It’s been lonely in the house since our pets passed away last year.
Since then, we’ve pondered “when is the right time to get a new pet?” and we decided that now is a good time.
We won’t be shopping for dogs at the shelter anytime soon (too much of a commitment at the moment, and I haven’t even refinished my floors yet from when we had Teddi).
So, last week I stopped by our local shelter and filled out an application for a cat. After we were approved, I took David and S. along to narrow down the choices.
Our only must-haves were we preferred a male cat, short-haired.
Yesterday, we happened upon a cage of three brothers. Three male kittens…. one black, one tabby, and one grey/white.
Immediately I felt a bond with the tabby kitten.
Then S. said, “why not TWO cats? after all, they are brothers.”
And the shelter manager thought what a fabulous idea (of course she did).
I am on the fence. There are a lot of good reasons to bring two home. They would have each other, it’s not incrementally more work for two cats (just extra food/litter). Heck, I haven’t even cleaned a litter box since 2002 (S. started when I was pg with David and I never reclaimed the job).
I am a bit concerned on the scratching issue. My old cat, Luke, was declawed (that was not considered horrifying to do 18 years ago), but I will not declaw any future cats.
Do scratching posts really keep kittens at bay with destroying furniture? or am I over-reacting and it’s not a big deal? I feel like two would be harder in that respect? or am I way off-base?
This would be my first new cat(s) in 17 years. I am so perplexed. I am definitely ready for one….. I just can’t decide if I should bring home one or two.
Readers! Please share your multiple cat stories please.
Update: Life is short, so I’m diving in. Looks like we will be family + 2 this evening! Thanks for your feedback (and to my fairweather friend, Google… because I found way more positive stories than negative ones!)
BagMomma 
Hi, I found your blog through the Aug. IVF forum (I’m michellep). We have a mom and her baby cat (both female), both have claws. Please don’t declaw your cats if possible, its unnecessary and very painful for them. Our cats don’t ever scratch the furniture, as we give them lots of scratching posts. They do scartch the carpets, but I let them because I figure its a trade off for the leather chairs! Two are not more work (as I’m sure you’ve found out by now) just more fun and more food! We have two litter boxes, as we had a problem early on with the mom “claiming” the box and the baby started going elsewhere. We added a second box which solved the problem. Your kitties are so cute, it makes me want to go get another one!!
Hey, I’m a day late and a dollar short on this one, but here goes! In 2001, I went to the cat shelter to pick out a new kitten. I was on the hunt for an orange tabby (had one previously and they are the best cats!) Found one and he was adorable. He was in the cage with his sister, a grey tabby. Decided to take both of them out, go in the “getting to know you” room and decide which I’d take. While in there, found that grey tabby was much more engaging…I was torn. Didn’t know what to do. They were the only kitties in the shelter and people were literally waiting for me to make up my mind. I called Steve to come down and help me. When he got there, he immediately said “Two for the price of one?” and that was it. We took both home (pissing off all the people waiting – lol) and it was the best pet decision I have ever made. I have had multiple cats in my lifetime, but never littermates before this. They have a bond that is indescribable. I never stress about leaving them alone as they have each other. It’s wonderful. It’s not any more work, just a bigger litter box. I won’t get into the scratching as I am not great resource for that (they have destroyed our couch) but there are ways around that. Mango and Trixie are now about 7 years old and happier as ever. They’re not crazy about the kids, but adjusting. We do everything in 2’s in my house. 😉 Congrats on your new additions!
I am weighing in after the fact, but I whole-heartedly second the other opinions and think you made the right decision. We had one cat for about three years and then added a second. They are still not best friends, but they understand each other and play together. Plus, a bonus cat is not much extra work. We do have a crowded bed though! Enjoy your new family members!–MM
Hey, anytime you need your hopes shot down – just let me know! ;o)
Thanks for the buzzkill Kim. lol. Just kidding… there’s always one bad story. ;-)Thanks all for your feedback!!
I’m not sure if you want to hear my story, ha!For a while, I really wanted a Bengal kitty… you know, the one that looks like a tiger. I found the perfect one, but it had already been adopted.And then, the foster mom told me that she had two boys… brothers, who looked identical. She asked if I had any interest in coming by to see them. They really didn’t look like what I wanted, but we went to see them anyway. They were adorable! One was very shy and hid the entire time, and the other was VERY playful. They were indeed identical and probably twins, you could only tell them apart because one was about a pound lighter. They were both very sleek and muscular, and we left that day with two kitties!The first few weeks were great, they were so much fun! The shy one totally let his brother kick his ass most of the time. They were so playful and would jump up in the air several feet… it was hilarious. But then they went nuts. They started hibernating under our bed, and would only come downstairs when everyone was asleep. So all night long, you would hear them ‘playing’ on the stairs, their bodies thrown into the wall. Thump, thump, thump. All.Night.Long. And they became VERY naughty. They started going potty right outside the litter box just for fun (which they did NOT do the first few weeks), wouldn’t stay off of the counters, kept climbing the blinds like lunatics, and kept snapping at us and trying to scratch/bite. Then there was the Ringworm that they both got and gave to B. We ended up giving them back. I felt badly, but by then – they were absolutely insane, and I couldn’t handle it anymore.I don’t know if that’s a normal two-cat thing or if we just got some crazy cats, but we’re done with cats for life now. They sure were cute, though!Oh, and we named them Dolce and Leche. I think their ‘original’ names were Baron and Bogart.http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/kjnellamore/kittiessleeping009.jpghttp://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/kjnellamore/kitties012.jpghttp://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/kjnellamore/kitties002.jpg
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I’ve owned five cats and had as many as four at a time living together. None of my cats were declawed, and only one was ever a furniture scratcher, and that was limited to one sofa that I no longer own. It’s impossible to tell if any given cat will be a furniture scratcher until you bring it home, and there are lots of alternative scratching options you can purchase. I don’t think two cats are more work than one, and hopefully the two will play with each other and leave you alone a bit – especially when you are trying to sleep!
I got two when I was in grad school (same reason–they were brothers/best pals). It was definitely the right choice. They’ve always been perfect companions and each has his own personality. It really didn’t feel like more work–but it is more fur. I did have them front-declawed because my parents insisted if I was to live with them (which I had to until I got a job). Still, I think you could focus the scratching to posts and whatnot. Good luck!
Even though we have decided we would never have indoor cats again (my allergies and husband’s poor house-keeping skills), I would agree that two cats have no major disadvantage to one cat except twice the poop and food (and hair).Also, I have to admit that I would do front declawing, not just because of the furniture, but little kids love to play with kitties and kitties love to scratch.