Is adopting only one young cat abusive in some way?

[TracyTN 237]

But a lot of the shelters that we have been looking at require you to already have a cat or adopt 2 if you want to get a cat under about 6-7 months. I don't remember that being a requirement the last time I got a kitten. But that was over 20 years ago so I guess things change!

Ok that's a bit weird!!! Though you could probably adopt a 1 year old and it would still be pretty 'spry'. And maybe 1 year olds are overlooked sometime versus true kittens. There's probably a 1 year old out there that needs a good mommy and daddy!!!

[Scott & Lai 12]

I heard owning fewer than 30 cats was abusive.

Where did you get that photo of me from???????????

That's the Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons. She throws her cats at passersby while muttering gibberish.

[Mags 112]

I heard owning fewer than 30 cats was abusive.

Where did you get that photo of me from???????????

That's the Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons. She throws her cats at passersby while muttering gibberish.

Well, I know that....hehehehehe. I'm often called Crazy Cat Lady by my hubby...hence my saying "where did you get that photo of ME from?". lol

[pedroh 21]

not taking the cats to the shrink is abusive.. also calling them by kitty instead of their name, messes up their self-steem

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

We broke up a brother and sister when we adopted our first kitty. We felt bad at the time but the people at the shelter said that its actually good for them to learn some sort of independence. We had her for a year - in which time she was in the house by herself while both of us were at work. Later we got a second cat (breaking up another family of 2 brothers). They seem to get on pretty well - though they are a little mismatched in terms of general temperament.

[Caladan 19]

My $0.02:

Shelters have a hard time getting people to adopt older cats because everyone wants the sweet baby kittens. Solution: up the 'cost' for adopting a sweet baby kitten, and more people will adopt the 8-month-old cat.

Adopting two kittens together can be great and they'll like to play, but it isn't abusive to have just one. A) It's a cat. Their brains are the size of walnuts and so are their common sense; B ) More seriously, Alex, I think you'd have more problems trying to introduce a cat to a one-cat home now than you would adopting two at once. C) If you have a one-bedroom, your place will be covered with cat fur.

[Autumnchik 6]

I agree with everyone's postings here: definitely not abusive to adopt just one cat. I have had my cat for over 12 years. When I got him, he was 7 months old. He and his sister had been brought to the shelter together, but I was only prepared to adopt one cat. He adjusted fine and gets a TON of attention. That is definitely the key thing. He has also adjusted fine to different living places, even living in an efficiency apartment when I was in grad school. Not the ideal, but he adapted.

Next to having to live for a year with my evil azz ex-roomates (long story), the most abusive thing that happened to this cat was that his original owners named HIM Fifi. Talk about gender identity issues!

[Peikko 1,575]

Not abusive whatever way you look at it. However, it probably depends on the cat as to how social he/she will be. I had one cat for over 20 years that didn't like any other cat anywhere near her. Other cats seem to thrive on having company around.

[Alex+R 0]

You know, I think the bottom line is that our cat seems really, really happy. I don't see any signs of kitty depression at all. She only destroyed one thing (Rey's phone charger) and it was on her third day, so the signs that she would be giving us if she wanted a pal are just not present. So, for now she'll remain an only child. Thanks for all of the input you guys. I was afraid everyone would yell at me for having only one cat, but I am glad to see that's not the case! If at any time the cat seems bored or lonely, we'll look into a friend for her.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

You know, I think the bottom line is that our cat seems really, really happy. I don't see any signs of kitty depression at all. She only destroyed one thing (Rey's phone charger) and it was on her third day, so the signs that she would be giving us if she wanted a pal are just not present. So, for now she'll remain an only child. Thanks for all of the input you guys. I was afraid everyone would yell at me for having only one cat, but I am glad to see that's not the case! If at any time the cat seems bored or lonely, we'll look into a friend for her.

