Are Two or More Cats Better Than One?

By Darcy Lockman

When advertising copywriter Angie Dunne brought her two kittens home from the shelter last year, she already knew they got along. “The people at the animal shelter told me they really gravitated toward each other, that they played together all the time,” says Dunne. “I’d actually planned on adopting only one cat, but I was convinced that they shouldn’t be separated. Now I couldn’t imagine one without the other.”

Adopting two cats, or bringing a second kitty into a one-feline home, isn’t always easy. Los Angeles-based cat behaviorist Marva Marrow says, “Knowing how to choose a ‘pet’ for your cat will give the best odds for avoiding personality conflicts, which often show up as behavior problems, like litter box avoidance, spraying or marking, aggression and other unwanted behaviors.” Below, Marrow advises how to make a good cat match -- and when not to try.

Why Two?
Simple, says Marrow. “When they’re well-matched, it’s good for cats to have companionship.” Two cats can play together, satisfying their need for physical and emotional interaction. According to the Humane Society, multi-cat household felines tend to be happier and less likely to get in trouble. They can also groom each other, keeping clean the places one cat can’t reach alone.

Which Two?

Choose cats or kittens with physiques and body types that mirror that of the feline already sharing your home. “Cats with similar body types have comparable activity levels, and so they complement each other,” says Marrow. For example, a good partner for a Siamese would be another “slinky” cat.

Don’t adopt two female cats. If you already have one girl at home, don’t get a second. “I hate to say it, but females are usually the ones who have problems with each other,” admits Marrow. “Two males get along fine, as do males and females.”

Make a list of your cat’s personality traits. Is your furry friend shy or social? Clingy or aloof? “Like people, cats get along better with other cats whose temperaments match their own,” says Marrow. She suggests taking your list to the shelter, and asking the employees to find the best match for your kitty.

When Two Cats Begin Sharing Your Home
When cats first cohabitate, they need to be introduced gradually and under strict supervision. The cats cannot have any access to each other when you’re not home. Marrow suggests longer and longer supervised periods of exposure filled with toys and treats to keep everybody happy. The timeline for this supervised interaction is around one month, though it may vary with different cat pairs. “You need to help them adjust slowly, so no one gets stressed,” says Marrow.

When One Is Enough
Cats need space to hide when they desire alone time, so if you don’t have much, one feline may be all you can handle. Your home should allow for the newly introduced cats to be separated -- at least for the first month -- when you are not home to supervise. Finally, your home should have room for a minimum of one litter box for each cat (ideally, one for each cat plus one extra).

Two final considerations are the age and health of the resident cat. The stress of bringing another pet into the home could potentially shorten the life of an elderly cat or a cat with serious health issues.

With the right pairing and introduction, two cats living together may ultimately lead more satisfying, enjoyable lives than do “single” felines. But remember, stresses Marrow, “Not all cats like all cats. You can’t just slap two together and expect them to get along.” But with the above criteria, “you and your cats can have the best chance for success.”

About the Author

Darcy Lockman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Rolling Stone. She lives in Brooklyn, with the prettiest pug dog in the five boroughs.

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(1) cat left- (1) Euthanized

I submitted a question about my 10 year old cat who had #3 urinary problem and took him to the vet, pruchased med, food, and he started throwing up his food, and then was unable to use the bathroom, nor would he drink his water. He had a 50-50% chance of survivng the surgery, but the blockage was in his intestines as well, so I had to put him down. I waited for a response from you, did not get it, but his brother is 10 years old as well, and is all alone. Should I get a kitten to ease his grief as he is meowing for his brother or just let him be alone?

