Reasons why 2 kittens are better than 1?

Hi all, I have a question-

Is it better to adopt out a pair of kittens instead of one? Personally, I would like it if two kittens go together, especially if they're littermates. But what do you guys think? Do you think it's a good idea to adopt out both kittens to a first time pet owner? What are your thoughts?

Also, if you're in the adoption scene, what you do you think are "red flags" on prospective adoptees' info sheet/history with pets? I'd like to hear them-

Thanks!

~Steph

Here you go:

http://www.pawschicago.org/PetCare/catsinpairs.htm

Our rescue only adopts out kittens (under 6 months) in pairs or to a home with another young cat.

Katie

my first cat was an only cat. she had some behavior problems, that, according to what i read, indicated she needed a companion cat. i got her one, but she never warmed to the new cat.
my next ones were littermates, & lived with me for 8 years. they really bonded well, & i chose the 2 i did because they were good friends. they kept each other company while i was at work.
Mouse died at Christmas, but i had already gotten a new kitten (singular) so didn't get another cat. altho Pixel (Mouse's littermate) is not thrilled with Cable (new kitten), i think the company has helped keep her from grieving too much. it's definitely kept her busy (running away from Cable!).
i think getting a pair was definitely the way to go - littermates would be best, but kittens are adaptable & love to play with any other cats - that's why Pixel spends so much time running away from Cable - she wants to play, (5 1/2 months old) & Pixel wants to relax (8 years old).
hope this helps!

i dont know alot about adopting cats in pairs, but we got two cats from the same litter, Nicky and Gareth) and they totally loved each other. it was so sweet, they would cuddle up to each other on the chair all the time. But one day one of them disappeared and we never saw him again (we live near fields so we feared a a farming accident). we were all devastated , and we all missed him, but not as much as our other cat did. he was originally a happy quite chubby cat but when we lost Gareth he pined for ages and lost so much weight and never put it back on again. he was perfectly healthy and lived to be 16 but i felt so sad that he missed his brother so much. I dont know if this would apply to cats that are not from the same litter and hopefully other cats dont disappear while in the prime of life so i think cats deffinately like the companionship of another cat (if they take to them that is) and hopefully they would both live to a ripe old age

My first cat, Abigail, had behavioral problems until we got Annabelle. After Abby died Annabelle ended up having behavioral problems, so we got Isabelle. As soon as the cats got used to each other (within a week) we had literally no problems. Just in talking with friends with cats, and from my own experience, it seems they are better off in pairs. It might be something for you to think about if it's feasible. Plus, in the middle of the night, instead of driving you insane they will play with each other

Originally Posted by Jalapeno

Also, if you're in the adoption scene, what you do you think are "red flags" on prospective adoptees' info sheet/history with pets? I'd like to hear them

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I don't work the adoption clinics that often, but do overhear a lot of stories from the folks that are up there all the time. Most of the red flags come from simply talking to the potential adopter. They always ask about their current or previous pets to try to understand what care they give.

If they say things like this - no way do they get approved:

- I've lost 3 dogs (or cats) in the last 5 years cause they keep getting hit by cars
- I NEVER let my dogs in the house
- I need some good barn kitties
- Heartguard - what is that?
- Have a pet but can't afford a vet
- I don't want the pet to be spayed - I'm going to breed them
- I've ALWAYS gotten my cats declawed and will always do so in the future

The list could go on forever. We basically look at the history of their caregiving the best we can. How long have they owned their pets and how did they lose any of them are very compelling questions to ask. We will also do a landlord and vet reference check on any applicants.

Hope this helps.

With cats less than 1 year old it doesn't matter if they are littermates as long as they are the same age or close they will get along and play together...there are exceptions but it's ussually so..

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I don't work the adoption clinics that often, but do overhear a lot of stories from the folks that are up there all the time. Most of the red flags come from simply talking to the potential adopter. They always ask about their current or previous pets to try to understand what care they give.

If they say things like this - no way do they get approved:

- I've lost 3 dogs (or cats) in the last 5 years cause they keep getting hit by cars
- I NEVER let my dogs in the house
- I need some good barn kitties
- Heartguard - what is that?
- Have a pet but can't afford a vet
- I don't want the pet to be spayed - I'm going to breed them
- I've ALWAYS gotten my cats declawed and will always do so in the future

The list could go on forever. We basically look at the history of their caregiving the best we can. How long have they owned their pets and how did they lose any of them are very compelling questions to ask. We will also do a landlord and vet reference check on any applicants.

Hope this helps.

