Pros and cons of getting our kitten its sister

[Thisismynewname123]

Our kitten is nearly 4 months old. We've had her for about 6 weeks. She is a Bengal, so lots of energy but really very affectionate. We intend for her to be outdoors when she old enough and ready (although that's a separate thread, how worried we are about letting her out).
DH would have taken 2 of the kittens from day 1. He grew up with cats. I'm a nervous newbie so just wanted the 1 for now and see how it goes. She came from a litter of 8. The breeder contacted me yesterday to say she still has 3 kittens. I assume she is now worrying about being able to home them all. It was coincidental that she contacted me on the same day as DH had ben trying to convince me it was good idea to get ours a companion.
Would we be mad to consider 2 bengal sisters? I think we would be. Already our dining room chairs are ruined and carpet is clearly not going to get it's full life span!
What do we need to take into consideration, besides ruined furniture and needing another litter tray? I don't know whether I should allow myself to be swayed or not.

I think you're mad getting Bengal cats at all but that's another thread!

I would always recommend getting two kittens (litter mates) together, however you need to realise that your kitten will not recognise her sister and that you will need to introduce the new kitten as if it was any new cat in the household. They are still young so I'd probably go for it though .

Your costs more or less double - vet bills, insurance, food, litter, cattery if you use one.

I don't know about Bengals having only had moggies, but cats are solitary creatures and although can live with sharing their territory with another cat are usually more content and less stressed if they are an only cat. There is a thread about this further down the page and I remember a vet commenting on another thread that only cats usually have longer lives and less stress related behaviours and illnesses.

Yes, ours are a litter pair (moggies) they tolerate each other's company but there's no signs of affection, just the odd hiss and scuffle. We like having them both and have space enough for them to choose to keep apart but I don't think they really benefit.

We had sisters and they were devoted to each other. They both lived to age 16.

I would take another male as females don't often get on, IMO.

Get two. Bengals are very energetic and they will play with each other. These are my two girls, chilling on the cat tree. They are 2.5 yrs old now

Ah but the' cost' to your soft furnishings will be cut by 50 % to balance out the extra ££ of a second dkitten.
Ime.

Yes. 100%. Kittens need company.

Opinions differ!
@MyTwoBengals yes, DH thinks they could keep each other company.
I dontthink they would recognise they are sisters at this point.
@Mumisnotmyonlyname there is boy available as well. I wasn't sure if it was dangerous getting a boy and girl, even if from the same litter, as she hasn't been spayed yet and the vet said to do it 6 months, so still a while to go.

Oh shit no, don't get the male if lockdown is likely to make it even harder to get them neutered.

If she’s only four months old she’s still a tiny kitten really and it should be no problem to reintroduce her to a sibling. My two were always together at that age.
Some vets will spay them at four months as they can get pregnant very young.

Cats Protection recommend spaying at four months
www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/neutering/kitten-neutering

Getting them fixed early is no issue. My boy was fixed at less than 4 months. As long as they way enough and the boys aren't too small, if you get my drift.

I'm sorry but the "cats are solitary creatures" is a load of bull IMO.

Was born into a multiple cat household and had multiple cats in my own home (all unwanted).

Each cat was different, just like humans.

Some wanted to be around other cats or people, some didn't.

I used to come home to a pile of cats all asleep on each other on my bed (including a couple that didn't even belong to me but one of my cats used to like bringing friends home!)

The only time we lost one of our cats under the age of 10 was either due to being hit by a car or cancer or other illness outside our control.

All the rest lived well over 17 years (some were 20-22 when we lost them) despite having lived with loads of other moggies.

My current cat is nearly 19 and lived her whole life with loads of cats of various ages and breeds. She's had a vet check up a few months ago and apart from being old she is fine.

Recent studies carried out on feral cat colonies (that all live together) found that mum cats will give birth together and help raise each other kittens.

Just be prepared for the double costs (and some buggers may not like the same food as the other one.... bloody gits!) and double the trouble but double the cuddles and fun :)

Some bengals really don’t like company as adults, the wild genes require a large unchallenged territory. They end up being rehomed as lone cats because they've cost too much in vet bills and are weeing in the house.

Don’t worry about the damage, you get used to it. Humans are very adaptable like that.

I’m surprised no ones asked for a picture.

Two is lovely - company for each other! I love Bengals!

@HeadNorth

I don't know about Bengals having only had moggies, but cats are solitary creatures and although can live with sharing their territory with another cat are usually more content and less stressed if they are an only cat. There is a thread about this further down the page and I remember a vet commenting on another thread that only cats usually have longer lives and less stress related behaviours and illnesses.

I read that other thread and was baffled by it - as I am by the insistence on MN that cats can't be kept inside - and I wonder if it's a UK thing, as in North America the advice is to get two at a time, preferably litter mates. In my family we always do this and they are so happy together, can be left alone longer, and keep each other busy inside playing etc. I don't know about Bengals though!

A lot of American homes seem quite big compared to Uk housing though.

PDSA link recommending cats are 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'.

Yes it might be due to size of housing. I also agree that unrelated cats can be a bad mix - ours have all been related. Here's the different (US) view, @HeadNorth:

vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/considerations-when-getting-a-second-cat

🤣🤣🤣 cats are solitary. 🤣🤣🤣
Here’s five making zero attempt at ‘solitary’.
Not all littermates or even in the same decade.

It’s a different ball game with Bengals @Bargebill19, they aren’t normal cats their hybrids.

I’ve never had or met a Bengal - I should have posted that. I was referring to the generality discussed up thread that cats (not specific breeds) were solitary and caused them stress.
I should have made that clear. Apologies.