AIBU to get a kitten when we already have 2 cats?

[Funkyslippers]

Friend has 2 kittens for sale. Very cute, sociable, good with kids etc. Very tempted but we already have 2 adult cats. How would the kitten/cats cope with each other? Is it a bad idea all round?

Most cats prefer to be the single cat in a household. If they’ve grown up together then they seem to tolerate each other and sometimes even grow to like each other, but I saw a programme which studied cats stress levels and they seemed happiest living alone. Adding another one into the mix when yours are settled, just because it’s cute, doesn’t seem like a great idea. By all means help her to find them good homes, then suggest she neuters her cat to prevent any more kittens - there are plenty of cats needing good homes already. Nobody needs to breed more.

Most cats don’t take well to new additions. They are territorial and hate competition. I wouldn’t do it.

Totally depends on the cats. My two sisters hardly tolerate each other. Terrible tortie terrors.
Your friend really shouldn’t be breeding cats for money. So many unwanted cats in rescue.

And you really can't tell that kittens are good with kids yet

It depends on the cat. We did this almost a year ago when we brought Gatsby home. We had two adult cats, a male (Mr. Bigglesworth, aka Biggie) and a female (Jayda). It took some time but everyone settled in okay. Biggie was kind of "WTF is THIS?" but now he and Gatsby are good friends. Jayda was initially a little nervous but she has adapted and kind of mothered Gatsby at times. Sometimes Gatsby likes to chase her and sometimes he play fights with Biggie but overall they do okay. Biggie actually was by himself for a time before we adopted Jayda and he was very lonely. Biggie has never met a cat he didn't like and tried to make friends with a dog once. The pic shows Biggie and Gatsby enjoying some attention from Daddy.

Don't encourage your friend by buying kittens from her.

If you have to get another cat, please get a rescue. I think two adult cats would take a pretty dim view of a young interloper!

Totally depends on your two cats. I bought home a new itty bitty kitty last month, a few days of hissing but now he follows my old girls round, eats their food with them and one is letting him nap with her. They even take it it turns when I get the dreamies out. No mega fights just the odd nose tap when he tries to catch their tails :) But my old girls have been used to other cats being around since they were kittens

Its also incorrect that cats prefer being alone. Look at feral cat colonies, large groups of cats living and hunting together and even sharing nursing of each others young. When I was growing up my mum had several cats all the time and they often just slept together in a huge cat pile :)

From the PDSA:

Cats like their own company and should generally be kept on their own. Living with other cats is a common cause of chronic stress which, in turn, can cause all sorts of health issues for your cat.

www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/looking-after-your-pet/kittens-cats/do-cats-need-company

Someone should tell that to my five then. All rescues, but even the two ferals actively choose to spend time with the other cats (if not the humans).

It totally depends on the cats involved, so anything here is anecdotal.

That said, our older (rescue) cat was entirely put out by the existence of two kittens (mum had been killed by a fox and they needed homing fast to somewhere who could feed them during the day), and it took her well over a year to tolerate them at all - she'd move rooms to get away. Now they're comfortable at anything down to a metre apart.

I have 15 cats all living happily together - but they’re all rescues, I would never buy a kitten

I had three and they did not get on. Two tolerate each other.

YABU. It's unfair on adult cats who are settled to introduce a hyperactive kitten into the mix. It will increase their stress levels and make them very unhappy.

depends on your cat. I had two cats and when the eldest died I was going to leave a gap before getting another. The younger one had never seemed that bothered about the other cat (he loved her to bits, she was indifferent or so I thought). Oh my, the ensuing melt down when she realised she was on her own. I took her to the vets who recommended feliway. Yeah that didn't work or anything else. So I got a kitten and normality was restored.

So anectdotally, some cats will hate an interloper, some will not tolerate being on their own. And never get a tortie -they are buggers.

Introduce to each other with TLC and Feliway friends
Evie 10 meeting Reuben for the first time
10 months later they tolerate each other quite well
I suspect they are even closer when us humans are not around

I have fifteen cats

DD and I were talking about the ideal number of cats (if time and money were no object)

I think fifteen might be pushing it for me but hey, give me another 10 years!

I don't think it's a risk worth taking. You could easily end up with a very unhappy home - and the classic stress / anxiety / territorial reaction in unhappy cats, both male and female, is to pee and poo on inappropriate things and places - urgh!
If things work well now, why rock the boat?

If anything I would say rescue that way if they REALLY don't get on at least the cat can go back to the rescue.
As pp have said it depends on the cat. I have 2 from the same litter 1 I don't think would notice another cat unless he tripped over it and even then he wouldn't care.
The other would hate it. She sometimes won't tolerate her brother being near her so scares him off.