One kitten or two?

[Sabriel]

We're thinking of getting another cat (we had one for almost 18 years that died 3 years ago), but we're debating getting one or two. I'm assuming it's twice as much junk, right? Two litter boxes, two cat carriers, two bowls.

So what are the advantages? The cat wouldn't really be alone too much, because there's almost always someone home.

One kitten, or two?

[KitchenWitch]

1. Two kittens

You can still do one box with two kitties. They will play with each other and I think they will be happier.

[Sabriel]

2. Would you recommend siblings, or would two strangers work, too? n/t

[KitchenWitch]

13. litter mates would be best - but I have two cats who were probably not from the same litter

and they are marvelous together. (I do not know because I got these cats as adults)

[crimsonblue]

3. the real question is

if you want to breast feed the kitties or go with formula...

[Sabriel]

4. 5 years of bf was enough for me.... n/t

[crimsonblue]

5. well that's just dumb..

everyone knows you feed your bf formula. It's the law of diminishing returns. If he is constantly sucking your teat then he won't be interested during hanky panky time.

[Sabriel]

7. Well, no WONDER the kids were so undernourished! n/t

[crimsonblue]

6. and wow I thought you meant boyfriend instead of breast feed.

i need to get the mind out of the gutter. :yoiks:

[khashka]

8. Why were you still breastfeeding a 5 year old?

Some people take the mothering instinct too far!


Khash.

[Sabriel]

9. Actually, it was 2 kids for 2 1/2 years each.

And I would've gone to five years, if either of them had wanted to.

[khashka]

10. But that would have been 10 years

if each wanted 5. And you said 5 was enough, so the second kid would have starved to death......

Khash.

[siligut]

24. Am I just twisted?

Because I think that is really funny.

[khashka]

34. No more twisted than me

I was trying to be funny, but not everyone gets my humour.

My exwife (have to keep reminding myself to say ex, and I demanded the divorce!) nursed our daughter until she was in her 2's and everyone was all over us about it. But she turned out GREAT!!!!!!!!

Khash.

[yellowdogintexas]

15. hey you, YOU ROCK I nursed mine for 27 months, and we did not have terrible twos

ear infections, or food allergies.

[BarenakedLady]

19. I would have too.

3 years was the longest of my three.

[Jamastiene]

11. Plus watching two kittens play with each other

provides hours of the BEST entertainment around. :D

[drmeow]

12. Two kittens

I always had one cat when I was a kid until I finally got my dad to agree to a second cat cause 1 cat was never enough to have to share with everyone else in the family. For the past 21 years I've had two cats (except one year - Hansel had to be put down a year before Gretel). The extra work isn't that big of a deal. I would get siblings. There definitely is the aspect of them keeping each other company and it is true that it is great to watch them play together. An example:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7728276&mesg_id=7728276

-M

[Richard Steele]

14. Two. nm

[yellowdogintexas]

16. two kittens definitely, esp if they are coming in the house together and are already bonded

our three younger cats (Now 5 years old) were littermates and they raised the roof they had so much fun in the kitten years. They are still quite good buddies and treat the elder cat with the utmost respect. To them he is STILL the big guy, even though they are now much larger than he is.

[LynneSin]

17. My cats share a litter box and are find with it

It's a really big litter box too. They even use the same carrier cage although usually I put Abbott on his leash first, by the time he gets to the vets he wants in the cage with Evita.

I will say this much - 2 cats will give you twice the joy and also give the cats a playmate. When I first had Abbott he was all over me 24x7, which sometimes can get annoying if you're doing work. With 2 cats he's still spending time with me but he'll spend time with Evita too (Evita never spends time with me).

[Flaxbee]

18. two. take littermates, if you can, but get two --

they'll love you, thoroughly entertain you, and be buddies, and have someone to tell their feline secrets to.

One biggish litterbox will be FINE, esp. if you keep it clean. And likewise, a good-sized carrier will be fine for both of them - if you get littermates, they'd probably prefer to be together when going to the vet, or whatever, anyway. We have three littermates, and two carriers, and it works wonderfully.

[applegrove]

20. Cats do like companionship. I would say get two. We always had one growing up

and I've always had two as an adult. With two they can entertain each other - even if it is only for a few minutes a day. And they are never alone.

[mike_c]

21. you have to ask "what's the advantage of hving TWO KITTENS?"

:rofl:

It's twice as much fun as having one kitten, and half as much fun as four!

Seriously, as kittens they'll enjoy playing with one another immensely. As they get older, they'll become more aloof, but will still enjoy one another. I have four cats and they all spend lots of quality time with me-- especially at 6:00 AM, LOL-- so the extra cat company doesn't interfere with my relationships with them at all. And even as adults, they continue to play with one another, sleep together, etc.

