We're adopting sibling rescue cats this weekend...what do i need to know?

[Winona45]

Brother and sister 18 weeks old. Abandoned in a bin and mum died. .
Rescue centre says they are inseparable so we said we'd take them both.
Now im nervous. Are 2 really better then 1 ?
Been reading advice online and will get multiple litter trays, food bowls etc..
Do they really ignore cat beds ?
Is there anything mega important i need to know??

We adopted two. Have separate feeding bowls but only one litter tray - it doesn’t seem to bother them. We contained them in part of the house only at first, then allowed them to explore when they were more settled. After a few weeks we let them outside and we haven’t looked back. They are in and out as much as they please. Enjoy your cats

Two is a great idea. They'll keep each other company when you're out and it's great to see them play together.

Yes they ignore cat beds!

Do get 2 litter trays. I had a cat who hated sharing a littler tray and made that very clear (by finding other places to poo!) Took ages to train him to use one again.

Yeah, 2 is definitely better than 1. As per crumpet - keep them in one bit of the house at first, don't worry if one or both wedge themselves in a crack somewhere and spend time just 'being there' while they get used to you. Occasionally waggle a ribbon and you'll eventually catch a kitten!

I adopted two sisters. They also shared a litter tray. You can get multi pet discounts on the insurance. And two don't really cost mister than one. It was lovely to have two. When one died I adopted another.

We got rescue siblings aged 15 weeks. At 9 months they're best buddies and still inseparable. I was worried about getting 2 as it seems like a lot to take on, but I'm so glad we did. They have distinct (but equally lovable) personalities and there are twice as many cat cuddles

They spend half their time sleeping on "their" bed (I.e. my bed!!!)

Our 2 db are 6!! Still share a bed.
Ime 2 halves the damage to your soft furnishings!!

I currently have three cats, two of whom are siblings and though they largely all ignore each other they def prefer being in a multi cat environment.
Two of mine do sleep in cat beds (the old girl has a heating pad in hers), and the other varies between the in tray in my office, the shoe rack, and is currently in the lean to conservatory on a bag of chicken bedding.

My biggest piece of advice would be to accept them as the cats they are. It can take a very long time for cats to accept things, and some are never very social but are lovely in their own way

We have 2 rescue siblings. They hadn't had much human contact. They were very timid at first and spent the first 3 days hiding behind the washing machine! Now 4 years on, one will happily be picked up, sit in your lapand sleep on your bed. The other is still very very shy and timid, won't allow even stroking. They did sleep in a cat bed together at first. We put it on a work surface because apparently they feel safer a bit higher up, but now a pile of clean washing or ironing is their preference over a cat bed!!

We adopted sibling 18 month old boys in Feb, they're wonderful!

Tips we received -
Multiple feeding bowls (2 wet, 1 dry, 1 water kept close to food but in a different place so they don't see it as dirty).

2 litter trays, ideally with lids to keep the mess in.

Keep them in one room whilst they get used to being in your house, for a week or so; longer if you have other pets. Then open the door & let them explore at their own pace, knowing they can get back to their safe place when they want to.

We were advised to keep them in for 3 - 4 weeks, it seemed like forever but definitely worked; with lots of time spent looking out of windows they seem to have already got their bearings.

Good luck with them, it's so exciting & rewarding!

I have 4 cats and their all rescues

My most "feral" was my girl. 2 is definetly better than one especially if their close. It will help them settle in better having each other as comfort

Mine dont like cat beds but they all love cat boxes which i put their beds in. My girl was so timid when we first got her she hid under the bed for the first 2 days, so we got a large fabric pet holder, put her litter box right next to it, a bed inside it and her food and water inside it and she stayed in there for a good week, she would flinch and run if you stroked or even looked at her. Now shes a completely different cat and will jusy come straight up and sit on you

I would recomend 3 litter trays, one each and one spare. If they end up using just the 1 then so be it but all of mine like their own toilet.

We didn't bother buying beds, but took their blankets from the rescue centre to keep continuity of the scent, which they liked.
Obviously we donated new ones, it is a charity after all!

(Apologies for the layout of the previous post, android doesn't seem to want to use paragraphs today 😡)

I have two rescue sibling boys, got them at about 20 weeks. As said I'd advise two feeding bowls as one will probably be dominant over the food, also at least two litter trays - mine went a lot more when they were younger. Also, keep them on the food they're on at the moment for a week or two while they adjust. If you want to then change diet, do it slowly one meal at a time.

