First Time Cat(s?) Owner: Should We Get One Or Two Kittens?

[jacoby75]

Fingers crossed that all turns out well!
I bet by this time tomorrow your daughter will be so excited she can hardly stand it =)

Too late. She's been so excited she can hardly stand it for about a week-and-a-half now. Us too, for that matter. With a healthy dose of anxiety mixed in.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Too late. She's been so excited she can hardly stand it for about a week-and-a-half now. Us too, for that matter. With a healthy dose of anxiety mixed in.

I'm laughing because I remember when we were due to get a litter of baby kittens in for fostering and we had to wait a week or so. I was about 8 and peeing my pants the entire time with anticipation! Your daughter is going to be so, so happy =)
The anxiety will fade. At first it will be a change and you'll feel this weird need to constantly "entertain" the kittens like they're some kind of guest, but that fades when you realize a box, a piece of paper, an invisible spot of dust, etc. entertains them. They might hide for a day or so but kittens are SO nosy and can't hide for long without that curiosity getting the best of them.
So then you get to sit back, enjoy, and relax =)

 

[maggiedemi]

So...Did you make the final decision yet? One or two?

 

[1 bruce 1]

So...Did you make the final decision yet? One or two?

I vote for two! =D
But I know two kittens is double the food bills, double the litter expenses, double the vet bills, etc., but seriously...I'm a terrible enabler.
(Aside to that, kittens eat a LOT and poop a lot, but adult cats don't eat as much, so once they get older the food/litter bill dwindles. The vet bills seem high at first...shots, neuters, dewormings, etc., but dwindle a bit as they get older to once a year vs. every month or two!)

 

[maggiedemi]

I vote 2....I don't think it's that much more expensive and they have a pal for life.

 

[jacoby75]

So...Did you make the final decision yet? One or two?

Yes.
One or two.
We've decided . . . that we'll decide when she brings them both back tomorrow and we see how they do.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Yes.
One or two.
We've decided . . . that we'll decide when she brings them both back tomorrow and we see how they do.

It makes me concerned that you are going to make a decision based on how they do in a new, possibly scary environment... That’s not any cat’s best moment.

 

[Furballsmom]

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[Pucks104]

George and Louie snuggled for a nap. It is really wonderful how much the 2 enjoy each other!

 

[jacoby75]

It makes me concerned that you are going to make a decision based on how they do in a new, possibly scary environment... That’s not any cat’s best moment.

I hear you. I don't really know how else to make the decision, though, apart from continuing my research on the topic (like the helpful suggestions from all of you, which we have been taking into consideration and reading as a family daily). We intend to see how they are together, but not in the sense of sitting there and keeping score on subjective matters. We are Christians, and have been praying from day one . . . actually before day one . . . that God would help us make the best decision for our family and for the cat or cats that he may entrust us with. I'm hoping we'll "feel it" or "just know" when we see them again, now that we've had time to do a ton more research and ask some more educated questions. It was already an answer to prayer - in my eyes - when she first brought them over. It was night and day different from the recent experience we had at a shelter. At the shelter we met eight kittens, and long story short felt no bond with any of them. But when she brought these two to our home, the first thing they did when they got out of their carrier was sit on our living room floor and purr and snuggle up to us. Then one kept snuggling while the other spazzed out (the more "normal" response of the two, perhaps). Maybe that's nothing, but to me it indicated comfort and a much more mellow experience than we had at the shelter. So that's gotta count for something.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hmmm, by the way, are you all set up with food et al?
Kittens need to eat a LOT

 

[talkingpeanut]

I hear you. I don't really know how else to make the decision, though, apart from continuing my research on the topic (like the helpful suggestions from all of you, which we have been taking into consideration and reading as a family daily). We intend to see how they are together, but not in the sense of sitting there and keeping score on subjective matters. We are Christians, and have been praying from day one . . . actually before day one . . . that God would help us make the best decision for our family and for the cat or cats that he may entrust us with. I'm hoping we'll "feel it" or "just know" when we see them again, now that we've had time to do a ton more research and ask some more educated questions. It was already an answer to prayer - in my eyes - when she first brought them over. It was night and day different from the recent experience we had at a shelter. At the shelter we met eight kittens, and long story short felt no bond with any of them. But when she brought these two to our home, the first thing they did when they got out of their carrier was sit on our living room floor and purr and snuggle up to us. Then one kept snuggling while the other spazzed out (the more "normal" response of the two, perhaps). Maybe that's nothing, but to me it indicated comfort and a much more mellow experience than we had at the shelter. So that's gotta count for something.

I hear you. I also hope you can put your expectations aside. You are talking about baby animals. They will change as they grow, both because they grow up and because of socialization in your home. You cannot make an educated decision based on one or two meetings in a new place. Your cat may never want to snuggle or be particularly bonded to people, and that would have to be ok because it’s their personality. Do you know what I mean?

Please talk to the woman about their personalities and how they are together. Her opinion should carry far more weight.

 

[jacoby75]

I hear you. I also hope you can put your expectations aside. You are talking about baby animals. They will change as they grow, both because they grow up and because of socialization in your home. You cannot make an educated decision based on one or two meetings in a new place. Your cat may never want to snuggle or be particularly bonded to people, and that would have to be ok because it’s their personality. Do you know what I mean?

Please talk to the woman about their personalities and how they are together. Her opinion should carry far more weight.

