New to the forum - advice needed please!

I have had 2 MC males (neutered) for 3 years now and have had others cats for years before that. Unfortunately one of them (litter brothers) escaped almost 5 months ago which has been very traumatic for us. We have done everything you could think of to find him, and he has been sighted a couple of times. We live on the edge of a village with fields/wooded areas just behind the house and that is where he has been living all this time it seems. This makes it very hard to find him as there are thousands of places to hide over a wide area, it really is like finding a needle in a haystack. We still have 2 wildlife cameras out there which we move around and check twice a week, but it's not looking hopeful.

So although I'm not giving up, I have to face the reality that he might not return and decide what to do about the other cat. He has really blossomed since his brother went, he used to be nervous and very shy but he's so much more confident and affectionate now. I worry about leaving him at home whilst we are at work, and have started to think about getting him a companion. If the lost cat turns up (which he still could, you never know - microchips have brought lost cats home years later) then we will have to deal with that and have 3 cats. We are teachers so have the summer coming up soon to settle the new cat in, but I'm unsure whether to get an adult rehome or a kitten. The remaining cat is very gentle and good natured and the last thing I want to do is stress him out. Any experiences of either introducing a kitten to an adult cat (he is just 3 years old, and still quite playful) or a new adult to an existing one would be appreciated. Thanks

I've not had any trouble integrating new kittens. Not sure what mine would be like if I tried to bring a fully grown cat into the house. They go nuts if any cats get on "their" fence :rofl: ...