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First Time Cat(s?) Owner: Should We Get One Or Two Kittens?
- Thread starter jacoby75
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I've had one and I've had 2. The only downside to having 2? Knowing my heart would be broken twice. And litter mates are like seniors, they often follow not long after they lose their companion. Their depression can be difficult, as you try to navigate your own. It nearly ended me to lose '2 Brothers' and didn't want to go through it again.
1.5 years after my Luka , GUS arrived in the form of a text message, wondering if I knew anyone who would be interested in having him. I'm so glad my heart opened up to him. He's 10 handfuls, but worth it
Only cats do just fine. They enjoy your undivided attention. Two are fun too! Make your decision based upon how your heart feels when you meet them. Don't take 2 just because you can. Take 2 because you can't imagine having just one. Or take just one because that one "does it" to your heart.
1.5 years after my Luka , GUS arrived in the form of a text message, wondering if I knew anyone who would be interested in having him. I'm so glad my heart opened up to him. He's 10 handfuls, but worth it
Only cats do just fine. They enjoy your undivided attention. Two are fun too! Make your decision based upon how your heart feels when you meet them. Don't take 2 just because you can. Take 2 because you can't imagine having just one. Or take just one because that one "does it" to your heart.
I think adopting one or two kittens depends on a couple of factors. Is the kitten you are going to adopt closely bonded with one of the siblings. It is better not to break up a bonded pair of kittens. Also what is your daily schedule like. If you are not home for long periods of time due to work then it is also better to have two kittens so they have each other for company. If you work from home or a retired then one kitten would be fine because you would be around for interaction so the kitten is not bored and lonely all day.
When Casey adopted my husband in 2015 as a 7 week old baby he was in a cage by himself after his litter mates had just been adopted. We went to get cat food but we could not ignore the adorable crying black kitten in the cage by himself. Hubby petted him then walked away to buy food. Casey was still crying so he went back to pet him some more. He then walked away to get litter. Casey was crying so much that an employee took him up to the register with her to calm him down. The employee was also a volunteer for the rescue. Hubby put the cat litter and food down. Casey ran up his arm and perched on hubby's shoulder. Hubby looked at me and said I guess we are adopting him. We purchased a carrier to take him home in. He was looking for a home through a private rescue that did adoptions out of that store. We had already adopted another cat from them so we were able to take Casey home immediately. Casey is very social and the reason we were able to adopt him immediately was because we have other cats. I think he would have been lonely and bored as an only kitten. He loves his humans but also really enjoys playing with Apollo.
When Casey adopted my husband in 2015 as a 7 week old baby he was in a cage by himself after his litter mates had just been adopted. We went to get cat food but we could not ignore the adorable crying black kitten in the cage by himself. Hubby petted him then walked away to buy food. Casey was still crying so he went back to pet him some more. He then walked away to get litter. Casey was crying so much that an employee took him up to the register with her to calm him down. The employee was also a volunteer for the rescue. Hubby put the cat litter and food down. Casey ran up his arm and perched on hubby's shoulder. Hubby looked at me and said I guess we are adopting him. We purchased a carrier to take him home in. He was looking for a home through a private rescue that did adoptions out of that store. We had already adopted another cat from them so we were able to take Casey home immediately. Casey is very social and the reason we were able to adopt him immediately was because we have other cats. I think he would have been lonely and bored as an only kitten. He loves his humans but also really enjoys playing with Apollo.
The saddest thing in the world is that no animal at a shelter ever shows at its best. With the possible exception of those few and wonderful well-managed "cage free" shelters.
That's a pretty good indication. LOL, parenthood and pet guardianship are the two most intense OJT jobs you will ever undertake, pets being slightly less stressful. Slightly. Like infants, if they do get sick, they can't tell you what hurts, or what is helping. Unlike infants, they don't outgrow that stage. However, you won't have to deal with dating, prom dresses, driving the car, or college, so there's that...
Do we have KITTEN(S) yet?
Yes! Very true from my one experience. I tend to be very impulsive. I knew I wanted a calico. I looked on one website (Petfinder, I think) and found 2 calicos in the area. Mine had 4 professional pictures and was at a rescue shelter. That's what made me interested in her over the other one. One of the photos showed extreme cattitude. Another made me sad because she was sleeping on the shelter floor in the photo and I wanted to give her a cat bed. Silly, I know. That rescue shelter was top-of-the-line, I think, and took care of the cats and dogs very well.