Fair enough. And now that we know some better questions to ask, we certainly will.

 

[jacoby75]

Hmmm, by the way, are you all set up with food et al?
Kittens need to eat a LOT

So do I. We'll get along just fine.

 

[ArtNJ]

Well, we already discussed that meeting kittens on unknown territory means their behavior will not really correlate with their ultimate personalities. You can't go to her house? Thats the way its normally done, and for really good reasons.

All of that said, I disagree with people steering you towards two. If they are not exceptionally bonded, and given that your wife and daughter are home all day, I don't see any problem getting just one if your more comfortable with that. So you can't go too wrong.

 

[Babypaws]

Personally, if the two cats are really bonded, I wouldn't split them up. If you can afford care for two and they're bonded, I would get two. But if you're a one cat person/family, then I'd find a one cat or kitten who's happy being the only cat (unless you add another later on). I adopted an adult cat and I think she likes being the only cat. She also runs and hides when children visit.

I totally agree, if the two kittens are bonded don’t separate them. I recently befriended a feral cat that was born in our yard. It took all winter for me to gain her trust. Unfortunately she became pregnant and had three kittens. To make a long story short I was able to bring her and her kittens inside our enclosed porch. I already have two older indoor cats but don’t plan on introducing them until the mother cat and kittens have gotten their shots and the mother cat is spayed. The kittens were 6 weeks old when they came inside and I had planned on keeping two and giving one away but after watching them play and see how close bonded they are to each other and the mother, I couldn’t separate them. So guess what, I’m keeping all three kittens and mommy too. They will become my “new” additional indoor babies.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I hear you. I don't really know how else to make the decision, though, apart from continuing my research on the topic (like the helpful suggestions from all of you, which we have been taking into consideration and reading as a family daily). We intend to see how they are together, but not in the sense of sitting there and keeping score on subjective matters. We are Christians, and have been praying from day one . . . actually before day one . . . that God would help us make the best decision for our family and for the cat or cats that he may entrust us with. I'm hoping we'll "feel it" or "just know" when we see them again, now that we've had time to do a ton more research and ask some more educated questions. It was already an answer to prayer - in my eyes - when she first brought them over. It was night and day different from the recent experience we had at a shelter. At the shelter we met eight kittens, and long story short felt no bond with any of them. But when she brought these two to our home, the first thing they did when they got out of their carrier was sit on our living room floor and purr and snuggle up to us. Then one kept snuggling while the other spazzed out (the more "normal" response of the two, perhaps). Maybe that's nothing, but to me it indicated comfort and a much more mellow experience than we had at the shelter. So that's gotta count for something.

Give yourself some credit =)
Lots of people buy WAY high energy, WAY high intelligence working bred working dogs with crazy energy/drive levels...without a second thought, and soon find out this is a bad match.
You're getting one, perhaps two, fuzzy little kittens and have been spending a lot of time making sure you make the right choice for your family. You've done your home work and are doing more than most people do when they choose a car.
If you won't give yourself credit, I'll do it for you =)
Whatever happens and whatever you and your family decide, I hope you all have an EXCELLENT experience tomorrow and bring a happy and healthy family member (or two!) to their forever home.
Again..give yourself some credit for your hard work and research and making sure you know what you're getting into.

 

[jacoby75]

Give yourself some credit =)
Lots of people buy WAY high energy, WAY high intelligence working bred working dogs with crazy energy/drive levels...without a second thought, and soon find out this is a bad match.
You're getting one, perhaps two, fuzzy little kittens and have been spending a lot of time making sure you make the right choice for your family. You've done your home work and are doing more than most people do when they choose a car.
If you won't give yourself credit, I'll do it for you =)
Whatever happens and whatever you and your family decide, I hope you all have an EXCELLENT experience tomorrow and bring a happy and healthy family member (or two!) to their forever home.
Again..give yourself some credit for your hard work and research and making sure you know what you're getting into.

Thank you. I appreciate that. There are actually nights that I have lost sleep over this decision and my wife has moments of becoming completely overwhelmed with the books she's reading and videos she's watching about all of the ways things should be done right. I keep reminding her and myself that we are not idiots. We're basically middle-aged, college educated adults doing the best we can and likely have already put waaaaaaay more thought, energy and prayer into this than the average person does before they get a pet. Heck. The six-year old human being we're raising has turned out pretty great so far. We'll see if it pays off tomorrow for us and the cats. I appreciate the boost of confidence. Thanks.

 

[Furballsmom]

And, to add to @1bruce1 's as per usual accurate assessment of things, your sense of humor and what sounds like a lovely family will be giving one or two lucky felines a VERY good home

 

[RajaNMizu]

Hi there! I faced the decision you're making not that long ago (February of this year). I went to our local shelter with my two adult sons and insisted we were only getting one young cat. Ever try getting three people to decide on one kitty? Didn't work. They fell in love with Raja...we all did really, but I had bonded with Mizu. They never knew each other and came home within days of each other. At first it was a little overwhelming but not because of anything they did. Because it was ALL new to us. After about a week, we had all grown accustomed to each other. Bottom line? I don't regret having two. They entertain each other. It's great when you're out, you're sleeping or otherwise occupied. As for initial behaviors? Raja has ALWAYS been a cuddlebug. Mizu? Pretty much never until this evening. First time she has ever fallen asleep in my lap. So, you never can tell.