health is such that I would be unable to take it for walks daily ,. My loss I'm afraid.

Margaret, I'm so sorry to hear how Sasha's life ended. Last year I was taken to hospital after a car accident, with a dying cat at home - I was preparing for the dreadful choice to put him down imminently. While I was in hospital he got out of the house (which my daughter was living in) and I never saw him again. I was so very grateful to someone - I don't know who - who took him to a local vet, where they looked after him and tried to contact me, keeping himwarm and pain-free, until he deteriotated so much that they put him to sleep. I shall never forget the kindness of that stranger as I know he died being looked after.

Oh thank you all so much for your kind words and sympathy. I have pretty much decided to just keep the one cat. Chloe is still clingy but its only been a week, so she still has time to settle down. As she is 13 I think what I will do is wait until something happens to her....(or me, whichever is the first!!!)..and then perhaps get an older cat who would be an indoors cat. That way she isn't upset and I would not be worrying over where the new cat was all the time.I have them registered with the Cinnamon trust, but as I said previously Chloe is so lovely the children would be fighting over who was to have her if anything happened to me. My next door neighbour has just got two six week old kittens and I went in to see them, and thought then this is NOT the way I want to go. Though they are sweet of course, but bombing about like mad things.
I have had dogs in the past, but nothing would induce me to take on a puppy now, I could not give it the exercise it would need. My daughter has two dogs and I get a "fix" when I see her....then go home grateful I don't have to walk three miles in all weathers.
An allotment "friend" of Sasha's put what happened to him on the village Facebook page and I have been very surprised at how many people have commented and said how sorry they are and how much he will be missed. I went to get my prescription yesterday and the first thing the Dr's receptionist said was "so sorry to read about Sasha". He was better known than I am!!
JaneD3 I didn't know about the wire thingy, I must have a look. That would be much easier to install here than the cat fences. Burmilla cats are very agile, I used to say Sasha was crossed with a monkey.
I am sorry that so many of you have lost dear cat friends, losing them to old age is one thing, but the way Sasha was just left seems very callous to me. Had we got to him as soon as it happened he might have survived. As it is we do not know how long he was left lying in the sun on an exceptionally hot day. With the injuries he had he would not have been able to get from the road into the gateway so my feeling is someone picked him up and put him there, but just didn't ring me, and that really hurts.
Thanks again for all the sympathy, they are so much part of the family, especially when the real kids have left home.
Margaret

MawB Hilarious!

So sorry to hear that you lost your cat Margaret. SiL's parents have a cable which runs around the perimeter of their garden which is like a cattle fence. Their cats have a tag on their collars which means they get buzzed if they try to cross the wire. It seems to work!

So sorry to read of your loss, our pets become part of the familydont they
I have lost a few cats over the last fewyears, 3 were very old, one who was 13 for some reason wandered off, they usually never went far,she was run over, i lost my lovely Siamese boy to kidney failure 2 years ago, and my 14 year old bengal to a tumour last year and with 2 weeks my bluepoint ragdoll girl to hea failure,
I have left 2 Ragdolls who were housecats,but now go into the garden, and nowhere else, Ragdolls tend not to go far, and because they were originally house cats woud be too nervous to wander, although my back garden is very enclosed,
I also got a little dog 2 years ago, rehomed from a young couple with a crawling baby, Lola was a rescue dog originally and shes lovely
As for you getting another cat,i would see if Chloe settles on her own first after losing Sasha, my bengal was used to sleeping with
the last ones i lost,but seemed ok after a while
I think i would consider carefully about another adult, they often are fine with another cat, but the resident cat isnt always fine with them,
Whatever you decide good luck
PS,i had a Sasha and a Chloe too

I think cats are beautiful but the fear of their being run over (plus rodent or avian "gifts" ) has always put me off so I would suggest you could consider a puppy.
Read this though
A dog is not just for Christmas !!!
Thinking of buying a puppy? Take this test first! ??
Best taken in the autumn or mid winter.
1. Buy a lead and tie it to a big stone, walk around dragging the stone behind you.
2. Get up at 5am, go out in the pouring rain and walk up and down a muddy path, repeating good girl/boy, wee wees...poo poos, quickly please
3. Stuff your pockets with plastic bags and pick up all the poo you can find, obviously not your dogs as you have not bought it yet ?
4. Start wearing your shoes indoors, especially during muddy times
5. Collect leaves off the ground and spread them on the floor
6. Carry sticks and branches indoors and chop them up on your carpet
7. Pour cold applejuice on the rug and floor....walk barefooted over it in the dark
8. Drop some chocolate pudding on your carpet in the morning and then try to clean it in the evening
9. Wear socks to which you have made holes using a blender
10. Jump out of your favourite chair just before the movie ends and run to open back door
11. Cover all your best clothes with dog hair, dark clothes with blond hairs and light clothes with dark hairs
12. Tip all just ironed clothes on the floor
13. Make little pin holes in all your funiture, especially chair and table legs
14. When doing dishes, splash water all over the place and don't wipe it.
15. Spread toilet paper all over the house when you leave the house and tidy up when you get back home
16. Forget any impulse holidays and/or breaks
17. Always go home straight after work or school
18. Go walkies no matter what the weather, and inspect every dirty paper, chewing gum and dead fly you might find
19. Wake up at 3am. Place a correct size bag of flour on top of yourself and try to sleep, whilst wiping your face with a dishcloth, which you have left next your bed in a bowl last week.

Repeat everyday over 6 months and if you still think getting puppy sounds like a good idea, Congratulations, you might be ready to get your puppy.

