I’ve recently been toying with the idea of bringing home a friend for Oscar. He’s fifteen years old, but has always got on well with most of the neighborhood cats. And in fact had a feline best friend for years who he’d visit down the road, hanging out together during the day and sharing their dinners. When we moved a few years ago, a neighbor i’d never even met practically sobbed at me in the street about how much they and their kitten would miss him too! So needless to say, I’m confident he’s social.
As he’s going out less these days, I have been thinking that it’d be nice for him to have some more kitty companionship in the house. So I’ve been revisiting all the research we did many years ago on feral cat groups and multi-cat households.
Feral Cat Communities
It’s not uncommon to find feral cats living in colonies. They hang out together, bump heads and even nap nestled up. But they don’t tend to like newcomers to the group.
Most of these colonies are actually made up of family members, and newer cats are accepted only very gradually over time.
And of course, feral cats live an entirely outdoor lifestyle. They don’t have to share an enclosed space and can opt for their own sleeping and bathroom areas as they wish. Which isn’t the case with more domesticated multi cat homes.
Fights Are Common
When owners bring a new cat into their home, despite their best efforts and confidence in their cat’s friendliness, fights happen often. One survey found that nearly half of mutli cat homes had to break up at least a fight a month! That’s upsetting stuff for the new cat, the existing cat, and you as the person who ultimately caused the ruckus by introducing them.
But of course, not all sad or frustrated cats fight. So that just over 50% stat for a lack of fights isn’t necessarily good news either. Cats often show their upset in much more subtle ways, like excessive washing, miaowing, scratching and head shaking.
But that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible dream to have more than one cat in your home.
When It Works
The most easily achievable way to have a multi cat home is to either get a pair of kittens at the same time, or to adopt a mother and kitten together. However, even this sometimes breaks down when maturity hits if you don’t follow some important rules about space and resources.
Three Of Everything
For every cat you own, you’ll need one of each item they use, plus a spare. So if you have two cats, you’ll need three litter boxes, food dishes, water bowls, perches, cat trees and sleeping spots. Ideally, you’ll want these resources spaced out too, so one cat is never intimidated to use it through the other cat’s presence.
Separate Zones
If you’ve got three of everything and they are still winding each other up, then if you have the room you could consider separate zones. These don’t have to be constantly and completely separated areas of the house, but places where each cat is not permitted to be, so that the other can completely remove themselves if they feel stressed out.
This is a good method for introducing adult cats to each other to begin with as well, as it gives them a little more space to adjust. However, for most households it’s a short term measure, not the long term plan.
Weighing Up The Pros and Cons
For most homes with an adult cat, maintaining the status quo and not bringing a new set of furry paws into the mix is the safest option. If your cat is happy with your company and a whole bunch of toys, then deciding to potentially unsettle him is a bit of a gamble. But it’s one that some families feel is worth the risks.
For me and Oscar, I’ve decided not to rock the boat. He’s fifteen, he’s happy, and I would rather let him carry on as he is on balance. But your situation could well look very different to mine and my cat’s.
I’d love to know what you think, whether you’ve decided to bring home another kitty, and how the introductions have gone if you’ve done so in the past. Let’s have a chat in the comments section, there is no right or wrong answer here!
Leave a Reply