How often do kittens stay bonded?

[WillowMarie]

My two kittens are extremely bonded, but are not sisters. In your experiences, do they ever outgrow this bond or do they stay very close? Is it just a kitten thing? My two often nap/snuggle, play and interact together throughout the day. They are between 4-5 months now. Thanks for any input/experiences!

 

[susanm9006]

As far as the kittens are concerned they are siblings now and that bond will continue throughout their lives together.

 

[vyger]

I would say that it just depends, sometimes strange things happen with cats. There have been stories on this site of 2 lifelong friends that become enemies for no apparent reason. One that I remember happened after a stay of a few days at a vet clinic for one of the pair. On returning home the other forever friend would not accept the other back. Apparently the cats scent had changed so much it's friend no longer recognized it. A lot of cats identity ques come from smell and if that changes dramatically there can be problems. So being separated for any amount of time can cause them to not know each other. I have a mother son pair that love to be with each other and will come to the others rescue. At the same time I have another mother daughter pair that used to be really close but now hiss and fight with each other. I have no idea why, they just decided they didn't like each other anymore. So strange things can happen.
The best advice I could offer is to not have them apart for any length of time. If you take one to the vet take the other one along as well. if you give one a bath, give them both a bath so they smell alike. Also sometimes when they hit maturity their personalities can change. One might become a loner and just not want company anymore. If something like that happens there is not a lot you can do other than try and reintroduce them again.

 

[stacydc83]

Lily and Callie (RIP Callie) were super close as kittens, they snuggled together, Callie was an older kitten when we found her, and Lily was just a few weeks. They were not siblings but bonded very quickly. The bond stayed very strong though they didnt cuddle past kittenhood but they were very close. When Callie was killed Lily took it very hard. So yes it's very possible for cats to form a lifelong bond. They also played together regularly as adults. Now, Lily and Zoe are not bonded like that but there is a weird love hate relationship between them. Lily couldn't bond with Zoe like she did Callie