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Kittens: Separate or Together?
Hi I'm Vee!
Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered User regular
Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered User regular
So we recently got a pair of kittens. They play together a lot, and seem to really like each other. However, I'm going to be moving to my own place soon, and I'd like to take one with me. My mother insists that they need to stay together because they get along so well, but I don't think I can handle two of them.
Are they really "bestest friends", or are we just antropomorphizing their relationship? Will it really be that harmful to them to separate them?
Are they really "bestest friends", or are we just antropomorphizing their relationship? Will it really be that harmful to them to separate them?
Hi I'm Vee! on
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What, can't handle paying to to feed/vaccinate/litter/medicate them?
Two cats will use one litterbox as long as you clean out the clumps/poo daily.
It keeps them from getting lonely, and it'll make them more open to future felines you might bring in.
Also, they sometimes will form pretty tight bonds, though not always.
It's not going to kill a cat to be solo... but I would assume their overall life happiness levels to be increased by having a cat they're friendly with around.
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In answer to your specific question, I'm sure they will get over it - though you will probably hear some yowling for a while.
If you only have one cat and aren't spending 12 hours a day with it, I definitely wouldn't call that cruel. I'd say that is one damned needy pet.
Whoever said two cats means less stuff getting knocked over is full of it, too. It's just twice the fun of watching them like a hawk to make sure they stay off your things.
I mean, heck, we used to have a horse once, and only the one... he was so obsessed with attention it tried to walk into the living room once or twice.
When other horses showed up in the area?
They all broke out and ran around the neighborhood.
Cats, being more solitary, won't be as bad, but a well-fed cat isn't that solitary.
As somebody who dealt with a mourning cat, it can be a hassle. He still mourns 5 months down the track -- and he's only 1! Unless you've got an independent cat, you will find that a lonely, bored, enthusiastic cat can be a handful after a day of work. We ended up getting Oscar a playmate for this very reason.
If you want a cat, get one (preferably two kittens, or a grown adoptee) when you have moved and things are settled. They're a decent commitment for a flatter, and you want to make sure things are comfortable before you get one.
I'm definitely glad I got a second cat. I'd be gone for just 4-5 hours and my cat would go NUTS when I got home. A lot of my stuff was slowly getting messed up like my blinds getting chewed on, couch getting scratched, etc. I tried the usual stuff to stop it, but a second cat really helped. They play with each other, keep each other company, and quite frankly it's nice to have another cat around.
Cats are nice because they aren't terribly expensive, so getting a second one isn't a huge investment. If I were you I'd keep the two kittens you have together, whether at your house or your mom's.
**Forward several weeks**
After we had the cats for awhile, they began peeing on things. Pillows and piles of clothes on the floor mainly. Well we tried correcting them, and for awhile it worked. There was no pee, and for that, we were greatful. Eventually though, it started again, this time, it was worse. I think they might have stopped peeing in the house for that period of time on purpose, just to catch me off guard with what they were going to do next.
After a long day, I decide to call it a night, and go to bed. My bed is a bunkbed, with the top bunk used mainly for laundry storage and other stuff, and the cats would often climb up there and sleep. Well, my pajamas are on the top bunk on that particular night, and when I pull them down kinda fast off the bunk to put them on, a large number of cat droppings fly off with them. Some of them bounce off my chest, others land on my bed. I sit there, like any person in my situation would do, and think: "Should I find these cats in the house and beat them, or should I just forget about it?" I chose the latter, which later turned out to be a bad choice, and you'll read why as soon as I start a new paragraph.
A few days later, I absentmindedly leave my door ajar and head to class. While I am in class, apparantly the cats decide to have another shit party on my top bunk, which turned out to be the exclusive club for cats who shit on their owners clothes. Well my mom goes to grab a shirt off my top bunk, and a single piece of cat shit falls to the ground. My stepdad was present for this, and he looks at my mom, and she looks at him. They are both thinking the same thing: "Our 19 year old son shit his pants."
When I get home later that day, they sit me down and talk to me. They don't come right out and say it, so for awhile I'm thinking that they are referring to something else, of a less embarrassing nature. When the thought of me shitting my pants comes out in the open, I deny it, and blame it on the cats, saying that they did the same thing last week. Well, they finally claim to believe me, but I could see in their eyes that they so badly wanted me to have shit my pants, so they could try to be parents and have me wear diapers or something. I don't wanna think of the sick therapy shit they would have me succumb to. Well anyways, we all three walk to my room, and my mom pulls some more clothes down. Having previous experience with the malleability of cat shit, I step back, and watch as my mom is rained upon by hard cat excrement. She screams, while I hold back laughter.
I see no reason to continue this story. The moral is: "Kill those fucking cats, before you find yourself opening an umbrella while cat shit rains upon you."
You can thank me later.
Did you uh... not buy them a litterbox or something?
