Last Updated: 5 months ago
Considering adopting multiple cats at once but not sure if it’s a good idea?
Bringing two new cats into your home isn’t something to take lightly. There are many things to consider before deciding whether it’s a good or bad move for your household.
We’ll look at the pros and cons below to ensure you can make an informed, responsible decision.
Let’s not waste any more time and dive right into the discussion.
Adopting Multiple Cats at Once: Pros and Cons at a Glance
Take a look at the table below for a quick look at the pros and cons, then keep reading for more in-depth overviews.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Keep each other company | Cost of two cats vs one |
| Fewer separation anxiety issues | Twice the responsibility |
| Reduces destructive tendencies | Potential for personality clashes |
| More fun for everyone! | Twice the mess |
| They groom each other | |
| You save two lives |
Advantages Of Adopting Multiple Cats at Once
It has become common practice to adopt multiple cats at once. Some shelters will even encourage adopters to take home more than one cat.
But what benefits come from bringing more than one feline into your home? Here are some major ones to give you an idea of what you can expect:
1. Keep Each Other Company
Adopting two cats provides them with a lifelong companion.
They’ll be able to entertain and keep each other company throughout the day when you’re busy doing boring human stuff.
Of course, your cats will still come to you for affection and other things.
But having another cat companion around will stop them from getting bored and causing trouble.
It’s why having two cats is a smart move for people who work long hours or find themselves traveling for extended periods.
2. Reduces Destructive Tendencies
Multiple cat households won’t have as much cat-made destruction.
For instance, their ability to socialize with each other will lessen their boredom.
This lack of boredom keeps them from finding things to get into and rip apart.
This companionship is also a great way to reduce the risk of separation anxiety, which can be a massive issue in single cat households.
After all, they don’t only have you to rely on for affection and support.
3. More Fun
Owning two cats is more fun than having one.
You get twice the amount of love, snuggles, and kitty mannerisms.
There will be a lot more smiles in your house with two rather than one.
4. Grooming Becomes Less of an Issue
Multiple cat households are less likely to have cats with grooming issues.
This benefit comes from the cats working together to deal with these issues themselves.
In other words, those hard-to-reach places where knots tend to become an issue are no longer a problem.
Their companion cat will ensure those knotting issues are dealt with relative ease.
5. You’re Saving Two Lives
Anyone who adopts two cats can feel good about saving two lives.
If you don’t adopt them, they will likely be put down due to shelter overcrowding.
On average, there are about 3 to 4 million cats put down every year in shelters across the United States.
Disadvantages Of Adopting Multiple Cats at Once
But even with all those benefits, there are some notable downsides to adopting multiple cats.
These issues might not prohibit a person from adopting, but anyone looking to be a good owner needs to think about them beforehand.
1. More Costly
Adopting a pet isn’t an inexpensive endeavor, considering the food, toys, litter, and other accessories.
In fact, the ASPCA estimates that the first year of pet ownership costs around $1,000!
The costs of two cats vs. one may not be quite double that amount, but they’re still significantly higher.
At the very least, you’ll need double the amount of food and litter, especially if you go with expert recommendations and get each cat their own litter box.
You also have to think about future expenses. For instance, both cats getting hurt or sick would result in a much larger medical bill than a single cat owner would have to pay.
2. Requires More Time and Responsibility
Multiple cats don’t just mean higher expenses.
It’ll also mean your responsibilities and time devoted to these pets will increase significantly.
It’ll require you to pay more attention to their water, food, litter box cleaning, and everything else that comes with owning a cat.
But thankfully, developing a routine isn’t too tricky. It’s just something owners will need to think about before bringing them into their homes.
3. There Could be an Adjustment Period
Whether you’re bringing home two cats or adopting 3 kittens, they’ll need time to get used to each other.
That means being prepared for fights and stress in your lives during this initial adjustment period.
Trying to match their social capabilities and temperaments beforehand can go a long way in shortening this adjustment.
Ask the shelter about each cat’s personality to get a better idea of what two would work best together.
Multiple Cat Household Tips
If you do adopt multiple cats, there are a few actions that can help this process go smoother.
Here’s a list of tips that can ensure your new cats grow up to be best friends.
1. Give Them Space
One common misconception about owning multiple cats is that you need a massive house.
It has nothing to do with the overall room, but rather making sure each has a space to call their own.
Each cat needs its own sleeping spots, hideaways, toys, and window perches.
Providing plenty of these areas around your home can help prevent any territorial issues from taking place.
2. Don’t Expect Them to Share
You shouldn’t expect them to share resources, such as food.
Nothing creates two or three cat household problems faster than forcing kitties to eat from the same bowl.
We’d recommend providing each cat with its own personal food bowl.
If bullying does occur during eating, you should try feeding them in different locations.
Owners should do the same for water, as well. Many cats prefer their water to be far away from their food.
Setting up multiple water bowls throughout your home can have a positive impact on a multi-cat household.
3. Provide Plenty of Scratching Surfaces!
New owners tend to overlook how much cats love scratching stuff around their homes.
This activity comes from a need to mark their territory and keep their claws in good condition.
Due to this, you should set up multiple scratching posts within your home.
These posts will help curb their instincts to scratch up your furniture.
4. Invest in Multiple Litter Boxes
Multiple cat households should contain at least one or two litter boxes per feline.
It’s a simple way to stop any litter box bullying or aggressive spraying from occurring.
Plus, boxes won’t get dirty quite so fast, which means your cats won’t be so tempted to go outside the box.
5. Provide Multiple Escape Routes
Cats can get overwhelmed rather quickly.
It would be smart to offer several escape havens for when these situations happen.
Empty cat carriers or cardboard boxes provide excellent places for them to relax.
You can also invest in a cat tree for multiple cats. Opt for something with several levels as well as two or more condo areas.
Multiple Cat Household Issues
In multiple cat households, you must take into account natural feline behavior.
Remember, not all cats have an automatic tolerance for other felines.
Cats have a better chance of tolerating each other when they grow with each other.
But even with lifetime companion cats, there will be aggressive acts towards one another from time to time.
These aggressive tendencies will usually come from one of the following situations:
- One cat was absent for an extended time and needs reintroduction
- Too few resources for the number of cats (food, water, resting places, toys)
- Cats don’t have enough personal space
- Introduction of a third cat
- One of the cats has a medical condition
It’s best to stay on top of these issues to ensure you can deal with an aggressive situation when it does occur.
Otherwise, it could become a recurring issue rather than an isolated incident.
Wrap-Up
You should now have more than enough information to make a smart, informed decision.
But if you have any additional questions, let us know in our comment section. Thanks for reading!
What are your thoughts about adopting multiple cats at once? How many kitties do you have at home? Share below!
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Ben is an animal lover, blogger, and all around geek. He divides his love equally between his family, his animals, and his video games. In his spare time he is attempting to get a blog off the ground. Boy, are they heavy!