I drove 1.5 hours to see her even though there were plenty of cats closer. I saw her and she was all fluffed out and pissy-looking which surprised me. Probably because she'd been in that room waiting for me to arrive for a long time. I was late and also driving around hoping my car window would go back up so she wouldn't be terrified by the freeway noise if I took her home right away. So she was very pissy and, actually, scary-looking to me. Come to think of it, if she had been at a closer shelter, I would have left her there or asked to see other cats. Due to the drive and my expectation to take her home right away, I decided to just go ahead and adopt her. She's the only cat I saw. Anyway, she yowled angrily like an alley cat when they gave her to me in the carrier I brought. She turned out to be very sweet sometimes, doesn't yowl and isn't fluffed out angrily. She turned out to be very happy to live indoors and to receive regular food and water. Thankfully, she never wants to go outside after living out there for 3-6 years. Sorry for the lengthy reply. I'm just so glad I adopted her. She's the right cat for me and no one had come to look at her for 7 months, so I'm not sure how long she would have been there if I hadn't taken her.
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So....Don't keep us in such suspense! What did you decide? We never had only one cat when I was a kid because there were always accidental litters of kittens. Then when I found Demi, Maggie showed up 6 months later. 
LOL, my guess is that the OP and pham' are consumed by new feline entities 
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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Soooooo . . .
This happened today. Say hello to Dorothy. I’ll fill you in on the decision making process later. But we stuck with one. It feels good.
This happened today. Say hello to Dorothy. I’ll fill you in on the decision making process later. But we stuck with one. It feels good.
WOOHOO!!!
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Dorothy! They both look very happy!
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Soooooo . . .
This happened today. Say hello to Dorothy. I’ll fill you in on the decision making process later. But we stuck with one. It feels good.
THAT is the face of a happy kiddo!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats on the new addition. Dorothy is adorable!!!!!!!!!!
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I helped foster two kittens named Dorothy and Toto. Two black DSH's.
Probably why I love black DSH's to this day. That was a big responsibility and I loved every second of it, and cried like a baby when they went to their forever homes!
Such a cute picture You can always get your new cat a new fur buddy in 1,5, or even 10 years later. Because Dorothy is an only kitten I would suggest working with her now to teach her to attack/bite/scratch/bunny kick toys not people.
That way in a month or two when she wants to hunt every thing you can guide her to a mouse or a kickeroo instead of hunting people's feet
Oh & more pics please ..... you can never see to many cute kitten pictures!
You can always get your new cat a new fur buddy in 1,5, or even 10 years later. Because Dorothy is an only kitten I would suggest working with her now to teach her to attack/bite/scratch/bunny kick toys not people. That way in a month or two when she wants to hunt every thing you can guide her to a mouse or a kickeroo instead of hunting people's feet Oh & more pics please ..... you can never see to many cute kitten pictures!
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Cute kid and cute kitty! 
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That' a very good point about getting another buddy in a year, 5, 10, etc.Such a cute picture
Oh & more pics please ..... you can never see to many cute kitten pictures!
The great thing about same aged litter mates is they grow together, play together, etc.
But they do age together, and you go from having two adorable fuzz faces to two adults to two geriatrics, which can be hell on your heart.
When the ages are spaced out some, it makes things easier.
So happy for you
jacoby75
and so happy for your little girl too!Wishing you many, MANY happy years with this little kitten =)
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Soooooo . . .
This happened today. Say hello to Dorothy. I’ll fill you in on the decision making process later. But we stuck with one. It feels good.
HOooOORay
They are both adorable. Congrats and enjoy!
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Thank you for all of the well-wishes, everyone, and for the advice along the way. We had Dorothy and her brother (Tin Man) over for about 2 1/2 hours this afternoon. We just weren't feeling it with Tin Man, for lack of a better way of describing it. Dorothy just felt right. And neither seemed terribly interested in the other one while they were here, though Erin stated that they do play together at times at home, when they are in their three-tier ferret cage with six other cats. It's going to be an adjustment, to be sure. We've spent the last 2 1/2 hours chasing her around the living room and continually fishing her out from behind the entertainment center or under the couch. Over, and over, and over, and over. We read about the need to block off places they can "cave", and we thought we did, but she's so tiny, she was always able to wiggle through our defenses. We're finally getting it dialed in, though. Hopefully she'll eventually get comfortable enough to stop running.
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Erin offered to let us keep both for the weekend, but honestly the thought of the two of them was just too overwhelming, knowing nothing about cats and never having had one. And I think it was the right decision. We set out looking for one, and I think found the right one. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to move the entertainment center again. : )