One piece of advice-- in my experience male cats tend to get along with one another better than females or male/female mixes. That's a broad generalization, and YMMV, but I've seen that pattern numerous times.

Best of luck to you-- I have kitten envy!

[gilpo]

22. I usually can't finish two, unless I'm really hungry

:evilgrin:

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. We have 2 sibs. They share a litterbox and food just fine and are bestest friends and

take good care of each other when we are away. :)

[Wcross]

25. 70% of all cats in shelters are "euthanized". My advice is 2+!

I found two twin brothers on the side of a country road & they have gotten along wonderfully. They share the litter boxes & use the same bowl for food & water. They are very close & I only wish there had been more from that litter with them!

I would go down to the local shelter & get two or three kittens from the same litter or a couple of adult cats if that is what you want.

[huskerlaw]

26. Definitely two.

I tried having just one and he was miserable, even though I gave him a lot of attention. He would walk around the apartment and howl, poor thing. I finally gave in and got him a sibling, he doesn't howl anymore and he's generally much happier.

If you can get a sibling pair, it would be easier, as it would take out the introductory phase. That said, once cats are introduced they almost always get along.

As for the "junk"...once everyone is acclimated and used to each other, you should only need one bowl (with twice as much food in it) and one litterbox (cleaned twice as often). The only reason you would need two cat carriers is if you're planning on taking them places at the same time (dual vet trips, etc.), otherwise they can share that too.

I have 3 cats now: 1 food dish, 2 carriers, 2 litterboxes (though that's for my benefit, they happily share both).

Enjoy your new kitty(ies)!

[distantearlywarning]

27. Definitely two!

Trust me on this - having gotten single kittens in the past vs. two siblings last year, I can tell you that I would never ever again just get one. Raising two is only half the work and more than twice the fun of raising one, for a variety of reasons:

1. Play time with another kitten easily teaches the lesson that excessively biting or clawing the creatures you live with is socially undesirable

2. Conversely, social modeling results in faster learning of desirable behaviors (e.g., they figure out what the cat door/litter box/sisal post is for by watching the other kitten use it)

3. Bored kittens are naughty kittens. Kittens living with another kitten are rarely bored.

4. It's almost painless to introduce a new kitten to an existing kitten in a household or to get siblings who have grown up together to be friendly as adults. Conversely, if you decide to get another cat later after your "only child" has grown up, things are likely to go very badly for at least some small amount of time (or in the case of my house, apparently forever or until the only child dies). It's much much MUCH easier to just start out with two small ones in the first place.

5. In my opinion, cats need to learn cat social behavior in kittenhood and to have cat friends as well as human friends to be truly psychologically healthy later in life. As someone said upthread, they need a friend to tell their feline secrets to. (Just my anecdotal experience having owned single cats, kittens introduced to an existing adult cat, and a sibling pair.)

6. Watching small kittens wrestle and chase one another is one of the best activities life in this world has to offer.

7. Watching tired kittens groom and snuggle up with one another to sleep is also something every cat owner should experience.

8. You'll be doing a good deed in the world by saving two lives instead of one!

Seriously - get two! You won't regret it!

On Edit: My two brother kitties share a litterbox and a food bowl with no problems whatsoever. In fact, when they were really little kitties and had to do absolutely everything together, they even often shared the litterbox at the same time. Talk about being bonded! :silly: They also prefer to share a carrier when they go to the vet - I think being together makes them feel safer in a stressful situation.

[hyphenate]

28. 2!

I have four, but I used to have 6.

While there might be someone home all the time, the kit just might want a companion of their own. Plus, you will be helping out some kitties that might otherwise be put down. Or get an older cat and give them a kitten. Or two older kits. Or--just go to the shelter and look around. You should get all the inspiration you need!

[Sabriel]

29. Thanks for all of the input. I guess the consensus is two. Yikes!

That'll be weird, after having one for so many years. An only child. And very spoiled.

I appreciate kitty lovers weighing in on this question. Now, off to the shelters!

[Flaxbee]

30. let us know when you get back! pics required!

good luck. Older kits would be great -- the older sweethearts so rarely find loving homes.

[distantearlywarning]

32. To reward us for giving you advice,

you must post pics after you bring them home!

[Sabriel]

33. It'll be a while, if it's kittens.

Most of the ones around here can't go home until June, at least. But I'll post some when/if it happens.

[Eurobabe]

31. I've always tried to have 2

My first cat was alone until he was 9, then we got the orange fuzzbutt. Sebastian took to him after 3 days. They are best buds.

The last pair I fostered are two inseparable brothers. You don't really need two litter boxes, all of my guys use a big one. Yes two food dishes, one water tree.

But I think for the kitties there is less loneliness. JMHO.

Good luck with your decision. I am sure the SPCAs are overflowing with kittens right now, it's that season.