How soon should you get a new cat for your other cat whose playmate dies

No, I think your surviving cat might just get jealous of the new cat, not like the new cat, and maybe get into fights with the new cat.

I had a cat die last year and His little buddy lost a whole lot of weight and hasn't been the same sense.

I worry about this problem, I have two girls from the same litter and a younger male tom.

There are services that will come by and perform a euthanization in the comfort of your own home, where your other pets can see and understand. They also handle disposal and cremation packages.

Of course cats grieve, I'd rather they understand that their companion has passed than to go on looking for them week after week never really knowing what happened.

To me, that lack of closure is far more cruel.

Something else I'd like to try...

If one of your cats is getting up in years or has a medical problem, gather some of their shed fur up in a ball (I know mine produce pounds of the stuff every spring and fall) and sew it up in a cloth pouch the same way you'd do a catnip bag.

That way you'll have something with that cat's scent to hold onto for yourself or give to your cats.

get a kitten right away. the goal is not to have a playmate, cats aren't toddlers, the goal is to have interaction and avoid loneliness and lethargy. There will always be an issue at first, there cats, but they will work it out.