Possibly getting a cat

[Mom-ninja.]

I grew up with cats. I've always had a cat as a pet except for the last 6 years. It's time for another cat.

 

I want to get one. People keep telling me I have to get two or the cat will be lonely. From my experience this has not been true.

 

My parents had two cats that lived for 19 years(they actually died within one month of each other). They were brothers. They hated each other. They fought all the time. If they just passed each other in a room, they hissed. They were down right mean to each other. Never once ever, once they weren't kittens, played together or slept together.

 

When I had my own place I got a cat. Later I got a second. They didn't like each other and never played or cuddled.

 

One cat died. I got a kitten. My older cat wanted nothing to do with it. Kitten died shortly after.

 

We moved. I got another kitten. Same thing. The two cats never interacted. They just ignored each other.

 

On my in-laws farm there are three cats. They all stay far away from each other. They fight if one gets too close.

 

My friend has two cats. They also ignore each other completely.

 

My ds read a book about cats and it said that cats are solitary animals. That agrees with my experience of cats.

 

So why do people keep telling me I should get two cats? I have a dog and three boys. I don't think the cat will be in danger of being lonely.

[sparrow]

We have 8 cats (6 indoor, 2 garage cats that have adopted us). I see no reason that you need to get 2 cats. One cat would be perfectly happy in your home.

 

Please post pictures when you have your new family member :001_smile:.

[Pegasus]

Despite your examples to the contrary, many cats do get along with one another. Still, as long as there are people around, one cat is fine. I'd recommend 2 cats if they were left alone a lot.

 

We have 2 cats, gotten from the same litter, and they get along very well, groom one another, etc. In the past, I've had 4 unrelated cats, each gotten separately as adults, and while they got along ok, they weren't cuddly with one another. I did have 2 unrelated adult cats one time that became great friends, playing tag up and down the hall, but I think that is probably an exception.

 

Pegasus

[Ellie]

Well, we've often had multiple cats, and sometimes solitary ones.

 

We had two dk who were litter mates. They *loved* each other. When one died last year, her sister mourned and lost considerable weight, poor baby.

 

We had two dk who were not related to each other at all who loved each other.

 

We had some who generally got along with the others but didn't really seem to care whether the others were there or not.

 

I haven't actually had dk fight with each other.

 

If you want just one, get just one. :)

[KAM]

We used to have four, now we're done to one. I am sometimes tempted to get another one, but one is really nice. She isn't lonely at all, that I can tell. My dad has four cats and they tend to pee in places they shouldn't. I have heard cats can sometimes get stressed out if there are too many and do this to mark their territory. When we had four, this was sometimes a problem too-but we've not had it happen with just the one.

[Mergath]

The cat I have right now is a solitary cat, and she prefers it that way. When myself or my close family have had multiple cats, they've always just tolerated each other. Cats definitely do not need other cats to thrive.

[GailV]

Yep, cats do fine solo or in groups.

 

When we got our current female she decided she needed to eliminate our male. Really. They've got a truce now, although there are times things get a little dicey.

 

OTOH, the male likes to go next door and hang out with the brother-sister cat duo over there. And then one of the other neighborhood cats comes over (male) and they sort of make a cat pack. So maybe if your cat wants to find kitty friends he/she can cruise the neighborhood.

[2cents]

We have 5 cats (3 males and 2 females). They get along well. Sometimes the younger female will anger one of the males and they'll chase her but they work it out quickly. Our baby male was a feral from outside and we adopted him. He (as are the others) an indoor kitty and one of the males has really taken to him. Watches out for him and the other day was showing him how to catch a lizard. It was touching and they're buddies. My vet told me that older males will usually be the ones to take a kitten under their wing. That sure was true in our case. I don't think cats need one another but if you're considering it, I'd probably do an older male and a kitten.

[NanceXToo]

Years ago I had two cats and they got along very well together and played together and so on.

 

Currently, I have one cat. I don't think she's lonely at all, but we're around her pretty frequently and someone's often petting her and interacting with her.

 

If you guys were at school and work full time and then constantly out of the house at activities and so on and the cat was going to spend the vast majority of its time alone I'd agree that two might be a good idea, but if you're going to be around a decent amount of the time, I think just one cat would be fine!

[duckens]

We have three cats in our home. They are all male. They are all 6+ years old, or older.

 

They sleep together, sit in the window together, and groom each other. They also jump on and chase and bite one another in normal jockeying for dominance. (The biting on the back of the neck in a dominance gesture).

