One or two cats?

[redredwine40]

Please help me decide! I will shortly start looking for a kitten but I can't decide whether I should get one or two.

There is just me and my 7 year old son so would like a playmate for him. I mainly work from home except for two days in the office so will be around a lot and my Mum will pop in on my office days. Ideally I would prefer one but could be talked into two!

Also if anyone can recommend a breeder of British blues that would be great. I am West Mids but willing to travel. TIA

I find having two kittens is best op as they play and entertain each other when their humans can't. I think it's actually recommended to have two.

I don't have any advice on the breeder part but please come back and pay the cat tax with a picture once you've got them

People always say get two kittens but I've never had an issue with singles. I don't find single kittens any extra work. IME single cats bond better with owners.

I would get two together. I'm sure my single cat gets lonely by herself all day. - she loves human company. When I tried to add another cat though, it didn't work because they fought. I'd definitely get siblings if there were a next time.

Most cats prefer living solo. So while you might have kittens that entertain each other a bit more in the early days, longer term single cats tend to be more content and happier with their own territory.

IME cats in pairs bond equally as well with their humans as singles but I would say the relationship with a single cat is much more intense. I've always had 2 cats until 5 years ago when I adopted just one older cat and the bonding was instant. I would love to have 2 cats but circumstances won't allow. Go for two, their interaction can be very entertaining and you won't regret it.

I think it's a bit like human siblings. You can't tell whether they will get on. Two cats means double the cost, of course.

If you're getting kittens and don't have other cats in the home, then definitely go for two.

We've had pairs and singletons and the only time I'd get a singleton is if they'd have the company of an adult cat.

If you leave cats to fend for themselves, they almost always form colonies and hang out in groups. This idea that they're solo animals generally comes from the fact that many people don't have enough space to house multiple cats, especially if they're kept inside.

I have had cats all my life and had singles and pairs. The last 2 were brothers and i think it’s great for them to have company. Be aware they may no always see eye to eye but that’s the pleasure of owning cats. Think of adopting a rescue. All my cats have been rescues and they have fabulous temperaments!
lets us know how you get on

We recently got 2 kittens - originally I was planning on a singleton but the rescue wanted these ones to go as a pair… and I am so glad I did. They keep themselves occupied and play together which is fun to watch. They can make up games for each other which are much more entertaining than anything we could do. When they are tired they curl up together and it is the cutest thing in the world to see them cuddle and groom each other (as in the picture). They are very bonded and want to do everything together and having each other has made the transition to a new home much easier for them. Having two hasn’t been more work really.

I think two kittens would cost a fortune, that's two lots of vaccines, two lots of neutering, two lots of insurance etc.

Also why get a pedigree? Just get a lovely moggy, there's always kittens needing homes.

Another benefit to adopting rescues is that initial vaccinations are usually covered in the adoption fee, and in some cases they will also pay for neutering even if the kittens are too young to be neutered when you get them.

But it’s obviously true that you have double the insurance cost as well as having to buy more food, litter etc.

I got two kittens from a rescue. They would only rehome them in pairs. It's been wonderful, they are really bonded together but they are also really affectionate towards us as well. They play together a lot and sleep together a lot. We play with them too but we are not in the house all day and can't keep it up all evening! They used to explore and hunt things down together, like spiders etc. They're not kittens now but still together a lot of the time, especially when we are at work/school - when we come home they're always curled up on the bed together.

Would someone like to tell this pair about the bonding thing? They are very close, yes, but they would like me to be an Indoor Human & they are happiest when the three of us are curled up together in my (sorry, our…) bed.

I've got 3 cats. The youngest 2 are siblings, yet the female from the pair gets on really well with my older cat. To be fair, they all get on well together. I'd get 2, if you can afford it. You can sign up to the pets at home scheme, that includes yearly vaccination, and all flea and worming treatment.

I have 5.. so I'm going to say 2 🤣

Definitely two. I got my 14 year old cat a kitten as she gets separation anxiety when I'm at work and pees on things.
Now they are best friends, play together and the peeing has stopped.

We got 2 unrelated kittens last autumn...we got the first one (male) and two weeks later we got the second one (female). They were both about 10 weeks old. It took 48 hours for them to bond, and the female adjusted so well was absolutely delighted with her new friend. Sadly however the male died we think of congenital issues at 10 months old. It was an awful shock and I felt absolutely heartbroken for the female who was looking for him for about a week or so.

Anyway now (since June) we just have the female...and I would say I believe she misses the rough and tumble times and cuddling up with him. However on balance I believe she is more content particularly around food. The male was an absolute greedy guts and would get hungry and get a bit rough sometimes, and she's a grazer. I loathe to also say that the new situation feels balanced and more than halved the load on my wallet...so I have no intention of risking the status quo with getting another cat.

I've got great bond with both my cats.

Better to have 2

I don't have insurance. Only been vaccinated once. Indoor cats. They don't cost that much

It depends on the cat's nature. Harry would have hated having another cat around but my friend's cat was miserable on his own