Posted by Deborah B on 2009-05-04 at 23:06:18

To Deborah B

Yes! Get your baby a kitty! Seriously, I have four cats, they all adopted me, and they run together, and play all the time, and it's a glorious thing to watch, but also it is so obvious, they adore each otehr, and need to be social with each other! My goodness, if your baby is meowing because he misses his brother, he needs to be able to express his feelings to another who understands what he is saying, when he is saying it! If you leave to go to work, or to the store, or anywhere, he is ALL ALONE now, and how frightening for him! 10 years isn't really that old, for a cat; mine are all over 15, except for J.P., healthy and happy, and it's because of each other! Okay, maybe Bobcat is a bit senile, but he is still healthy, I am sure it's because he has kitty friends to ahng out with! Give your baby kitty a kiss for me, tell him not to worry, and observe some kittens at your nearest shelter; you will know which one will interact with your 10 year old kitty the best. Good luck, and get ready for the adoption! Serious, you'll need to give them both alot of extra love :)

Posted by Germaine on 2009-05-06 at 02:17:36

A third cat?

I have 2 cats a 10 year old laid-back female, and a 6 year old still-kittenish male. Sometimes the boy sprays, and I think it's out of frustration that he isn't the boss cat. I'm thinking about getting a third cat, who would be a boy. Would this make things better or worse? I also only have a 4 room condo of 650 square feet; is this enough room for 3 cats?

Posted by Bill the Splut on 2009-05-06 at 17:24:54

getting another kitty

I also agree getting another cat would be a good idea. I just recently had to put one of my two tuxedo cats down at only two years old due to medical reasons. The remaining cat loves the new kitten. I would definately get a kitten.

Posted by Lisa on 2009-05-13 at 05:06:00

cat pairs

The article said not to pair females together. That depends on the cats. I recently found 2 stray females that I adopted...they were different ages according to the vet, so they must have met and "bonded" sometime during their time as strays. They are not alike in body shape or size...one is a main coon mix so she's pretty big...and the other is a common black alley cat about medium sized. I believe the article was stating how things should be in an "ideal" world and environment. Cats are quite adaptable and will work with whatever environment YOU can provide, as long as their need for PROPER food, water, sanitation, (I only use 1 litter box for the 2 of these cats) and love is available. Ideally, according to the article, I should have only gotten 1 (if any) cat, since I live in a small (about 650 sq. ft.) 1 BR apartment, but these girls can have plenty of "alone time" if they need it. They each take one of the closets.

Posted by Lisa Wong on 2009-05-18 at 13:32:58

multiple kitties

I have 5 cats in a 900 square foot home. This works out because I have multiple levels for them: a cat tree and window seats and several rooms for them to go into. With each cat introduction, I have taken it slow and kept them separated. The 2 boys get along the best. The 3 girls lkie the boys and tolerate each other. With attention to the introduction process, you can definitely have a happy multiple cat household.

Posted by Susan on 2009-05-20 at 16:23:48

having trouble with introductions

Unfortunately the second kitty I adopted is a female (like my first) and not much physically like my other either... My first kitty is a 9 month Bengal and the new girl is a 3 year old Siberian. They hiss and growl at each other and it had gotten a little better until they started fighting yesterday. They are swiping at each other now when they get close. We keep them in separate rooms when we are gone and only let them see each other in small intervals (and separate again when they show aggression), but I am concerned that the behavior has gotten worse. It has been about a week since the adoption of the new girl. Any advice appreciated.

Posted by Jessica on 2009-05-22 at 16:27:18

Adoption of two male brothers

Last week at the Englewood shelter my husband and I Visited for a second time. We had lost our nearly 19 year old Himalayan and were looking to bring some Bablies into our home. We were looking for one (1) and absolutely fell in love with two (2) male brothers wjp were mpt uet meitered/ At that time we fould they were both adoptable for $35.00/ Because they were so cute and loveable we decided to take the two. They called out front and a woman came back and immediately discouraged us and sent out such a negative vibe that we went immediately.home. My husband went back the next day and again was dis-couraged. We offered a home in which they would have been loved and cared for. Pray tell what didn't we offer?

Posted by Barbara H. Adams on 2009-05-23 at 17:34:56

ALOPATIA OR NERVES?

My cat, LILBIT, licks himself alot!! He licks so much he is loosing his hair. His right and left sides are almost bald. My vet told me he is emotional and nervous when I leave him alone. Is this true? Should I get him a little sister to stop him from licking himself bald??

