Why adopt two kittens rather than one

A lot of people who want to adopt a cat think that adopting just one kitten will be better: it will be easier to keep under control and the relationship with the cat will be stronger and deeper. Actually, just like an old TV commercial used to say: “two is better than one!”

Let’s see why:

• a two months old kitten is at the peak of its growth and development, it’s full of energy and needs daily physical and mental activity. If left alone for many hours a day it will turn its attention to anything that might provide amusement or an opportunity to unload stress, such as drapes, ornaments, sofas, the house dog… The lone kitten will inevitably suffer from lack of adequate incentives. Even if not alone it will constantly search for human interaction, because a young animal (puppy, kitten, or human baby) has the absolute need to interact and unload its energy through games and experiences. Are you ready to give the kitten all the attention it needs, every time it asks for it? More important: do you really know how to play with a young kitten the right way and which activities/experiences it really needs?
• Two kittens have the chance to freely interact, following their nature, and they know each other’s needs. This does not mean that the human is excused from interaction with the kittens, but he can interact in a more relaxed and peaceful manner, not worrying about satisfying the complex necessities of a growing kitten all by himself.
• If the kitten is younger than two months, the presence of at least one brother is not a suggested option but an essential necessity! Kittens are weaned after two months, before this age, following its natural development, a kitten would still be taking milk from the mother and the latter would have not yet finished teaching everything the kitten needs to grow healthy and balanced. Such a young kitten has not yet fully learned to be a cat. It needs a brother to finish the process in the best and most natural way possible.
• Two kittens that grow up together will make less of a mess at home (but when we decide to take an animal in our home we need to be ready to accept possible accidents), given the chance to interact with each other they will not unload stress on the house objects.

When it comes to the relationship between man and kitten… well… two is better than one! Living together with two cats can only enrich a person and give the chance to create two absolutely unique relationships, both equally deep and satisfying. It’s important to commit to understand the species’ characteristics in order to create an environment fit for the cat’s necessities, and to create a bond of trust, respect, and love that lasts all the cat’s life. This is true whether we have one cat or two!

So, two kittens that grow together have the chance to become more stable and serene adults. It requires a different commitment from the human’s part, let’s double the love at home!

PRACTICAL TIPS:

• Two kittens mean two of everything: two litter boxes, two food bowls, at least two water bowls in two different places, and at least two scratching posts.
• It’s important to let the kittens decide how to divide the territory and the private areas.
• It’s completely normal for the kittens to use the litter boxes in a very interchangeable way, the same for the water bowls.
• Do not make the mistake to think they are the same: each animal is unique and unrepeatable, so it will have its tastes and preferences. Our job is to keep a keen eye and an open mind to get to know them, as a couple and as individuals.
• Always play with both kittens, and propose to each one the game it prefers.
• Keep in mind they are NOT human beings. The interaction dynamics between two cats might seem very strange and obscure to our eyes. They are from a different species, with peculiar characteristics that we need to learn for their good (and ours).

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS:

• kittens should never be separated from their mother before the completion of weaning.
• Kittens should have the chance to live together with their siblings at least up to four months of age, if possible.
• Kittens, and adult cats, need to have proper daily physical and psychological stimulation. A proper environmental enrichment is needed.
• Cats are social animals, despite their loner nature. They need social contact and they need to share affection with their human companions and animal as well.

FISAP CAB Roberta Roscini
ICAN Feline Behaviourist (Consultant)