Once you have made the decision to bring a cat into your home and family, you may want to consider getting two instead of one.
Advantages of adopting two cats
- Two cats can play together, satisfying each others need for physical and emotional interaction. Sometimes a cat with behavior problems will become well-behaved when another cat was introduced because his misbehavior was just a result of boredom.
- Two cats can help groom each other by cleaning the hard-to-reach areas.
- Cats who live in a multi-cat home are thought to be happier and less likely to get into trouble.
- Cats who have already bonded in the shelter, or siblings, may be happiest if not separated.
- An older cat will be quicker to accept two new kittens, who will play with each other and not bother him.
Disadvantages of adopting two cats
- Two cats living together can have personality conflicts which will lead to undesirable behavior such as litter box avoidance, spraying or marking and aggression.
- If you don’t have enough space for two litter boxes and a way to separate the cats for the first month when you aren’t at home, one cat may be all you can handle. There should also be enough space for each cat to hide and spend time on its own.
- If you already have an elderly or sick cat, don’t introduce another cat, since it may shorten the life of the original cat.
How to choose two cats
If you do decide to adopt two cats, try to match their physiques and body types. Cats with similar body types will also have similar activity levels and will get along better. Two females will have the hardest time getting along, so consider adopting two males or a male and a female. If you are bringing a second cat into your home, make a list of your cat’s personality traits and ask the personnel at the shelter to help you find an appropriate match.
When introducing cats to each other, don’t leave them alone together for about the first month. Instead, give them supervised play time together until the adjust to each other.
Video: Omer and Snoopy going at it