I grew up with four cats, have had two lots of sibliings and none have used a cat bed. Favourite beds are conservatory chairs, under bed, on bed and even the carpet. I started off with a large cardboard box with a soft matt in though, so they had somewhere cosy, warm and safe if they wanted it.

At 18 months they're both independent of eachother but do occasionally wash eachother and I'd like to think playfight.

Oh yes, and two are definitely better than one, double the work but double the love!

I have two brothers. Yes two are better than one! Mine have separate bowls for wet food but share for dry and water (and aren't bothered which bowl they eat from). They liked one bed I had as kittens but like finding their own spots now on the beds.

How exciting for you. Photos are mandatory.

We have always had 2 (actually 3 atm) they do keep each other company and our 2 kitties love each other. The older 2 were hit and miss but they were b/g siblings, these 2 are both girls
We have only ever had one litter tray but they go outside mostly. Ours l9ve their beds when there are no laps to sleep on

These are the three I rescued two weeks ago. Abandoned in a field

We got them a bed to share and a separate one. They stayed in our kitchen/diner for a week & now have access to downstairs.

Separate food bowls too. Although one is greedy so finishes his siblings food

Ours share large litter tray, separate wet food bowls & shared dry

I have four - two pairs of siblings. They are all close and spend most of their time together whether that's in the garden or all sleeping in the same room. Or ganging up on me to get fed.

Yes the golden rule is to have 1 per cat +1 of essential resources like litter boxes. Mine get fed meals rather than free feeding so each has a bowl.

They like their igloo type bed but mostly sleep higher up on cat trees (it's really worth investing a bit more in a good quality one that will last), or on the sofa.

It's worth doing some catproofing too especially for the first few weeks - for example make sure windows are either kept closed or only open by 2 inches in a locked position to prevent escapes. Block any open fireplaces. If you have houseplants, ensure they are not toxic. The most toxic plant is lily - never, ever bring lilies into the house once you have cats, even the tiniest contact with lilies can be fatally toxic.

Get pet insurance, unexpected vet bills can easily be several hundred or several thousand depending on what it is. Lots of posts about pet insurance on here if you read back.

Enjoy your cats!

FlicketyFlack those cats are so beautiful! Mine are black, I think they are the best. Excellent find.

Thanks lamentations we love black kitties 🐱 Apparently black cats are always the hardest to re-home

Well they are here and they are lovely but oh they are terrified. They wont come out of the cat bed at all and shrink away if i try to pet them.
The rescue lady says she thinks they'll be hard work and if after 2 weeks i want to give up they'll take them back ?
What does she mean? Are they unlikely to ever like us ?
They were rescued from a feral colony and haven't had anything to do with humans. They are about 14 to 15 weeks we think.
Theyve been sat in their bed for hours!

We rescued ours after they were dumped at 3 weeks. We got them at 4 weeks and they're inseparable, they love each other. Two is definitely better than one

@Winona45 it's totally normal! They've been taken from the only place they know. Give them time and space and they'll come round

One of mine hid under the kitchen units for 8 days. I didn't see her at all. She finally came out after dark one night. And ruled the roost and dominated her long suffering sister from that moment!

Winona my pair (brother & sister) came from a feral colony and were a year old when trapped. They then spent another whole year at the rescue as nobody wanted 2 black cats who were extremely shy. They did what they could, but the rescue they came from is so full they couldn't really spend an awful lot of time getting them used to people.

That could be why the rescue said if you don't get on, you can return them. Feral cats take an awful lot more time to get used to any people around at all, and most people want house cats who are sociable and pet-able from the start.

3 days they hid under/behind the sofa, only coming out for food and the litter tray when I was in bed. Took me months before I could touch the bolder one, the girl. It took an awful lot of patience on my part when I desperately wanted to scoop them up & cuddle them, but had to go at their pace.

3.5 years down the line, they come dashing to the door when I come in. Girlcat takes treats from my hands, Boycat eats Dreamies from my body in bed. Neither sits on laps but both tolerate being picked up & even occasionally purr when I scritch their heads at the same time.

Girlcat likes to lie on the back of the sofa while I reach up & stroke her tummy or head, Boycat prefers to snuggle up next to me for that - I'm not allowed out of bed in the morning without him having cuddles!. They are still shy around other people, but both demand my company.

When we moved house our cat hid for about a week - and she knew us, just not the house. It'll probably take a long time for them to work up the courage to come out, be as patient as you can. Congratulations on the additions to your family, and well done for rescuing, you've done a good thing.