Posted by TERESA on 2009-05-25 at 09:21:18

No longer friends

I have two adult cats that used to be best friend, sleep together, and one would regularly preen the other. After a move to a smaller apartment last year, one of them became very hateful of the other. They are now enemies and barely tolerate each other. :(

Posted by Victoria on 2009-05-27 at 00:13:39

CATS

I"M LOOKING FOR A FLAME POINT HYMALAN

Posted by DEL MINDLE on 2009-05-31 at 15:08:09

Shelters

to Barbara H. Keep looking! I was discouraged by two different shelters because I lived in an apartment, they were giving me a hard time and telling me how bad it would be for the cats. Well I adopted a pair of abandoned sister kittens and they love it! Now we have a third "outside" kitty who adopted our porch and widow sills because they play through the windows.

Posted by Meghan on 2009-06-02 at 12:47:21

Female Cats

It says not to get two female cats.. I have 4 female cats, and my mom moved in with her male... and he was the one that caused all the problems! The female cats all get along well, and I was just watching my longhaired calico groom my shorthaired chubby white and black kitty. Those two LOVE each other.

Posted by Cat on 2009-06-08 at 02:48:04

Multiple Girls.

As for the second bullet point thats not entirely true. I have 3 girls at home (I call them my girls) At first it was just the oldest "Jasmine" and "Chewba" and then we got "Pyre" a orange tabby when she was old enough to leave her kitty mom. They all did their hiss thing for about a week and after that it was amazing to see Jasmine teach her to pounce and chewba teach her to jump on the bed and how to drink water out of the sink.

Posted by Jen on 2009-06-13 at 15:27:34

Unfriendly kitty.

My cat Zoe is about 8 years old and she loves me to death. When they talk about clingy cats... she is definatly that with me. But she is very unsocial, she wont let anyone else near her she simply runs away, scaredy cat is what she is. BUT bring another kitty around and she does a complete 180. She literally tries to kill the other cat. Its traumatizing especially when i have to pull her off them and risk getting hurt in the meantime. HELP! How do i make my kitty more friendly with other kitties?

Posted by AKIMA on 2009-06-13 at 17:01:13

Sisterly Love

I lost my baby boy Foxy, and cried for a week straight. Porscha was grieving in her own way. Just then my neighbor brought me a black tuxedo kitten, little Abby. It was back n forth between war and peace for appx 6wks, but Abby charmed her big sis all along. Completley diff. body types, ages and energy levels, but they're just like human sisters, they love eachother, tussle now n then, curl up n sleep together.bathe and protect eachother. Porscha is laid back, Abby is like a Chuahua on speed. They provide us all the affection and laughter of human children, and half the worry. I couldnt be more proud. :))

Posted by ProudCatMama on 2009-06-18 at 22:06:08

multiple cats

We have a almost two yr old tabby male, and a less than a year old female calico. Today we got a black and white 4 month old neutered male. Our female cat is not taking well to the new one, but the male is sitting and watching with hisses if the new one gets too close. The new kitten is friendly and wants to be friendly with both of our cats. I hope they adjust quickly. Our older male was very upset when we got the calico last year, now they love each other.

Posted by lee on 2009-07-12 at 19:01:22

havng trouble w/introductions

To Jessica,My son was n still havg same problem, it`s only been 2 weeks. the 2 cats are I feel still adapting they are both fixed and 3 yrs. old and 1 is male n 1 female sbe is smaller n there first,n shy but aggresive n now has lost her appetite ,other cate the male is ok but not as shy if the girl gets aggresive he pounces on her n holds her down he doesnt bite n she howl! is this normal? n are seperated when alone. how ARE UR`S DOING NOW jESSICA N OPEN FOR ANY OTHER COMMENTS.

Posted by paula on 2009-07-13 at 13:42:09

maine coon cats

I have a 1 & half year old part maine coon male. I love him to death. I was thinking about getting another male part maine coon cat from a shelter in Mn. who is 1 yr. old. My question is It a good idea?

Posted by anita on 2009-07-16 at 21:08:47

Company for my Kitty

I have a 4 month white indoor kitten I rescued from the DSPCA, she is adorable and follows me everywhere and is full of affection. I feel bad that she has to be left alone all day long even though there is lots of room to run around. Im thinking of getting her some company and have seen an Exotic persian 13wk old female, would this be a good idea to get or will my kitten not be as socially interactive with me ?

