Are 3 Cats better than 2 ?

[mom of franz]

A friend of mine from a rescue group called me up about this beautiful British Blue mix, 2 yr old male. I'm thinking about it. Money wise, okay. Room wise, 1bedroom apt...I think okay. Another friend said her concern is that two of the cats would become close and leave one out. I have two now, Franz 8, Maddie 1, who are fine together and really only needed a week of intro. Franz shy but lap cat, and Alpha, Maddie, kittenish still...play play play, but has shy moments, new boy, I am told he is friendly, definitley non alpha, plays well with others, loves to be brushed, prob non lap cat. What do you think guys? New boy is smaller than Franz...which I think makes a difference. At Franzs' age I want him to remain top cat (for his ego) and at 16/17 lbs he certainly will give that impression, I think, to a new arrival.

Any ideas???????? Don't mince words!!!

 

[grampngram]

3 Cats are better than 2.
4 cats are better than 3.
etc...etc...etc...

They'll sort out the hierarchy.
We have 3.
1 20 year old.

2 adolescents.

The 20 year old is still the queen (sometimes with a little help) and will remain so until she crosses the bridge.

You should be fine. He's non-alpha and smaller in stature so he'll take his place as the "new kid".


Go for it.

Jeff

 

[talon]

We have 3 too, as far as mine is concerend - always someone to play with - even if someone's asleep! Ages: 2,3,4

 

[momofmany]

I disqualify myself from answering because I have way more than 3! That in itself is my answer. LOL

 

[<3baci-n-system]

3 cats are deffinatly better than 2. i just got my third like a month ago and they get along great. baci is just over 1, system is 10 months and surj (the baby) is 9 weeks. i know mine are a little younger than franz, but they will all love each other. there are times that only 2 sleep together, but the one that's left out is usually happy they can sleep alone!

 

[dima]

I have to agree with Jeff. 3 better than 2...4 better than 3...and so on

I currently have only 3, but that's so there is plenty of room and money for fosters. Moth is nearly 10 and definitely queen kitty. She knows it, they all know it. Frodo is a little over a year and Pookie is nearly a year. Frodo and Pook are best buds and Moth likes that just fine, cuz then they don't bug her too much. She likes Frodo ok but if Pookie gets too close she hisses at him and shows him who is boss. He is a little TOO friendly to other cats. He doesn't understand boundaries very well and just want to love everyone. Even strays.

I saw go for it

 

[jcat]

My sister got a third cat last week, and so far, so good. She has such a menagerie that she figured one more cat wouldn't make much difference. Her male cat is definitely the boss (also over the three dogs), but he's very tolerant of and affectionate with newcomers. He just doesn't like repairmen, for some reason!

 

[kittylover4ever]

Gotta agree with everyone else..........I have a hankering to get my 4th...........maybe for my birthday in August??

I'd have 10 of them if I had the $$ and room.

 

[pamela]

Hahah.. I had 3 cats for about a year and decided to adopt Pepper mainly because I noticed the boys tend to wrestle a lot and Zebra seemed left out sometimes but that might be just me being paranoid.

Now I have 4 cats and it's PERFECT cuz Pepper and Zebra are very close to each other while the boys like to hang out together (when Buddy isn't all over me!

)

Most might not agree with me on this but I think it's better to have "even" numbers of cats meaning 2 or 4 cats

so that way one cat won't be the "odd" cat out like Zebra was sometimes with the boys before I adopted Pepper.

 

[houseofcats]

We now have 20! We always said "what's one more"?

 

[kcidr]

Hmm, I may be the only naysayer here. I just got my third 7 weeks ago and it is still a sometimes-stressful situation. I had a peaceful 2-cat household before we brought in our newest, Gin. I have since read (The Natural Cat) that if you have a happy 2-cat household you may want to stay that way. I don't know the success rate, perhaps the majority of new cat introductions to existing multi-cat households work out well over a long period of time. But I am sure some do not.

I would say if you really want that 3rd cat, go for it, but go for it with your eyes open. There is no hard and fast set of rules that cats follow when getting used to a new heirarchy. Maybe you will luck out and a new cat will fit right in. There's just no predicting it, and its probably better to be prepared for all the possibilities. What would you do if it doesn't work? Would you be able to part with this new cat who you love, but one of your existing cats can't stand? These are tough questions if you have to face them. Buena suerte.

 

[monica's six]

When I had two cats... Isabelle and Audrey... (mother and daughter) It seemed to me that there was more Dominance/Submission going on in my house. Isabelle was constantly disiplining Audrey which was annoying. When I decided to bring in Heidi, Isabelle was hurt at first and grouchy... but soon Isabelle and Heidi because close friends and playmates because they both were small busy cats who liked chasing each other... It took the heat off of Audrey, which was very good.

Cats form different bonds with other cats based on personality compatibility. How bringing in a 3rd cat will affect your kitty community will be dependant on the cats themselves. No matter what though I think 3 is better than 2. They'll bond with each other in their own way.

I have 6 now and it's not as clear who's the top cat in the house. Each has a different bond with the other cats. I think the best thing about having multiple cats is watching how they learn things (for better and worse) from each other.
-

 

[mom of franz]

Here he is...hope his pic is not just a dot!!!

 

[pamela]

Originally Posted by Mom of Franz

Here he is...hope is pic is not just a dot!!!

AWWWWWWWWWW!! He's CUTE!!

 

[mom of franz]

He is listed as a Rusian Blue Mix..however I don't see it..more a British Blue Short hair Mix to me...what do you experts think...or even a Chartreux mix. I would name him Chaplin...He reminds me, with his Brit heritage of an older Charlie Chaplin! And I would have to notify the "Got Milk" folks"..hey we might make some $ LOL LOL!

Don't worry you UK guys...I would sing him "Land of Hope and Glory" every night! Love Sir Elgar!

 

[jcat]

Barbara, I doubt that you'll be able to resist him. Franz has been so wonderful that you'll probably find little resistance on his part - I'd go for it.

 

[wellingtoncats]

Barbara, I just saw you thread in the Breeders Corner. He doesn't look anything like a British to me, but definitly Russian Blue and Chartreux! Chaplin seems to suit him well. I say go for it! Just think of it this way, you're saving a life.

 

[mom of franz]

Thanks Sam...i Knew I Could Count On The Breeders!

 

[wellingtoncats]

Your welcome! He's gorgeous!

 

[wynterangel77]

We now have 15 Shadow is are oldest and is the alpha...the only time we ever had any problems was when we kept Klara for about a year because she had been only cat for so long that she wanted to be alpha...she has gone back to friend and is now alpha there. Actually we don't have any trouble bringing in new cats as long as they aren't trying to out rank Shadow or the 2 right under her Morris and Tux. What scares us is what will happen when Shadow dies...cause I really don't think eighther of those 2 will back down...Tux has a bad back but it won't stop him from standing his ground and Morris has a habit of getting himself into trouble once almost sliced his toungue in half was hanging on barely Vet stitched it back together and its fine now.