Why adopt a cat?

Low maintenance:

Maybe cats’ most alluring quality is that they are lower maintenance and cost less than dogs, who need walking, training, frequent grooming, and more toys and attention.

Low cost:

For a relatively low fee, you’ll take home a cat or kitten that is already desexed, up-to-date on vaccines and microchipped. 

Cats are a lifetime financial commitment and unexpected vet bills can pop up, however, they are a lower cost pet than a dog overall.

Personality:

When you adopt a cat or kitten from a rescue organisation you can find a companion with the type of temperament you’re looking for. 

You could find a playful, active cat or a calmer feline who prefers cuddling and a quieter environment.

Variety:

You can find all different kinds of cats in rescue organisations, from kittens to seniors, short-haired to long-haired, in all sizes and colours. 

In fact, if you’re looking for a specific breed, occasionally rescues have purebred cats surrendered to them.

Great apartment pets:

If you live in an apartment or small space, a cat can be an excellent companion because they don’t require lots of room or daily walks like a dog, and they are litter trained so they don’t need access to a yard. 

Cats are generally low maintenance and if you provide them with enrichment like cat trees and window rests, they make wonderful roommates.

Mental health:

Cat owners know how one session of petting or playing with their cat can turn a bad day into a good one. Scientific evidence also shows that a cat’s purr can calm your nervous system and reduce stress and anxiety. 

Cats make great companion animals and also reduce feelings of loneliness.

Why two (or more) cats are better than one!

Despite the common belief that cats are solitary animals, they’re actually incredibly social beings who thrive when they have feline friends from an early age. That’s why we always recommend adopting two kittens, or adopting a solo kitten if you already have another young cat in the home for the kitten to befriend. 

We do make exceptions for retirees, those who work from home, and other people in situations where they are home a lot, but generally, we recommend a teenage kitten or adult cat for applicants who only want one cat.

It may come as a surprise to hear this, but two kittens are actually half the work of one! Giving your kitten a buddy will improve the lives of the cats while also making your life easier.

Entertain & Enrich

When your kitten has a buddy, they’ll always be entertained, active, and enriched. And a happy cat makes a happy home! 

Comfort in Friendship

Having a pal will help your kitten settle into a new home. Just like humans, kittens have an easier time feeling comfortable trying something new if they’ve got a friend to do it with them.

Keep Out of Trouble

One mischievous kitten can be destructive if left alone, but two kittens tend to keep each other occupied and out of trouble. 

Focus Play Aggression

Having a friend means they can take out their play aggression on one another (instead of on you.) They’ll also teach each other good boundaries about biting and scratching. Read about biting behaviours in kittens and how having a playmate can help!

Bonded Pair Adoption

It’s easier to adopt a bonded pair than it is to introduce a new cat later. Adopting a dynamic duo ensures that you’ll have a harmonious home for years to come!

Easier Intro to Adult Cat

If you have an adult cat at home, two new kittens may be easier to introduce into your family than one. While one kitten may nag an older cat, two kittens will keep each other company while the older cat watches from a distance. 

Learn by Observation

Kittens learn by observation and will more quickly pick up skills like using the litter box or grooming if they have another kitten or cat to teach them. 

Please read this blog post from Kitten Lady to learn more! 

Introducing a new kitten or cat to your existing cat

Should you adopt a second cat?

If your existing cat is older than a couple of years old and hasn’t lived with another cat since it left it’s littermates as a kitten, it can be very difficult and stressful to introduce a new kitten or cat to your home. 

We strongly advise you to think about the stress it may put on your cat as well as the humans in the house before applying to adopt a friend for your cat. 

Chances are, they are not going to be friends!

Male or Female? 

If your cat is young and tolerant or has lived with other cats in the past, another cat can be a great source of enrichment to their life. 

We always advise that adopters consider a kitten/cat of the opposite sex to make for the best chance of a harmonious existence, although two male cats also have a good chance of getting along. 

We strongly advise against adopting a second female cat unless your existing female cat is known to be extremely cat friendly. 

You can read more about this here.

Slow introductions are key! 

Bear in mind that it can take weeks or even months for your cat to accept a new feline into their home and they may only ever coexist so please be patient and don’t expect them to be best friends straight away or even at all.

The two cats shouldn’t be given the opportunity to get a glimpse of each other for at least a few days. 

Instead, you should be getting them used to each other's scents by feeding them on opposite sides of a door and swapping them between rooms. 

Face to face introductions should happen through a small gap in a door so that you can pull the door closed if any aggression occurs. If this goes well, continue feeding them on either side of the door but with a small gap so they can see each other. 

You can also stack two baby gates on top of each other so that they can see, smell, and even touch each other through the gate but there is still a barrier for safety.

When you finally let them in the same room as each other, this should be heavily supervised and for short periods of time. Create a positive association by giving them high-value treats and playing with dangly toys whenever they interact.

Continue these supervised interactions until you feel confident that the two cats are completely tolerant of each other but until then, keep them separated when unsupervised for their safety. 

Eventually, you should have a couple of very comfortable cats but don’t put any pressure on them to be best friends. Some cats will bond and others will just coexist. 

Watch a detailed video about cat introductions here!