One or two cats?

[Argon88]

We recently got an indoor cat and I'm wondering if we should get two. Should we? It seem a little unfair to the cat if it has to stay all onlone when we're not around. And I think I can rember reading your sopposed to get two.... But anyway, what are your thoughts? I'm sure there are some veteran cat owners on here.

[M_Six]

Two cats are generally less destructive than one. Just make sure you get them both tested for communicable diseases first. Feline Infectious Perontinitis <sp?> or FIP is nasty and very contagious among cats.

It's also better to get another cat while the first one is still young.

[DPA]

I agree, 2 cats is so much better than just 1. It will keep your cats from becoming depressed or overweight. Generally 2 female cats will get along better than 2 males. 1 male and 1 female makes more cats, so i think you know what to do in that situation...

are they just fully indoor? if you do get a male and female, only neuter the male, don't spay the female, her horemones will keep him "interested" enough in living to keep him active and happy, and not fat

[Theophylact]

Two cats, preferably both female. (That's what we've always had, unless one had just died.) But it won't keep them from getting overweight, if ours are representative examples...

[angelcat]

Depending on the personalities of the two cats in question, they can be either male or female. We currently have 7 adults and a 12 week old kitten, and just like human children, they have their moments, but they get along together nicely.

Having more than one cat does give the cats a playmate, and keeps them from being so destructive.

[NeoStarO1]

hmmm intersting, Never really thought about that. We have a cat (female) and she is always home alone, sometimes inside sometimes outside, mostly outside summer time and inside winter time and she doesn't do no destructiviness. she just sits pretty in the window and waits for us.

Sometimes she has Veryan for company, My dog. Most of the time Veryan goes with me whereever i go.

[Mike]

I always thought that female cats were a bit high strung? (er don't make comparisons to any other species. )

We had two Siamese cats (male) that got along fine. Of course they were half brothers and lived in a house where the owner bred show cats. One of the cats was a bit too inbred and later died.

Now it's Happy Blue flying solo now a days. He doesn't really seem to mine. He spends most of the day somewhere cool just hanging out.

[julietsrose]

My roommate got a cat (I vouched for the adoption because we're students and I'm the only one with a job). Big mistake!!

Definitely get two because her cat is alone all the time (why she adopted it is beyond me) and it has systematically destroyed my house (including a brand-new boxspring). Maybe it's just a psycho humane society cat, but several cat owners have told me this will happen if they don't have a compainion (even if they have a ton of toys). They also told me female cats can be much more tempermental than males.

[thekingofpain]

I have a female cat (spayed-3yrs old last 4th of July) and 3 catdoors---she can go in and out at will but probably dont go more than 50 feet from the house, she seems to enjoy the roof of the house most, probably for the view and security tolerating NO other neighborhood cats---im home alot and she is rarely more then 10 feet away while im here---sleeps on a shelf or on the bed at night in my bedroom, follows me to the bathroom knowing my hands are closer to petting level, gets very involved if im doin something outdoors (when water isnt included) has never torn anything up and never done anything bad in the house and is willing to eat ANYTHING I am if I allow it---she wont touch a cat toy but a rubberband can entertain her for, well, at least a few mins---proudly brought me a hummingbird one day without harming it and after the shock of bein in a cats mouth it was ok enough to be released---when friends visit she struts around like a little tease rarely allowing them to touch her---she loves being groomed---I brush her daily and have her bathed monthly (longhaired calico) she hates Program applications but it keeps her flea free---she has become a great friend and companion---"FiFi" (as she is now known as) was one of 13 female calicos born on the 4th, a very special animal :-)

I think it depends on the cat, or how it is treated...

[daveleau]

Depends on the cat. Some are very territorial and loners. As a matter of fact, I have always thought of cats as being happier when they were the only pets in the home. I know my cat hated my wife's cat (and vice versa) when we got married and I gave my cat to my mom to keep her company after I moved out of town and couldn't visit her nearly as often as I had before. The cat that I had was previously in a home where she was loved, but her owner was supposedly jailed and the cat was left to fend for herself (as a 4-way declawed cat) for over 6 weeks when a friend took her in to find a home for her. So, she has seen hard times. My wife's cat has been babied her entire life. Go figure. I'd say, introduce her to another cat and see how he/she reacts and go from there.