Cats... Can you just get one?

[Anew Leaf]

I had to put down my pet bunny of 12 years last month.

I love animals of all kinds (this just in, INFP loves animals! News at 10), and have decided to get a cat.

I am getting a Ragdoll and am very excited about him. The problem is that the breeder is being super pushy on me purchasing a second kitten at the same time. She is putting a big guilt trip on me over how sad my kitten will be when he is alone while I am at work.

My reasons for only having one:

1- I don't want to be a crazy cat lady...
2- The pet is rather pricey and with the economy I am concerned about having too much responsibility in case my business goes belly up and I am scrambling.
3- I live alone and have had a wonderful pet that was fairly low maintenance... and I could cage when I needed to... This will be a new experience for me having a free range pet.
4- I don't want to be a crazy cat lady!


So, am I being a bad pet owner for putting my needs such as these ahead of my future pet's needs? I am also suspicious over the breeder's motivations since she, of course, is in business to sell her kittens. So I feel her motivations may be compromised and that makes me not want to get a second kitten all the more.

 

[Octarine]

I think it is fine just to get one.
In terms of having a second cat, it actually depends on the cat. It is sometimes hard to predict how one cat will respond to another, even if you get them both as kittens. Not all cats like having another cat in the house (and this is not a male vs female thing either).

 

[Patches]

Cats are super adaptable. It's perfectly fine to have just one. Especially if you're not certain you have the space/resources for two.

Just get one. For sure.

 

[Eckhart]

I think it is ok to get just one cat, we only have one at least. On the other hand she is not the whole day alone in the house, and she may go also outside. I guess as long as the cat is not alone for the whole day and you also spend some time with it and / or let her go outside, it is ok.

 

[Totenkindly]

I only got one cat. I could have easily gotten three, since there were three remaining from the litter that the human society acquired.

But realistically, I just didn't want to maintain and feed three cats, nor could I afford to pay for them. My only real qualm was feeling bad the cat had no one to play with except for a small dog, but after seeing how Pascal tore up the place within a few days of arrival, I'm glad I only took him; honestly, two or more cats with that amount of energy would have destroyed the place, running across all the surfaces they weren't supposed to be on, getting into things, knocking them over, keeping each other wound up so that sleep would have been impossible, etc.

My kitty loves me anyway. He'll follow me all over the house (when he's not off stalking the dog). His favorite pasttime is sitting either on the subwoofer next to my desk or on my bare feet while I'm on my computer, or he'll be zonked out on the bed (if I'm in my bedroom) or on the top of the sofa (if I'm watching TV) or sprawled in the middle of the kitchen floor if I'm cooking; and as soon as I get ready to get into bed, he's purring and hopping up there and harrassing me in the dark until I finally get him to settle.

So I think he's happy anyway.

But the more time you spend with your cat (if it wants you to), the better.

 

[entropie]

This is a topic me and my girlfriend dealt with too. We both work much and think that a second cat would be good for our cat. The problem is our apratment is too small for 2 people and 2 cats, its now already too small for just the three of us and we basically lack the money to care for another cat (investion costs, doctors bills).

I have read different opinions on whether cats need to be alone or not, some say yes and an equal amount says no. As far as I know female cats do leave their young alone at some point so they can get strong and grow up themselves. Cats living freely are loners, they seldom tolerate or live together with other cats. Cats dont live in families as well, male cats just come for sex and then leave. Basically a cat life is paradise from a male perspective .

Given that facts, I think its good for cats when they grow up weith bretheren, so they learn stuff, like cleaning and hunting. But after 12 weeks I think its fine when you take a cat alone. Those people saying you need two cats are overdoing it imo and maybe only want to make quick money by selling two cats at a time. If you live together with a cat, you are basically that cats best friend and his society and if you play with him or her enough, she or he wont miss company. If you leave him alone tho a lot during the day, you could think about getting a second one. But since cats basically sleep or hang out during 2/3 of the day, I wouldnt have a bad conciencse even if you work much.

Since my girl is infp too, I think I wont be able to ward off that we one day will end with 10 cats

And a personal opinion: get a male one, they have a nicer character. They are curious and need to learn their borders but once learnt they obey. Only hard thing is castration but that was harder for me than the cat . And its still a lot better than sterilization :///

 

[Xenon]

I've never heard of cats needing another cat in the house. We had two cats for a time when I was growing up, and they pretty much ignored each other aside from the occasional squabble. They're pretty solitary animals. I'd be suspicious of that breeder's motives as well. (I'd also like to say I'd take my business elsewhere if she was being that pushy, but I know how it is once you've visited the breeder and held one in your arms...)