Posted by Michelle on 2009-07-21 at 09:28:00

Play or Fight

I adopted two male cats (same litter) when they were 5 weeks and now they are 15 months old. They used to always play and nip at each other. Now they are older and they seem to fight all the time. I know sometimes they are playing but yet other times they seem to be playing very roughly. As a cat mom, I tend to shoo them to stop, especially when one overpowers the other. One of them (Chip) is very husky and (Dale) is the runt and very slender. I don't know, I guess this is why I don't have children. Lol

Posted by Zelda on 2009-08-05 at 11:36:46

Confused about two cats

we have a 2 year old cat and my 2 daughters have been asking to get another cat - so the can each feel the would have a cat - we also work alot so i figured that the addition of a 2nd cat would give our first cat a playmate - Our first cat seems to be content - she is a inside cat only - i thought the addition would be a good idea but after reading some of the posts i'm not sure - since we work alot we would not have time 4 a couple month gradual bring the cats together period - i'm sure not going to lock one up in a room all day while were not home - any comments welcomed - perplexed

Posted by Michael Natter on 2009-08-09 at 11:38:32

MARKING--PEEING

I took in a declawed part siamese--already had a resident cat. It has been years, and the new comer still pees where ever she wants. I am so frustrated with her, if she weren't so pretty, I would get rid of her. She won't let anyone touch her and she bites. My resident cat puts up with her and even tries to tell her about the peeing thing, but nothing we try works. I have used all the products that claim to erase the markings, but it still goes on somewhere else. Any suggestions???

Posted by JAN HERBER on 2009-08-19 at 23:23:07

2 female cats

hi, I wish I read this before adopting another female, will they ever get along? I keep them seperated at all times, the new addition(4yr old persian) attacks my 2 yr old, who I adopted at 2 mos old. I am hoping you have some insight on this

Posted by ann on 2009-09-01 at 21:25:35

Introducing new cats

I am sorry but I just don't agree with the 'slow introduction' method being the only way to introduce a new cat into a household. I have had a multi cat household for many, many years. I have always had 3 cats (2 males and 1 female) plus I fostered kittens for a local rescue group for a few years. I have never used the introduction method recommended in this article. I have always just let the new cat have run of the house with the resident cats ( of course I would watch them closely for the first several days) and never really had a problem. Usually within a week everybody had gotten used to the new cat and had made at least a tentative alliance (or peace treaty) with the new cat. Within a couple of weeks everybody was best friends. The closest I came to having a real problem was with my current female cat Gracie. I got Gracie when she was 2 months old. she was very small for her age ( as an adult now she is still a small cat). When I brought her home one of my male cats, Caesar, was a 'rough and tumble' 8 month old kitten. He adored Gracie almost from the moment we brought her home and was very happy to have another kitten around to play with (our other male cat, Hades, was 2 years old at the time and just didn't want to play and wrestle around all the time). The problem we had was that Caesar was so much bigger than Gracie and he sometimes played so rough with her that we were afraid that he would accidentally hurt her. In fact 2 months after we got her, we had to go out of town to a relative's house for Thanksgiving and were going to spend the night. We took Gracie with us instead of leaving her home alone with Caesar. Now Caesar and Gracie are best friends (although Caesar still plays rough). All you really need to do is watch them closely for a while at first and stay out of the way. Let the cats work it out on their own terms. Just make sure that you are available and ready to step in to make sure that nobody gets hurt. I also wanted to mention a problem that is common in multi cat households that people don't pay much attention to. A long time ago when I had started having problems with my cats fighting I asked my vet about it and he told me the problem was that I was treating my cats fairly and equally. The cats expect the dominate cat to be treated differently (the dominate cat gets fed first, gets treats first, ect...) and me not treating the dominate differently was causing the discord among the cats. (I can't believe I didn't see this at the time. I grew up with dogs and know well the importance of maintaining the hierarchy of the pack. I just didn't think at the time that cats had that sort of thing). As soon as I started making sure the dominate cat was treated according to his position (but also making sure that he understood that I was ultimately the 'dominate cat') the fighting stopped and I have never had any more problems. Just be sure to keep a close eye on what is going on. The dominate cat can change quickly (we had a Palace Coup earlier this year) so you have to make sure that you keep up with current events in the group.

