Many cat lovers will not be glad with a single cat; they’re so obsessed with their feline good friend that they’re consumed by the need to have two, or much more cats as household pets. Nevertheless, accomplished incorrectly this could result in important issues; together with persistent preventing and/or urination and defecation outdoors the litter-box. Having fostered greater than 400 kittens and cats over the previous decade, my husband and I’ve encountered this many instances – each in our personal cat household and within the houses of the individuals who have adopted our foster pets. I’ve give you the next recommendation for cat homeowners contemplating increasing their furry household.The primary query I like to recommend that potential multi-cat proprietor ask themselves is: “should I even get a second/another cat?” A very powerful factor to appreciate on this context is that cats will not be naturally pack animals. Not like canines, whose forebears dwell in devoted and extremely structured household models, cats are solitary creatures. Distinctive instances do come up, however on the whole the one affectionate multi-animal situation within the feline world within the mother-kitten relationship. As a result of cats are normally born in litters of no less than 2 or three (and infrequently extra), there may be usually a second stage relationship amongst littermates. Nevertheless, the attachment between mummy and kitten is the strongest, and it’s invariably affectionate. In actual fact, there are those that counsel that your cat’s affectionate attachment to you is transference of this relationship – basically they take into account you their ‘mummy’ and the youthful they’re whenever you undertake them, doubtless the stronger this relationship will probably be.

I personally imagine that the attachment cats develop for people might be extra to do with particular person personalities (each cat and human), however regardless of the causes and mechanisms, it is undoubtedly true that it’s a lot simpler to get a cat to like you than it’s to get them to like one other cat. So, ask your self candidly if you really want a second (or third, or fourth) cat. And, when you have gotten away with two, do not be fooled into pondering that you’ll essentially be downside free with extra. Every cat has his or her personal distinctive persona and hang-ups – similar to individuals. Our personal private expertise was that cat quantity two dovetailed completely into our household, proper up till we launched cat quantity three.Presuming that I’ve not talked you out of the thought by now, that you’re decided to have a multi-cat family, listed below are my options for growing your probabilities of easy success. First, take into account going multi-cat proper from the beginning. Ideally, undertake a mom and her kitten. This may be particularly profitable if the mom is below one yr previous which, sadly, has been the case far too usually for the mom cats we have helped rescue. You can too take into account adopting litter-mates and chances are high nearly nearly as good that issues will work out properly, however that is not at all assured. Be mindful additionally that reintroducing mummy and kitten and/or littermates after a interval of separation could be no totally different that introducing feline strangers. Our expertise has been that cats have the capability to recollect individuals and different cats for about three weeks, on common. Some overlook you, or their mom, kittens or siblings, in as little as 2 weeks. In case you are a cat proprietor who has used a boarding kennel for kitty and are available again from trip solely to get the chilly shoulder out of your pet, take into account the likelihood that this will not be a lot a case of punishing you, as certainly one of kitty having forgotten who you might be – no less than a bit.If you have already got a cat and this feature isn’t accessible to you, then nice care is important. I can’t provide you with a definitive recipe for achievement, however I do counsel the next. First, undertake from a humane society that fosters the cats in a house setting. If the cat you might be adopting is thought to be good with different cats, then the battle is half gained. Think about fostering your self; see how your present cat reacts to different cats. Ideally each cats ought to be neither aggressive nor timid with different cats. One among every, for instance, isn’t an excellent mixture; you might be setting the stage for a bully and sufferer relationship. This will typically result in worse issues than two aggressive cats. You will not be lucky sufficient to occur on two cats who each truly benefit from the firm of different cats however, as a minimum, it’s best to purpose for 2 which might be detached to one another. When you merely don’t have the chance to evaluate how your present and potential cats are round different cats, then your most promising situation can be to introduce a kitten as your second cat. You must in all probability additionally plan to get a cat of the alternative gender out of your present cat – we have now discovered that this may be fairly conducive to pleasant relations.The way you introduce your new cat into the family also can have a big influence on the success of the last word relationship between these two. A gradual introduction can go an extended option to smoothing the trail in direction of friendship. Many individuals make the error of dumping the brand new cat into the center of the family atmosphere, which has the distinct potential of eliciting an aggressive response from the incumbent cat. I counsel you begin by confining the brand new cat to a single room of the home, and let the 2 get to know one another first by scent and sound. After a couple of days, if issues are progressing properly, you’ll be able to introduce the 2 for temporary intervals, below shut supervision. The pace with which you enhance the length of those head to head periods will actually rely on how issues go between the 2 cats.

No matter you do – do not quit too rapidly. It could actually take weeks for issues to calm down and even essentially the most acrimonious introductions seldom truly result in harm for both cat. And bear in mind, nonetheless lengthy or quick, and tough or easy the adjustment interval, at all times you’ll want to present yet one more litter-box than the variety of cats in your family. Even when cats get alongside properly, they seldom prefer to share the ‘amenities’.Lastly, you’ll want to spay or neuter all of your cats – not solely will this make them much less more likely to battle and spray urine, there may be an limitless provide of homeless orphans, lots of whom find yourself deserted and struggling, or euthanized, for lack of appropriate adoptive houses. It’s irresponsible for us to let our pets breed and contribute to their numbers. Better of luck!