 

[Randomnity]

I've had a single cat for about 5 years now. She hates other cats, so she's happier.

In your case I'm guessing the breeder wants to make some extra cash as it is probably hard to sell purebred cats in this economy.

(I get that you've fallen in love already, but seriously, shelters have so many cats . You can get specific breeds like ragdolls there if you wait until one comes in since many shelters will put you on a waiting list for a breed)

Some cats do prefer company though, and when they're young they'll often adapt to a new buddy pretty well. You could get a second cat from a shelter if that seems appealing to you - the cats don't have to match!

 

[Anew Leaf]

Good thoughts everyone!!

I think for right now, I feel overwhelmed at the idea of one pet... And bringing in two makes me feel like I am setting myself up for chaos. Once I get a pet there is no way I will be able to give them away if things don't work out, so I don't want to overextend myself and find I am going catshit insane over two running wild in my house.

I don't need a matching pair either so a shelter idea is good if I do get a second one. I would have gone with a shelter kitty but I really like the plus points of this breed And me walking into any humane society is basically me signing an agreement that I will leave with a flock of cats and a herd of dogs.

 

[Octarine]

I would have gone with a shelter kitty but I really like the plus points of this breed And me walking into any humane society is basically me signing an agreement that I will leave with a flock of cats and a herd of dogs.

I can totally see that happening!

 

[Giggly]

YES! Get one...and only one. lol

Plenty of people work and have a cat. They like to sleep a lot.

 

[ThatGirl]

I own the best cat in the world. She is an outdoor cat, seventeen years old, named Narco-spaz. I named her after her slightly narcoleptic and spastic behavior as a kitten. She gets in fights all the time, is still alive, and has dominated the front yard, sleeps on the doormat. Only comes around when she wants food. Best Cat Ever!

 

[Vasilisa]

< Reasons Why Two Kittens Are Better Than One! >

 

[sciski]

One adult cat by itself is okay (and some prefer it)... but a little kitten might need more attention, especially if it's newly separated from its litter. Maybe leave the TV on for it to pounce at while you're gone? I actually second the idea of getting a shelter kitty as well, though understand the dangers of walking into one and exiting with your own personal zoo.

 

[jixmixfix]

I own the best cat in the world. She is an outdoor cat, seventeen years old, named Narco-spaz. I named her after her slightly narcoleptic and spastic behavior as a kitten. She gets in fights all the time, is still alive, and has dominated the front yard, sleeps on the doormat. Only comes around when she wants food. Best Cat Ever!

aren't you afraid she's going to get run over by a car?

 

[ThatGirl]

She is 17 years old. If she gets run over by a car that's her fault. But that is part of what I was saying, that she is really street smart. For a cat.

 

[Totenkindly]

I own the best cat in the world. She is an outdoor cat, seventeen years old, named Narco-spaz.

My cat's name is Pascal and he's only about 5-6 months old... but I usually just call him Li'l Bastard.
It seems more appropriate.

I had a bunch of cats growing up, in a rural area. Outdoor cats. Unfortunately, the cars blew down the road and that's how we lost most of them, even the smart ones. Any street smarts they got was learned by a bumper smacking them down on the street. Sigh.

 

[Oaky]

Getting a cat is a fantastic thing. I myself am thinking of getting a bobcat, a lynx or a serval as a pet. Quite fun things to have around.

 

[Tiltyred]

I have one cat, a Maine Coon. She's bigger than the neighbor's Pekingese. I have had two cats at a time, and I prefer one cat, because I want a companion animal. Two cats tend to bond with each other rather than with the owner. With this caveat -- spend a lot of time with the cat -- as much as you would with a dog. Play with it, talk to it, teach it its name, teach it words, interact with it. My cat and I have a date every night at 10 pm and she knows it -- I trained her to go sit on this particular little rug at 10 o'clock pm, and she does it -- sometimes I don't even realize what time it is until I feel her looking at me and she's sitting on the rug and sure enough it's 10 pm -- she gets brushed, I check her ears, I wipe her teeth, I clip her nails if it's Sunday -- and then we play, and she gets a treat. She also gets a good 10 minute snuggle every morning. Those two things seem to keep her perfectly happy -- that, and she has perches where she can see outside. Cats like routine, so if you can make one or two daily of giving them attention, they are happy to entertain themselves the rest of the time.

 

[chickpea]

it depends on the cat. me and my roommates have 3; two of them get along really well, play all the time, spoon with eachother and are adorable. but the 3rd cat doesn't like other cats and they gang up on her and bully her and chase her around.