We hear you – how can adopting two active, mischievous kittens be better than welcoming home one? Before making up your mind about adopting a single kitten or young cat, consider welcoming two (or more!) kittens home instead. In most cases, two kittens is even easier and even more fun than adopting just one.
Kitten Companionship
Kittens are curious and crave constant stimulation. When bored, a single kitten will find potentially troublesome ways to entertain himself – like chewing on plants, climbing drapes and furniture, unrolling toilet paper, or exploring electrical cords and sockets. When a kitten has another feline friend to play with, it is less likely they’ll entertain themself with these destructive behaviors!
And don’t forget about nighttime, when cats and kittens prowl and prance around the house. While a single kitten may keep their owner awake with their hunting behavior, a kitten with a companion helps to minimize this behavior by allowing them to play together instead. The two can occupy each other by finding interesting shadows to chase and hiding spots to hop out of until they tire and fall asleep.
Kitten Socialization
Kittens want and need interaction with other kittens for healthy social development. A kitten learns a lot in the first several months of life from his mother and littermates and, when adopted from PAWS, from their kitten roommates. While this isn’t to say a solo kitten can’t be happy and healthy alone, kittens who are able to remain with one of their littermates or a similarly-aged companion tend to be healthier, happier, and better-socialized than those who are a household’s only cat.
Preventing Unwanted Behavior
Unfortunately for humans, part of kitten behavior is biting and wrestling with one another. It is not acceptable for a kitten to bite and wrestle with his human companions but in the absence of having a littermate or companion to play with, this is precisely what he will do. Because almost all kittens go through this behavior, adopting two kittens instead of one allows them to take turns biting and wrestling each other instead of your hands.
Older Cats and Kittens
Especially if there’s already an older cat in the household, a kitten should not be brought in as a lone companion. Kittens have boundless energy, want to play and run constantly, and require high amounts of interaction, something your older cat likely no longer experiences. These traits can overwhelm and irritate the older cat and frustrate the younger cat, leading to two unhappy cats or behavior