Posted by Tracy on 2009-09-03 at 13:03:58

Sisters!

I have two 4 month old kittys. An they love each other they got along great played everyday took naps together sleep together just loved each other. an then my boyfriend found a stray male kitten an about 21/2 months old an they hated him was hissing at him like crazy an hiding under the bed or in the closet. so i did not thik it was going to work so i made him find the new little kitty a different home. An now my happy little ladys hate each other. i dont know what to do they see each other an start hissing. What should i do??

Posted by stefanie on 2009-09-09 at 20:43:13

Marking-Peeing

to Jan Herber We have similar situations, I have declawed cat who spent years in shelter, sometimes pees outside the box, she'll pee on any bed I buy her. I've had success giving her 2 litter boxes, helped a lot, she doesn't like to pee & poop in the same box. But she still has incidents. But I recently learned declawed cats can have sensitivity or pain in their paws for years if not forever. They need a gentler litter. I'm going to try a paper-based kind I saw at Petco. It might make sense since her inappropriate peeing has mostly been on catbeds or even towels I left on the floor. Like she wants to go on a soft material. Try a gentle litter & see if it works. Don't try wheat-based though, mine hated tht & wouldn't EVER go in the box on the wheat litter.

Posted by Mary Belle on 2009-09-16 at 18:13:37

2 girls - slow introduction

I have to comment on two things in this article. First of all, I had two female cats for 16 1/2 years. Most of my friends and family were surprised Nicoal lived a year after Megan passed away. They slept together, played together. They were rarely separate. So, I think it depends on the cats - it also depends on how they are raised. Two females can be just as loving as any other combination. The second thing I would like to comment on is the slow introduction. I agree with whoever said to let the cats work it out on their own. Keep an eye on them, separate them if necessary, but they will figure it out on their own.

Posted by Kirsten on 2009-09-18 at 10:30:32

brother & sister hissing

I have a brother & sister that are 7mos old. I just had the brother fixed today & when I brought him home his sister has been hissing @ him, they have gotten along fine up until a couple of hrs ago when he came home from the vet, any ideas? Thanks

Posted by Page on 2009-09-24 at 19:36:26

A third kitty

We first got our male cat a little over 2 years ago, he was very social and active so we decided to give him a friend to play with. We didn't decide on the gender of the cat since it was randomly chosen by a friend giving them away from a farm. The kitten, which we found out later was female, was so sweet to the male but he was not used to having an intruder sharing his space. It took a week for him to ease up and get close. Now they are buddies. One thing though is that since we got her, he has changed to being unsociable and a very lazy cat. Having two cats led us to getting our third kitty, all 1 year apart. There are exception to the two female rule, because the older female warmed up to the kitten in one night. Now they lie together, play together and groom each other constantly while the male watches without any interest in joining into the fun. And it has only been a week.

Posted by Lisa on 2009-09-24 at 20:55:06

mulitiple cats

I've got two 5 year old litter mates in my home and they were perfectly happy all by themselves. But last Christmas I rescued a kitten - Moe...at first they just thought she was crazy, but now they love her. I ended up adopting a playmate for Moe this summer because my older cats aren't too playful. I went looking for a male her age and ended up getting a female. They are best friends now and are constantly playing tag! Definitely take the advice on matching personalities.

Posted by Stephanie on 2009-10-28 at 15:01:29

get new cat?

I had two cats . The eldest died a few weks back. Is it better to get a kitten for the cat I still have? The vet says yes but He may just be trying to sell me a cat. I'm not ready . but don't want to be selfish if it's in the best interest of the cat. She seems fine and is 10 years old. Also losy my dog passed a short while back. Please , would love some insite. Thanks, Dave

Posted by IDave on 2009-11-13 at 09:36:35