Good. Just give it a lot of love. My sister has 2 sister cats and one died. The lone cat was sad at first but she adjusted well.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Congrats on adopting a cat!! Ya, some places in th DC Area require u to adopt two kittens, weird!! we have 2 cats, 1 is around 1.5 yrs old and the other is now 13 weeks. They play a fair deal, but at times i think the older cat just enjoys kicking a$$ on the little one,lol But she will gets hers, as Siberian males canget rather large,lol. The kitten actually plays a fair deal with our dog, they play and play and sleep together at times!! I know with 2 cats it seems that everytime i pass the 2 litter boxes, I have to clean them!!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

It is not abusive to adopt a single cat, although if the single cat had a strong bond with another cat and you separated them, they will both go through a sort of separation anxiety until they adjust. One thing that people are recently beginning to realize is that domestic cats are indeed social creatures. Even feral cats live in colonies together. What you do need to look at is that cats do require a certain amount of territory especially if they are going to be 'inside' cats. A one bedroom apartment generally does have enough territory for two cats. Two cats will keep each other company, they will play together, wash each other and generally be buddies as long as the age difference isn't too much (a young kitten and a senior cat), and they are both neutered and healthy. Keeping a cat entire is a totally different kettle of fish, and an unhealthy cat has additional needs that will put stress on a healthy multi-cat household. Having more than one cat doesn't mean that they will stop wanting interaction with their people either. We have 5 - and I had 6 in a one bedroom apartment (3 full rooms and a bath) without any problems. They find their own territory within the space and because there were lots of levels (places they could get up high) it increases the territory. They each still demand and appreciate their one on one time with each of us, as well as spending lots of hours interacting with each other. And no - they don't sleep 20 hours a day - more like 10.

So, don't feel guilty for only having one cat but do understand that it will demand from you what would have been provided by having other cat companions in addition to what it would demand of its human caregiver. You do have sufficient room for taking 2 cats so if you wanted to do that even now you would be ok. And speaking from experience having more than one cat increases the pleasure exponentially - I cannot imagine what it would be like to live with only 1 cat after living with multiple cats. They add so much to our houehold. Two would be the minimum for me - but then I have lived in multi-cat households all of my life, both as a child and as an adult.

Edited March 27, 2007 by Kathryn41

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

Ahh a bunch of bologna by the shelters trying to dump more than one cat on someone! Your cat will be fine by itself. I have had one cat at a time and multiple cats at a time, they are all equally happy either way. We have a single cat at the moment and two dogs, can't say the dogs are his buddies so I guess he doesn't realllllllllllllly need a playmate. For the most part he sleeps in the middle of our bed with no intentions of playing with anything or anyone!

[derekkj 0]

But a lot of the shelters that we have been looking at require you to already have a cat or adopt 2 if you want to get a cat under about 6-7 months. I don't remember that being a requirement the last time I got a kitten. But that was over 20 years ago so I guess things change!

Ok that's a bit weird!!! Though you could probably adopt a 1 year old and it would still be pretty 'spry'. And maybe 1 year olds are overlooked sometime versus true kittens. There's probably a 1 year old out there that needs a good mommy and daddy!!!

Yeah, right now Derek is all about finding a cute, grey kitten that he wants to name Calvin. And since as we all know that cats adopt YOU, not the other way around, I am sure we will end up with the complete opposite!

[Mags 112]

But a lot of the shelters that we have been looking at require you to already have a cat or adopt 2 if you want to get a cat under about 6-7 months. I don't remember that being a requirement the last time I got a kitten. But that was over 20 years ago so I guess things change!

Ok that's a bit weird!!! Though you could probably adopt a 1 year old and it would still be pretty 'spry'. And maybe 1 year olds are overlooked sometime versus true kittens. There's probably a 1 year old out there that needs a good mommy and daddy!!!

Yeah, right now Derek is all about finding a cute, grey kitten that he wants to name Calvin. And since as we all know that cats adopt YOU, not the other way around, I am sure we will end up with the complete opposite!

Yup, my cats (and my hubby's) all found us. I love 'em all, I really do.