Did you try to train them with the litterbox at all?
OP: Two cats together are usually better... it's better than having the cat be bored and whining all day while your gone.
They had a litterbox. My mom just moved it around alot to accommodate her needs, without realizing that the cats would get tired of playing hide and seek and just start shitting wherever they wanted.
Then that's a human problem, not a reason to kill cats. :P
The cats are alive and well.
For now.
My point is... Having two together is not a surefire way to have easier cats, if we'd only kept the passive nice one we'd still have a pet today... He's living on his own now with another woman we know and he'sa lovely happy little cat. Just like people... not all cats need the company of their peers.
could you maybe split them up for a day or two and see how they cope? if they both start being a handful then you'll probably have your answer
I don't notice the difference between three and two cats. They're pretty easy to take care of and when you have two they get a friend, but it is by no means necessary as cats are largely solitary and claim territory.
That doesn't mean that you won't get stuck with a cat that's crazy insane, though. That could happen with any pet.
As for the OP's situation, it sounds more like your mom just wants both cats. They won't really be worse off by being split up, except in your mom's mind. The problem is that it's your mom, not an acquaintance. That means that if you ever visit or if she visits you (both very likely), she's gonna see the cat and say things like "oh he's so lonely here, you should let him stay at home, etc. etc."
Since caring for 2 cats is only slightly more work than caring for 1 cat, I'd say do the cat population a favor and get a kitten for yourself. That way you can pick one you like.
Ergo, two kittens who grew up together and get on well together = a good thing, so don't mess with it.
The other two cats are more independent of cats, in their own way. The oldest (Digger) is the alpha female... she's in charge, she makes sure the other cats know it, but really is content without them around.
The youngest (Sienna) was a stray, and is a little attention whore. She enjoys playing with the oldest, and won't get it through her head that the oldest doesn't want to play with her. She turns to us, then, jumping on our laps, lying on our feet... if we're sitting on the couch, she'll lie on our chest (mine more... she's more comfortable with males). If we leave the room, it's fine. She can be in a different room, but you cannot close the door. She must know that she can get to you at a moment's notice, regardless of you being in the bathroom taking a crap. She will sit outside the door, cry, reach her paw under... it's cute, in a sad way.
What I'm trying to say is, every cat is different. Some of them really need a furry companion. Others need a human companion. And others couldn't give a shit less, as long as their food bowl is full.
As far as the costs go, cats are really cheap to maintain. Ours use one large litter box (it's advertised as a "dog litter box" O_o ), and a 30 lb container of litter costs about $12. Scoop it once a day, add litter and deodorizer once a week. The food is about $11, and one giant bag lasts a whole month. In the end, it's about $40 a month maintenance, and they're worth it.
As far as shots, you really don't need them as much as people/the law say. Rabies only needs to be done every 3 years (you really don't need to let law enforcement know you're not doing it yearly, for god's sake), and the shot is cheap... look around, and you'll find vets in your area who do weekly rabies clinics, usually charging around $15 per shot. Even spaying and neutering is not expensive... for our youngest, the spay ran around $60 (though it became more expensive because the little retard ripped her stitches out). Most areas of the country have vets that do those procedures at reduced cost for lower income households... they are willing to take the lower amount to help stem overpopulation.
In the end, cats are about the cheapest entertainment you can subscribe to, and some of the most fun (behind dogs, bwahahaha). Also, as other people mentioned... pics plz.
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I've been putting it off though, cause I don't know if I can really afford another cat right now. But someday.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Everyone here has disappointed me.
(As far as advice, none of my cats have ever liked other cats. I'm kinda surprised my current cat doesn't hate my 1 1/2 year old niece. She beats the hell out of it enough).
Those kittens are now well into catdulthood now
The cats will adapt without you just fine to another home. This isn't to sound cold, but cats are adaptable creatures. I would encourage you to try and find homes for pairs of them as generally litter-mates tend to be very social with each other and their owners quite well over time. As young as they are, they would only now be getting homes with most veterinary offices or pet stores (usually they are kept with their mothers or under raiser care for 4-8 months).
Non-littermate cats rarely appeal to each other with any degree of regularity, sometimes they become fast friends, sometimes not. Cats are generally social creatures, though, and will form bonds with whatever other cats or humans they are around regularly. Rarely as friendly or overtly comfortable with them as with their littermates but social grooming and comforting is something that happens in cat bonds all the time.
For non-feral cats to be put outside and be expected to survive is a bad call. If you cannot keep them, find a home or no-kill shelter that will find homes for them.
I always (always) recommend cats to be kept in pairs or more as that way they have both feline and human companionship and have a friend and playmate while their humans are out working and such. If possible I would suggest trying to keep them together in a split of 2 and 3 if homes can be found.
Everyone else, if you know its a necro please report it instead of posting in it. Thanks.