Wondering whether to get another kitten

[Birdsinginginthetrees]

We rescued a male kitten earlier this year. He’s our only pet and has settled in really well and we adore him. It has been a big adjustment for us going from never having a pet to now having this beautiful little cat live with us, but he’s brought so much happiness to us I’m seriously considering getting another. It would be nice for him to have another cat to play with. We both work from home and obviously can’t interact with him too much when we are working so it would company for him (if he got on well with the other cat). He’s just over 4 months old and neutered. My reservation about getting another cat is that when we got him it was just him and his brother and he was the quieter of the two cats. I think he was over shadowed by his brother who was much bolder and more outgoing. Even though he was a lot smaller than my cat.

So I’m not sure what I should do. Has anyone else faced this dilemma? What did you end up doing and did it work out ok or in hindsight do you think you made a mistake? My cats happiness is my main priority. Thanks.

i'm planning to do this as i have a kitten atm and she's really playful i did have an older cat but she passed away so now i think the kitten is lonely!

Kittens often like playmates but adult cats can often prefer to be in a single cat household. Having said that I’ve got three cats. Two tolerate each other but there is often spats between my male cat and one of my girls. They really don’t like each other. So I guess it’s the luck of the draw.

Don't!
They often fall out and that's when you get problems like marking, fighting and generally more unhappy cats.
Although kittens like playmates, adult cats are actually quite solitary and often prefer to be the only cat of the house.
Enjoy your lovely cat. But keep him as a only cat of the house.

I learnt the hard way.

the cat is only 4 months? isn't that a kitten? mine is 4 months and i thought that would be a good age to get another?

Yes he’s only 4 months old so still a kitten.

not sure why these comments are mentioning adult cats i had to go back and check if i had read it wrong. 2 kittens will be fine

I think the comments about adult cats are making the point that post the kitten stage lots of cats don't get on - even if they have been fine together initially.

The point is that kittens grow up! Even kittens who have grown up
together isn’t a guarantee that as adults they will tolerate each other. I got my three within a month and there is only 6 weeks in age between them. I also thought my boy would be lonely. I was wrong he would have been perfectly happy on his own. As it is I have to separate fights and he sprays in place he shouldn’t.

I usually see the opposite on here and that you shouldn’t get a single kitten

Ok thanks everyone. Based on what people are saying I think I will stick to just the one cat (kitten) for now. He seems happy enough and I don’t want to upset the balance.

I have 4 cats... 1 x male 13 yrs, brother and sister 3 yrs, 1 x female 1 yr. All get on fine, brother and 1 yr old sleep and play together all the time. I'd get another, your kitten will enjoy it.

It really depends on the cat. My mum has a bonded pair who are constantly together. I’ve four cats - the oldest tolerates the other three but wouldn’t care if they all disappeared. My younger girl often plays with the younger boy and occasionally the older boy but gravitates more towards humans. The two boys love each other and they’re the only ones I think would miss the other.

If your cat is quite quiet and less rambunctious with other cats at this age, I suspect he’ll be fine on his own.

Cats aren’t as solitary as people make out - if left to their own devices they will form colonies and live together quite happily.

The issue is that many people insist on keeping multiple cats in small spaces without enough resources and that’s when fights start. Cats are bred to roam, hunt and explore, not to live cooped up inside sharing litter trays with multiple others.

We’ve always had multiple unrelated cats and have never had any issues with fights or aggression. All our cats go outside and are free to roam but choose to come back home and curl up together afterwards.

4 .months is a good age to get a friend. I was given a rescue kitten (had to take her as an emergency and cat shelters were full). I already have a 16 year old cat who doesn't like other cats. The kitten has given her a complete new lease of life.
They play together all the time but the 16 year old is the boss and everyone knows it. The "kitten" is 4 now.

We've had multiple cats for the best part of 40 years. Never had an issue with spraying or fighting each other. They do all have outside access though which I suspect makes them more relaxed.
I'm pro getting another kitten OP - no guarantee they'll be bonded when they're older but they are great for each other as kittens.

It didn't work for us at all.
Sorry OP, it's a great idea but not always successful.
My first cat was 1 year old. A colleagues cat had a litter of 5 kittens.
We had one of the kittens who was a dream, gorgeous, sweet, settled in immediately.We loved him instantly.
Our other cat hated him on sight and she moved out into the workshop at the bottom of our garden When she did come in she regularly beat him up sliced his ear.It was awful.
Luckily there was a waiting list for the kitten, so we took him back.
It broke my heart and I missed him so much for weeks.
He settled happily with a new family and our cat returned home as if nothing had happened.