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I agree...A LOT of times you can just talk to the person and get a pretty good feel about them.We have an adoption application,but before I hand them that to fill out I just listen to what they have to say and don't ask to many questions because a lot of times if they think you are asking them too many questions they get defensive and then will not be truthful on the application.

We had a lady interested in adopting a cat the other day and she filled out the application and put down that she had taken a cat to a shelter...when we asked why it was because her other cat was peeing on stuff....but had she taken her to the vet to see what was wrong...NO...she just dumped her at a shelter....
We politely told her we would not adopt to her.
I hate dealing with people sometimes...but then there are the people that come in and make excellent adopters and that is what makes it worth it.

I volunteer for a cat shelter and I do adoptions. For some reason people have a tendancy to tell the truth instead of lying. Just get them talking about old pets. Laugh with them. No matter what they say - do not get mad. Just play along. Never ask a direct question. And most of all, act friendly, wear a smile, and play it dumb. I've had people blabber out some stupid things by accident this way.

~ Oh, I've never had a cat live past 13. (Why?) They've all been indoor/outdoor cats. (You do know any cat from this shelter has to be an indoor cat?) Only one of my cats uses the pet door, I'm sure the new kitten won't touch it. [They didn't get the kitten, and they never came back to inquire about a barn cat.]
~ You can't have an indoor cat without getting it declawed. [I was unbelievably close to getting them to accept the fact that a cat can have claws and not destroy the house when another volunteer came by and started yelling at them. That destroyed my credability and hers. They put in an application for a declawed cat and we approved it.]
~ We have six cats, five dogs, and 8 horses. [Your clothes aren't clean and have holes in them, your kids look like they haven't eaten in a month, and you want a 4 month old kitten, why? Didn't say that, but thankfully they never came back.]


So yeah, warning signs for me are:
~ Too many pets that have passed away without an explanation.
~ Too many pets at home currently.
~ The behaviour of the person around the cats.
~ The behaviour of any kids.
~ Unstable living conditions. [ie. We're in the process of a move; I'm a college student at home for the summer.]


I don't worry so much if they don't have a vet if they haven't had a pet for a while or if this is their first. I don't worry so much about college students who are living at home or with a significant other. (I'm the former, and my first adoption was the latter.) We've even adopted out kittens to families with young kids. (This one family had a 3 and 5 year old, and they came out for a few weeks in a row just to make sure they were picking the rght cat. The boys were so gentle with the cats, and just kept asking question about how to take care of it, and how to tell what the cat was saying. The 5 year old was even going up to other people at the shelter and telling them about the cats. I was sold on the kids alone!)


Now, because of the overpopulation, we do let somethings go that would have been a problem in the past.

~ Allergies. If they say they'll try medicine and they'll live with it, then it's okay. About half the cats get returned, but that's still a lot of cat that are placed in loving homes.
~ Unfixed dogs. It's one that the volunteers are torn over, but our cats are fixed before they leave, and they need homes. We try to talk them into getting the dog fixed, but it's not something we rule out from the start like we used to.
~ Declawing. If they say they want to declaw a cat, they have to take one that's less that six months old and have it done immediately. They aren't allowed to take any cat that's older than that unless we have one that was decalwed by previous owners. I don't like this. Almost all the volunteers are against it, but while we grumble, it really does come down to declawing vs. euthinization due to overpopulation. We'd rather see the cat declawed.



Twelve years ago, when my mother was looking for a kitten, they had much stricter adopting guidlines. Home inspection, credit check, five references, a vet reference, radomn home inspections.... My mother threw a fit, cussed them out, and slammed down the phone. A LOT of people had this reaction, and the shelter and people who worked there became known as Cat Nazis. Adoptions practically halted competely, and they had to alter their policies drastically. There are still people who refuse to adopt a cat from there because they think the people there are all crazy PETA people. (There are no members at the shelter. They are some fanatical people there who will corner prospective adoptees for twenty minutes and try to lecture and preach to them. It's a great way to get rid of bad prospective adoptees, but really bad for business when they chase away the good people.)



Edit: Forgot to say that two kittens to a first time owner will probably work out better. Kittens do the best with a companion, and they'll focus their energy on each other instead of on the house. (Hopefully!) We try and talk all adoptees who are interested in kittens into taking two, even if their first time pet owners. We even offer a "buy one get one half off" deal to entice people into doing so. It's good for two weeks if they decide they need a second kitten, and about half the single kitten owners come back for a second.

