Is adopting only one young cat abusive in some way?

[Alex+R 0]

Have you guys seen the blog www.dailykitten.com?

I surfed into there after googling "cat who coos like a pigeon" or something to make sure my cat is normal

[wong_watkins 1]

Just remember that first of all, not all the cats like being with other cats. I have a cat who has never liked any kitties who have been around her. She was so mean to her siblings and that's why her ex-owner got her de-clawed. Second of all, not all the cats can get along with ALL other cats either. A cat could be friendly to one cat but mean to the other....just my USD$0.02...

My conclusion is, as long as you pay a lot of attention to your kitty, she/he will be just fine!

[sparkofcreation 0]

I had one cat for several years before adopting a second. She's always been quite happy to just be with me, but she was an adult (3½ years) when I got her.

Our second cat was a kitten (10 months) when we got her, and while she likes being with the older cat (especially to play with), she really prefers to be with my husband and me.

If I were adopting very small kittens (less than 4-6 months) and there were litter mates available, I would take two. In general I like to have two, but it's really personal preference. Don't get guilted into taking on more than you can handle—although it is true that two kittens are generally less trouble than one.

As to the space issue, my general rule of thumb is that you shouldn't have more cats than you have rooms with soft things to lie on (bedroom, family room, living room, etc.). So I would have no more than one cat in a studio, two cats in a one-bedroom with a separate living room, three cats in a two-bedroom with a separate living room, etc. But that's a personal preference. (My reasoning is that they should all be able to sleep somewhere soft with no other cats in sight.)