A cat/kitten would be a doddle!

We've always had female cats (at least 2), and for 20 years they've been house cats. We've also always had a mixture of ages, so occasionally it's been an older cat with new kittens. As a kid I lost a cat (it wasn't even mine, it was next door's) to a busy main road, and it broke my heart. After moving house, it wasn't a difficult decision to keep them in, though the oldest one was unimpressed.

I don't think I would introduce an older cat into the home, it's awkward enough introducing kittens, but at least they bring out the maternal side of the resident.

At least one charity will promise to re-house your cat should you predecease them.

Good luck. Enjoy them, they are such delightful 'company'!

I should have mentioned that after Charlie died, we had the same dilemma but ultimately decided to let Sophie be an 'only' cat.

We both feel that adult cats (and dogs) don't actually need a buddy unless the owner spends a lot of time away. Sophie may have grieved for a bit, but afterward she seemed very content and happy to be our one and only. As I mentioned earlier she lived to a ripe old age.

My cousin is 90. She was devastated when she found her dear little cat companion of twelve years lifeless among the bluebells, earlier this year. She has taken the plunge and had another rescue cat, Susie. Cousin Marion and Susie are getting along just fine!

I'm hoping this story might encourage you to go for it.

My heart goes out to you. I lost my darling Burmilla last year he was 16. He was having seizures, so I arranged for the vet to come to my house and do the necessary. I miss him terribly, I adore Burmilla's. My daughter has one (her second)
I made the decision not to take on the responsibility of another cat, as the cat would most likely outlive me.

Sorry for your loss.

To be honest I d stick to the one and give her all your love and attention
When my cat lost her companion to a RTA I introduced a kitten thinking she d look after it and love it but oh no she hated it it didn't work at all and the kitten had to be returned there was no way she was going to accommodate another in her older age

Go for it but pick an older cat that needs loving. The Cinnamon Trust will care for older pets if their owner has ill health ???????

So sorry to hear about Sasha. I'm a cat lover and have had several. It must be very hard under such sudden circumstances.

Common wisdom dictates that if cats/dogs are to be paired, they need to be raised together from kitten/puppy hood. Chloe is thirteen and already set in her ways.

We introduced Charlie (three month old kitten) when our first cat Sophie was age six. She rejected him at first then merely became 'used to' him, but for the most part she ignored him. As Charlie got older, their occasional interactions resulted in squabbles that often ended with a lot of hissing and growling. Needless to say, we were disappointed because they never really bonded.

We were heartbroken when Charlie died at age ten since he was such a sweetheart of a cat. To our surprise, Sophie went from room to room looking for him and meowing loudly. This went on for several days. Obviously she missed him badly, so the lesson here is that you never really know.

Sadly, our beloved 'cranky' girl Sophie died last year too, at the ripe old age of 21.

You know your Chloe better than anyone and how she interacted with Sasha when he was alive. If she's a quiet, mellow, submissive cat, she's more likely to accept an interloper. If she's feisty, assertive and territorial in nature (an alpha), I would think twice about it. If you do decide, she's more likely to accept a small kitten. An older cat will likely be viewed as an intruder.

Best, Willa

My two darlings died within 8 months of each other in 2014. Saddest year of my life. They were 17 years old, and the loves of my life. Only now do I think about getting another but my husband has put his foot down for once, for two reasons. 1. My heart will be badly broken again if anything happened and 2. The cat may outlive me and I really couldn't bear that he/she would be left alone. So personally I wouldn't have another. Neither would I have a replacement, in case the surviving cat would still be pining and would be very upset with a new face. I'm so sorry about your cat. Its heartbreaking.

I adore cats, I have two. We got Archibald when the dog died, to keep Cabbage company. Then as the years went by Cabbage passed away. After a conversation with a customer at work we rehomed a six month Albert. These two are now 7 & 5, they have a proper brotherly relationship, teasing each other for fun and rarely cuddling up. But both happy to be together with their hugely different personalities. If you want another cat, get one. It will be for you not your Chloe, she will adjust either way. Fostering sounds great, or rescue. They will understand and won't rehome to where a cat is unhappy. It all depends on their personalities. Good luck whatever you decide

So sorry for your loss Margaret. In my experience it will be very much hit and miss. I got a female kitten when I had two male (neutered) adult cats. There was some initial spitting but it quickly settled down and they all became very close. When the two boys died (at different times) the younger cat desperately missed them so I decided to get two more kittens as feline company for her. I thought they would bring out her maternal instincts and she would be happier. She hated them on sight and was even more miserable. So one success story and one failure - who knows what will happen, cats are such contrary creatures

So sorry Margaret for your loss. The loss of a pet is gut wrenching and having experienced these losses understand your 'should I'. If you decide to have another cat then go for a kitten and have your garden made secure An older cat used to freedom would fret. Your kitten would become accustomed to his/her environment.
Good luck and I hope this helps.

Your dear cat has flown to the Rainbow bridge...so sorry for your loss x

As suggested an older rescue cat would be a good idea. So many in need of a home and love x

I'm sorry to hear of your loss Margaret. I've always had a cat until a few years ago, after she died we were thinking of moving so didn't get another one. Now we are in a flat which is ours but has a long lease. This stipulates no animals. It's not sheltered housing or anything like that, just ten flats but by the nature of these flats most people are retired. I would like a cat and there's been lots of research showing the benefits of animals for older people, should I challenge the terms of the lease do you think ? Or just get one and see what happens. Would I be opening the door to others getting a huge dog ? Ha ha.