Thanks for the insight, all! I've found it very interesting to read your responses. Also, I've got another question- what's the best way to explain to a person that adopting out kittens 3 mos. or younger isn't a good idea? They'd prefer a younger kitten "to bond with them" but I don't believe in that. Why's that a good idea to adopt out a kitten older than 3 months? Does it have to do with their behaviour? Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Jalapeno

Thanks for the insight, all! I've found it very interesting to read your responses. Also, I've got another question- what's the best way to explain to a person that adopting out kittens 3 mos. or younger isn't a good idea? They'd prefer a younger kitten "to bond with them" but I don't believe in that. Why's that a good idea to adopt out a kitten older than 3 months? Does it have to do with their behaviour? Thanks again!

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Our shelter adopts out as soon as they are speutered at 2 pounds or 8 weeks old. Most of our kittens come from feral moms so its not like they are kept with their mom until they are 3 months old so its no issue here. Placing them in a permanent home where they start bonding is important. One exception to this is if the kitten has not socialized yet - they are not put up for adoption until they are tamed to humans, and we will hold onto them indefinitely as necessary.

Why are you holding them for 3 months?

And yes - just start talking to someone about their pets (current or previous) and they usually open up and gush all kinds of information!

One kitten can be a handful, 2 may be too much for first time owners. If the 2 the 2 kittens have never left each other, I'd take them both, regardless of cost and hassel. Just be prepared for kitty fights, and hyperness 2 times the normal hyper kitty amount.

Good Luck

I've got two 6 month old burmese litter mates and they have such a lovely bond together, it's so sweet. They play together (crazy races and fights round the house), eat together, wash each other, then curl up to sleep together. When they were neutered they apparently howled the place down in the recovery room, until they were both put together in one pen, then snuggled down and slept it off. When they "lose" each other in the house they mew anxiously until they find each other again. If they didn't have each other to play with I can't imagine the wreckage they'd make of the house trying to use up the excess energy.

I read somewhere that even if you wanted two kittens of a similar age you should not get litter mates because they have such a strong bond between they don't form a very close/loving relationship with their owner - you should pick two kittens from different litters. I'm glad I took no notice of this. Having had three other cats in the past there's no truth in this as far as I'm concerned - they are the most affectionate cats we've ever had. In the evening if we watch TV one of us has one baby on our lap, the other sleeps on the other's lap. Or if you're lucky you get both at once. They super with the children too - affectionate or playful - depending on how sleepy they are.

We had only intended to get one kitten as we already have a young adult male, but brought the other one too because no one had shown any interest in having him. It had been a really hard decision anyway chosing one on our first visit, so when the other one was still left on pick up day, we felt it was meant to be. I'm so glad now we have both - we'd have deprived then both of the wonderful bond and love they have for each other. They get on well with our other cat, he's young enough to join in on the chases, but he's not as close as the two of them are. They try to snuggle up to him, but he's not really a snuggly cat and will stand it for a couple of minutes then move away.

This is the first time I've had two kittens together (although I've had several cats of different ages at the same time) and I'd recommend it to anyone. Particularly if they are out working a lot. Taking care of two cats isn't much more trouble than taking care of one - provided a prospective owner is prepared for vet fees as and when they arise.

Once we can keep them off the dining table life will be perfect, but that's another story.

Here are thoughts on your question: It seems that 2 kittens are almost always better, unless there is a young cat at home, to be a mentor. Some new cat owners do not have the cat/human communication skills down yet, and 2 kittens will interact with each other and provide observation opportunities for the new owner. Recall watching 2 kittens playing, how their ears move & position, tails swish, body language & facial expressions change - there's a lot for a 1st owner to learn there, and it's easier to pick up the meanings observing an exchange, as opposed to having the kitten approach the owner, and the person trying to figure out what it means. That having been said, if the kitten is to be a companion cat, where there is someone at home all day long, it is less critical to have a 2nd kitten.
As for screening adopters, it is a good idea to figure out the position of the spouse. Far too often, the hubby is a big if not bigger potential hazard than the kids are. When children are present, I have had them handle my older, friendly cats & based my opinion from there. I have refused families because the children were to disrespectful/rough with my big cats/ I shudder to think of what a kitten would suffer with such treatment.
You posed a great question! I love all the responses. Susan

Originally Posted by Jalapeno

Hi all, I have a question-

Is it better to adopt out a pair of kittens instead of one? Personally, I would like it if two kittens go together, especially if they're littermates. But what do you guys think? Do you think it's a good idea to adopt out both kittens to a first time pet owner? What are your thoughts?

Also, if you're in the adoption scene, what you do you think are "red flags" on prospective adoptees' info sheet/history with pets? I'd like to hear them-

Thanks!

~Steph

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