- By having two or more cats you are able to enjoy the true social nature of cats as a species. They naturally live in small groups called colonies. Cats are solitary hunters, but not a solitary species.
- Cats that have a playmate tend to be more socially well adjusted. They also tend to have less behavior problems related to social skills such as: predatory aggression (biting of hands and other appendages), scratching, hissing, hiding and overall shyness.
- Only cats are typically poorly socialized and much more aggressive to most anyone in their life. We commonly refer to these cats as having “only child syndrome” or “Tarzan”; they do not know what to do with another cat when faced with it years later.
- Cats need mental stimulation throughout the day, just like humans. Studies have shown that animals that live alone have smaller brains than their streetwise counterparts.
- In Switzerland, an anti-cruelty law was passed that requires people that are adopting or buying a dog or cat to acquire two since it is the nature of the animal to have company of its own kind.
- Cats that have a playmate to keep them active will have less of a tendency to be overweight and suffer related health issues.
- Destructive behaviors due to boredom and attention seeking are less common when they have a buddy. This means less scratching on furniture, getting into cabinets, chewing on wires, etc.
- When you travel or are gone at work all day they will have each other for company. Cats take comfort in simply the presence of another feline, they do not have to sleep together and groom each other to enjoy knowing one another are there.
- It is more common for people to return an adopted cat due to behavior problems when only one was adopted versus two.
- Your cat will likely remain more youthful and playful well into their senior years with the benefit of a companion.
- The workload to care for two cats versus one is virtually the same. The benefit of not having to be the sole provider of entertainment also makes two even easier than one!
- You do not need to have more space to have a second cat.
- Because………Two is better than one! For the humans, for the cats and for the pet overpopulation crisis!
Written by Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline Photos property of Ingrid Johnson
