Anyone else only have one?

cg33

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Howie is an "only". At times I regret not adopting another one of his litter mates at the same time (they were all very affectionate), but I knew that my family wasn't wanting more than one.

Now that he is settled in and accustomed to our house, I doubt we will get another. Cats are very territorial, and while I think he would have enjoyed having a litter mate with him if they had been introduced at the same time, now I think it would be overly stressful. Besides, he seems pretty entertained with us! :-D

For quite a long time we had two (not always the same two, but two nevertheless) Cats introduced later in life can learn to appreciate each other....ours always did. It wasn't always smooth sailing though! The elder kitty never appreciated the idea of a sibling for quite a while!!
 

ashley davidson

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I think you need two cats at home. I'm very busy with work and I'm often not at home, so I think my cat should have a playmate. Problem is, I've had my cat for a long time now and if a bring home a new one, it will most probably hate it. At best, it will take a lot of time to get accustomed to the new kitten. Still wondering what to do.
 

datagrrl

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I have spent 10 years defending my choice to only have one child, so doing the same about our choice to have one cat isn't a big deal.

We have allergies in the house, so a second cat isn't an option. We do have a rabbit she interacts with a lot.

It probably would have been less selfish and looked for a "only cat" cat. We actually talked to someone about one, but she has some pretty major litter box issues, and I wasn't sure they were caused by other cats.

My cat might have benefitted from me taking one of her siblings, but she has adjusted to her only cat status pretty well.
 

micknsnicks2mom

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...with the cats...
i only have one cat at this time. snick, my little girl cat, and i lost her brother (mickey) last year.

i think snick does well as an only cat, though i believe she'd also do well with a companion kitty. i have chosen not to adopt another cat/kitten until after it's snick's time to cross the rainbow bridge. snick has serious medical issues (we work closely with the vet to treat them), so i need to make sure i have the time and money available for her medical needs. i also feel it would not be fair, both to snick and the new adopted kitty, because i need to focus so much on snick's care/needs that the new kitty would not have the love and attention that he (and i) would feel that he deserves and this is snick's time to have me all to herself/the center of my love and attention. snick and mickey were sister and brother, litter mates. i have always loved them both dearly, but mickey and i were very closely bonded -- he was and still is the great love of my life. snick and i have become very close now that it's just us two girls, and i won't take that away from her.
 

betsygee

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1 big happy family.

I was worried about the food bowl thing too. Kaia tends to guard hers, but she's been very relaxed with Chester. He tends to drink their water more than anything. Maybe it's just more convenient there on the floor, where his is on a table with his food.
That's a very sweet scene, all of them snoozing together.  
 

gravy baby

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Hi. I also have just one six month old kitten and am a little concerned about how much time he is on his own.

I work full time although only 5 mins from home so I come back at lunchtime to play. He has several beds at differing heights, lots of toys and views of the garden from the conservatory.

He seems happy and when I'm home he likes to spend time with me although petting is really only 'allowed' by him at meal times [emoji]128512[/emoji].

My concern is that I'm often ready for bed by 9-9.30 and whilst I do try to stay up sometimes I'm just too tired. At night he is confined to the dining room and conservatory so it's a lot of time on his own.

I rarely go out in the evening, maybe once or twice a month and I'm around a lot at the weekend.

I was considering letting him out but for safety reasons I can't, neither can I afford another cat.

I really want to get this right.
Me too. My kitten is orphaned and this was a surprise for me to care for him. But I work full time sometimes 6 days a week. And when I come home I try to hang with him at least 2 hrs before I go to sleep. Is this enough he seems find and on my off days it's just me and him.
 

rainbow22

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Smudge is nearly one now and seems pretty happy to me. My son has been around for the last couple of months so that has been a bit more company but he starts university in Sep so it's just the two of us again. I have also started to let him out into the garden which he also loves. He goes out for an hour in the morning and lunchtime and then a few hours in the evening, although this will stop in the winter when its dark. I also now leave the radio on when I'm out for company.

Is your cat indoor only? For Smudge the key seems to be lots of play and a routine. He comes to me now when it's time for bed! Probably because I save some of his food for
then.

It is a worry but I'm sure there are lots of people who only have one cat and who work. You are giving a safe place to live with food and love which is much more than some kittens get and I'm sure it will work out fine.
 

gravy baby

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Smudge is nearly one now and seems pretty happy to me. My son has been around for the last couple of months so that has been a bit more company but he starts university in Sep so it's just the two of us again. I have also started to let him out into the garden which he also loves. He goes out for an hour in the morning and lunchtime and then a few hours in the evening, although this will stop in the winter when its dark. I also now leave the radio on when I'm out for company.

Is your cat indoor only? For Smudge the key seems to be lots of play and a routine. He comes to me now when it's time for bed! Probably because I save some of his food for
then.

It is a worry but I'm sure there are lots of people who only have one cat and who work. You are giving a safe place to live with food and love which is much more than some kittens get and I'm sure it will work out fine.
Yeah he's only 4/5 weeks. I'm afraid to let him go outside. When I leave for work I make sure the last hour before I leave is his time and I also leave a movie or a children's cartoon on for sound. So far so good. Thanks for the advice!
 

rainbow22

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Apologies I was half asleep when I read your post and I thought he was 6 months old. I don't let Smudge out when I'm not home as I want him to stay in the garden. An hours play before you go to work sounds great to me.

I am very new to all of this but others on the site have years of experience and knowledge. All I would say is try not to feel bad because you are doing your best and if he seems happy that's what's important.

Have a happy day.
 
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