Why It’s Better To Adopt 2 Kittens At The Same Time

Kittens are like potato chips; you can’t have just one! While cats are naturally solitary animals and can manage to be a “single child” in your home, there are many perks to doubling down. In honor of National Kitten Day on July 10th, here’s a quick guide to adopting two kittens at the same time.

Why It’s Better To Adopt Two Kittens At Once

Adopting a pair of kittens has a ton of benefits, including:

Better play manners.
While kittens are usually weaned by the time they’re eight weeks old, they’re still developing social skills from their mother and littermates. Having more time to play with a sibling throughout their kittenhood gives them ample opportunities to learn good manners. A solitary kitten that’s taken away from their litter too early is more likely to develop behavioral issues like poor bite inhibition and overly rough play. Playing with another cat teaches them to send and receive signals and correct rough, inappropriate behavior between one another.

Less chance of “Tarzan Syndrome.”
A cat that’s raised alone can develop something cat experts call “Tarzan Syndrome,” which refers to a kitten that hasn’t learned how to “speak cat.” If you decide to get another cat later on, your first cat may not know how to interact with them and may show aggression towards them.

Reduced separation anxiety.
If your cat will be left alone while their humans are at work or school, they can develop separation anxiety, which can manifest as excessive meowing, destructive scratching, and stress-induced overgrooming. Kittens can keep each other company during the day, as well as during the night when those 3 AM zoomies kick in.

Allogrooming.
Bonded pairs love allogrooming, that is, grooming one another as a form of social interaction and to get those hard-to-reach spots. Your kitties may even purr in harmony as they enjoy a mutual grooming and snuggling sesh.

Are Two Cats Double The Responsibility?

When you adopt two cats, some costs and responsibilities will double. You’ll have twice the vet bills, double the food costs, and twice the grooming, nail clipping, and teeth brushing. At the same time, though, there are certain things that two kittens can share.
While they’re still small, they can share a cage and carrier, though as they get bigger they’ll likely need their own. They can also share cat trees and toys, though it may make sense to get extra perches so they can spread out when they need more space.

Before you bring home two cats, make sure you also have:

An extra litterbox.
You should have at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra.

Separate food bowls.
Sharing food bowls can lead kittens to gulp their food as they rush to eat more than their sibling, and in the long run, it can lead to resource guarding and aggression.

Separate water bowls.
While sharing a water bowl is usually not a problem, it’s best to have multiple around your home to encourage your kittens to stay adequately hydrated.

Same-Sex or Opposite-Sex Pairing

Kittens from the same litter will usually get along, whether they’re both girls, both boys, or a boy-girl pair. However, they will not instinctively know not to mate with their sibling, so a mixed-sex pair will need to be spayed or neutered by the time the female is four months old. At four months, a kitten may already be able to get pregnant.

Is It Okay To Adopt Two Kittens from Different Litters?

If introduced early in life, two kittens from different litters will most likely get along. Same-sex pairs may be slightly more likely to fight, especially if they’re not from the same litter, but the risk is low if they’re adopted at under six months of age. Intact cats of the same sex may become aggressive towards one another when they reach sexual maturity. Naturally, kittens of opposite sexes will mate if one or both are not fixed before four months.