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Wondering how our current cat will react to a new kitten, and whether gender matters.

We've had Allie for 3 years now (after initially being told she was male and called her Alfie ), she was very playful as a kitten then always active but rarely very affectionate. This was put down to being taken from the mother after only 6 weeks, though now she's starting to settle in with us and becoming a little more cuddly, occasionally sitting on my girlfriend's lap.
We think she wants to play more than we get time for, often going out and catching mice/birds in the daytime, very active.

So my girlfriend has been asking for a kitten for her to bond and play with, after resisting initially I think I'm going to surprise her with one around Christmas. As luck would have it someone at work has just had two kittens, well her cat has, and the easy option would be to take one of those.

Firstly, is there a specific gender that we should go for, I've read that some people think Male are more affectionate, though really I think we would have to choose which gender Allie would bond with best. At 3 would she potentially mother a kitten or would she more likely get territorial?

The girl at work would like to give them away after 8 weeks but said she's willing to keep them for 10 if that's better for them, that would take us into December which would be great for me.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks

Hi Ellis and welcome

This kind of arrangement can go both ways so hope you don't mind me playing devil's advocate.

An only cat can be very content with its household; not all cats are super-affectionate and playful; they're all different, and Allie may enjoy her hunting trips as a workout and like returning to you and your girlfriend for peace and Allie-time - and no competition.

A new kitten in the house could cause stress and certainly there would be a period of adjustment and turmoil - and with Allie being the outdoors type, could (worst case scenario) result in her deciding to live off the land and live outside in protest ... you would have to make a huge fuss of her and make every effort to reassure her that she is still queen Allie-cat ...

On the other hand she might think, oh what fun, and take to Kitten straight away ...

It's really impossible to calculate their reaction.

I myself have an 'Allie' - my Molly is the youngest in the household and I've always felt sorry that the older cats have been too old to play with her, but over the years I've come to realise that Molly likes to be top cat and might resent a newcomer ... haven't dared try so far. So I may well be biased.

I DO agree that 10 weeks is a good age to leave Mama - and yes, boys can generally be more laid back, but also BOYSterous, which might irritate a grown cat ...

Also I feel you need to make preparations for Kitten if you decide to go ahead - a surprise present of an animal, whether at Christmas or another time, isn't always practical. I'm sure your girlfriend would understand that the kitten comes first.

Sorry if I sound a bit gloomy/fussy, but it really is in the lap of the cat-Goddess ...

Hopefully other people will be along with more advice, but hope this helps for now and please keep in touch whatever you decide, good luck