How Many Should I Keep??

[PastelPanic]

Hi! I'm new here and need some advise.
So a friend of mine has some kittens that were born on their porch they have been raising but they are looking to pass them along the 2 I am looking at are about 4 week old(they have multiple at different ages between 4 weeks and 6 weeks). I would like to adopt one I've been wanting to take in a pet for long while now but I've seen a lot of things saying it's better to adopt 2 at the same time. With the fall approaching I may have to attend university in person while working and worry the cat will be lonely with me not there. so my choice would be obviously adopt 2 but here is where my issue lies.

I will have to come back home after I'm finished with school to live with my parents in February. And I am sure I won't be able to have 2 cats in that home. I have a backup plan. Someone I am close to is willing to take the other cat when I move back and we do weekly visits where they will have them take care of both for a couple days and vise-versa till we are able to move in together [planned in advance about 2 yrs from now]. However I am afraid they might have issues separated. So I just need a bit of advise PLEASE!

Thank you all in advance!

 

[Willowy]

With kittens it's best to get 2, especially if you have no other pets. There's just no substitute for another cat's companionship.

Also, are the kittens safe where they are now? If so, don't take any of them until they're at least 10 weeks old (really, 12-14 weeks is best but living on a porch doesn't seem ideal to me so they might have to go a little early). They learn a lot from their mother and littermates and you want them to be well-adjusted.

As for the backup plan, it's not really ideal. But I suppose it's better than separating them permanently. Some cats are more flexible than others and they might be ok with it. But if you can find a way to keep them together (maybe they both could live with your friend and you could visit a lot?) that would be best.

 

[PastelPanic]

With kittens it's best to get 2, especially if you have no other pets. There's just no substitute for another cat's companionship.

Also, are the kittens safe where they are now? If so, don't take any of them until they're at least 10 weeks old (really, 12-14 weeks is best but living on a porch doesn't seem ideal to me so they might have to go a little early). They learn a lot from their mother and littermates and you want them to be well-adjusted.

As for the backup plan, it's not really ideal. But I suppose it's better than separating them permanently. Some cats are more flexible than others and they might be ok with it. But if you can find a way to keep them together (maybe they both could live with your friend and you could visit a lot?) that would be best.

Well they took them into their home until they figure out what to do with them. The mother was not present for about 2-3 weeks which is why they decided to take them in however they do have an older cat in their home. I will speak to them about keeping them for longer but they are not sure how long they can take care of the them.

Unfortunately my friend can not house two at a time either. This situation is a bit sticky but I really wanna try and do what is best for them. Thank you for your advise

 

[Willowy]

Oh, they're orphaned :/. That does change things. Have they been bottle-feeding them? If they don't have a mother, obviously they can't stay with her, so it would be ok to take your 2 now if you feel up to it. But it is absolutely necessary to take 2 in that case, because single orphan kittens tend to develop very bad behavioral problems without any other cats to learn from.

 

[fionasmom]

If they are orphaned, definitely take two. My Jamie was an abandoned baby and was brought into a house of much older cats who did not bother with him and his behavior, while endearing, was challenging. He had not learned to play and while he was not destructive, he used humans as siblings for fighting and wrestling which had to be retrained.

 

[Jcatbird]

Things could easily change before you move back home. Nothing is ever a certainty but commuting to them is very important. As long as you provide them with a happy and safe home, they have a better chance in this world. Give them 100% and work on the future but keep some hope that you can work out keeping them , always, together. Hopefully with you too. Make sure that the friend who make take them later is a big part of their lives from the very start so that if there is a transition, it goes smoothly. Thank you for adopting!

 

[PastelPanic]

Thank you all for your help. They agreed to keep them for a couple more weeks so they can learn social behavior and better adjust.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Maybe your parents will fall in love with the kittens and will allow both to stay Some people don’t know they are cat people until they are I have two boys from the same litter that were very young when I brought them home I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said I am so glad I took both of them Good luck I hope it works out!

 

[Jcatbird]

That’s great. Please do keep us updated.