Should I get 1 kitten or 2?

Hi
I'm new to this forum so I hope this is the right place to post this thread.

I have been debating whether to get one kitten or two kittens. And I keep going back with the pros and cons and was hoping that your opinions from experience cat owners would help me.

I have only owned one cat in my life and he is a 6 year old neutered male cat. He was born in our garage with his siblings and his momma left him here when she took the others away. I've had him since he was about 4 weeks old, so he's not been around other cats a lot, just when he goes to the vets. We also have a 6 year old dog, no problems between them. The cat loves the dog, he has been raised with dogs and he thinks he is a dog. :laughing:

Anyways, would it be better to just get one kitten and see how the old fella gets along with it? Or should we get two so that the kittens will play with each other and not drive the old one nuts? The kittens have been hand raised since 2 weeks old and are siblings. The kittens are coming from a shelter.

I don't think wilbur will have problems with getting use to them as he doesn't freak out when he sees other cats at the vet's.

But I would appreciat some imput.

Thanks for listening.

Welcome to the forum!
If you have the space, two will definitely take the pressure off Wilbur, although they may gang up on him :laughing:. But they will also wear each other out and be happier as a result. For that reason, some rescues here will only adopt out kittens in pairs. They are so much fun to watch, I say go for it.
And don't forget to post pictures!

Definitely 2 kittens, they will keep each other occupied and socialize each other. Because they will occupy each other, they will have a tendency to leave Wilbur and your dog alone if they do not want to be included in play. Like badger stated, shelters/rescues love to see two siblings be adopted together :thumbs up.

Another vote for 2 here.

Cindy

I don't know....... my vote is for 3. :D That way there is no odd man out. They are like children. You have two kids playing, no problem. You add the third and watch out!! With your older fella you would have three.

I know, I'm a s**t disturber!! Two would be great!!! :thumbs up

I don't know....... my vote is for 3. :D That way there is no odd man out. They are like children. You have two kids playing, no problem. You add the third and watch out!! With your older fella you would have three.

I know, I'm a s**t disturber!! Two would be great!!! :thumbs up

But if the older guy doesn't want to play, then there will be an odd man out. Maybe Tundra_Queen should be prepared for 4 just in case.;):laughing:

Just kidding, Tundra_Queen. You will find having two kittens will be much easier on all than having just one. They are so full of energy.

As a side note, not sure where you are from, but you may want to do some research to see if any rescues/shelters have manadory spay/neuter. You will find that you may save hundreds adopting from them ($125 for a spay/neutered cat at Gananoque Humane Society, Cornwall SPCA is a terrific price)

I ditto 2 kittens,for sure,also if in the beginning you have to keep them in a kennel,or a separate room when you work,the 2 kittens can amuse themselves instead of one being lonely.
Of course,pics on our Forum is a must:laughing:the dog and the older cat too of course;)

I agree. Two would probably be best.

I absolutely think 2 kittens is the way to go, with the caveat that you make sure to do a very slow, gentle introduction. Here's an excellent link on how to do just that: http://www.wvcats.com/integrating_kittens_with_cats.htm

Adult cats, even those that get along with other adult cats, frequently don't like kittens, so be prepared.

There are some adult cats who take to little kittens right away, happily filling in as "mom". This is not typical, though, especially for adult cats who never had any dealings with little kittens. Most adult cats don't act like mother substitutes to kittens. That does not mean they won't come to accept a kitten living in the same home. Adult cats and kittens can and do certainly wind up getting along, as the kitten and adult cat in the picture above finally did. But it is not usually the easy, quick acceptance that some people think it will be with many adult cats, where you just plop a little kitten down with the adult cat and have everything be fine. It almost always won't be if you do that. Since starting out badly will set the tone for the relationship, and it is only kind to do all we can to reduce stress and fear in our cats, proceeding slowly with introductions is always the best thing to do.

A tiny kitten is a threat to many adult cats, (but not all adult cats), as in nature, it would still be with its mother for up to about 6 months old, under her care and protection. The older cats may be wary that the mother will come around looking for her kitten, and that would mean trouble for them if caught near the kitten. It will take some time for the big cats to realize no angry mama cat is going to be coming around. Until then, many adult cats will hiss at the kitten, and even swat at it, trying to keep it from them.

Good luck!

Thank u Sugar for the link!

I have read Pam Bennet Johnson's book Think Like a Cat when I first got Wilbur and do remember a bit of how to introduce new cats to each other. But it has been a long time since reading that book, so I will make sure to read the link u posted.

I went to Walmart and picked up 2 baby gates yesterday so that I can keep the kittens in the bathroom for a day or two, and then let the kittens and Wilbur just "see" each other, but with the kittens behind the baby gates.Then once they get a glimpse of each other, close the door again. And the next time I will let them look at each other for a bit longer and so on until I feel that it is safe enough to bring one kitten out from behind the gate.

I think I will just do one kitten at a time so that Wilbur can get use to their smell etc. And if trouble starts I only have to worry about grabbing one kitten at a time.

I hope it will be ok, but I am a bit nervous.

You should get two kittens, trust me. At my shelter we have a buy one get one free deal :laughing: You can get two kittens for 95$; already fixed, vaccinated,de-wormed,flea treated,microchipped and you get 30 days free pet health insurance (just incase). Look for something like that around where you live! It is MUCH better to get two kittens. At the county shelter I volunteer for too it's basically the same deal except it's 135$ and I don't think they get a microchip. County shelters are always a bit behind and more expensive but it's because they are under funded.

I have a pamphlet that has a bunch of reasons why you should get 2 instead of one, but it's 3 am and I just randomly woke up so I have nooooo idea where it is at.

take my advice.... I mean my volunteer position is Cat Adoption Team Member :D I totally know what I am talking about

Kathryn, that is a great price for two kittens!! Wow!

Our shelter charges 145.00 per kitten and that includes, as far as i know, deworming, shots, neutering/spaying. If I get two kittens it will be 125.00 per kitten. Our rescue place is run by volunteers and they don't get any governmental help at all! They raise all monies themselves. So I think that is a very good price! I always thought they got some money from the town, but they don't. The animals are all in foster homes too, not in a "shelter"