 

The two younger ones are littermates. The older one is a former "lab cat." He had been used as "quality assurance" for a local company that makes medications and vaccines for "companion animals."

 

(It's not as bad as it sounds. He spent his days in a room the size of a livingroom that was filled with kitty condos and cat toys. The vet and the vet techs made it a point to play with the kitties every day. ) There were 10-14 in the room.

 

My vet tells me that cats are not usually solitary in the wild; traditionally they live in a colony.

 

I know many cats that are okay as solitary cats, but that may depend on how much time you plan to devote to playing with the cat. As a nanny, I assigned one 5yo to get a toy and play with the cat for a minimum of 5 minutes at least once a day.

 

If you are concerned about the kitty being alone, then ask your local shelter about a pair of kitties to adopt. Sometimes pairs of adult kitties are displaced, and although they have spent their lives together, they must be separated to find good homes for each of them. You could give them the stability of staying together.

 

Whether you go with a single cat or a pair of cats, the shelter can give you an evaluation of the cat's behavior, temperament, and personality to gauge whether the cat(s) will be a good fit for you and your family.

[Truscifi]

I have had multiple cats and single cats at various times. None have ever seemed lonely. Some have gotten along with others, some haven't, it depends on the personality of the cat. I would guess the people who are telling you that you need two for them to be happy don't really understand cats.

[Remudamom]

We've got about 10 cats and each of them would be thrilled if the other nine died suddenly.

[Mom-ninja.]

We've got about 10 cats and each of them would be thrilled if the other nine died suddenly.

 

:smilielol5:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I don't see how a cat would be lonely in our house. We're home most of the time.

[GailV]

Whether you go with a single cat or a pair of cats, the shelter can give you an evaluation of the cat's behavior, temperament, and personality to gauge whether the cat(s) will be a good fit for you and your family.

 

:lol: The shelter said our female got along well with other cats. Actually, she despises cats. She sits at the window and growls at any who come within her eyesight. And, yes, she will attack them if allowed.

 

Sometimes the shelter totally blows it when it comes to evaluating animals.

[kathymuggle]

I think a solitary cat is fine. I have seen cats get along, and I have seen then avoid each other. If you really want to get two cats, get them at the same time. I would not bother with 2 cats, though.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I have had lots of cats, currently have 8. But at times, I have only had 1, for ex. when dh and I first got married we only had 1 kitten. THe difference is if you get 1 kitten, YOU have to be the one to play with him or her ALL the time, but I think this is only when he is a kitten. You still play with them after kittenhood, it just does not have to be constant. Once there were human babies in the house, I would get 2 kittens at a time so as I did not have the constant time to play with a kitten. But if your dc are old enough to play with the kitten, they could do that part.

[woolybear]

I think one or two is fine, but either way, don't delay! If you are a cat person, get that sweet kitty into your life asap!:)

[Unicorn.]

I think the rumor of "you need two, so they don't get lonely", came about so people would adopt more cats. Cats are harder to adopt out than dogs. If you want one, then get one.

[Matryoshka]

We have three cats. The oldest we got as a kitten when we still had another, older cat. They tolerated each other.

 

Then the other one died, and he was alone with us for a long time. He is not a cuddler. He's not mean, but he likes to swat and nip when playful - and when he was younger, that was pretty much all.the.time. I wanted a cuddly cat.

 

My dh brought in a stray. They hated each other. She hid. I did not want an invisible pet. We gave her away to a nice family at church, where she had a nice life. They later got two kittens, and they all got on fine.

 

We brought in another stray; turned out she was pregnant. Had kittens, current cat got too close to her kittens, she decided she needed to kill him. We gave her to a friend, gave two of the kittens away as well, and kept two of the littermates.

 

The two littermates get on wonderfully and sleep together all the time. The male "kitten" (now grown) gets on fine with our older cat. For some reason older cat and the female kitten do not get on, but tolerate each other other than the occasional spat.

 

Cats have very distinct personalities - you never know. I would not have guessed that the older male would get on fine with the younger male and not like the female. :confused: The older cat did not appreciate the addition of the younger ones at first, but I do think it's mellowed him. Or maybe he just got older.

 

Good news is, I now have my cuddly cat. The younger male is a teddy bear. :001_wub: One of my dds loves the older male, though (aka Mr. Prickles). The female is a sweetie, and likes laps, but is not much of a cuddler. She likes dh.