The Two-Kitten Argument
Written by A.R.F. Volunteer Hannah D.
Cats are often painted as unsociable loners. This is not accurate! Young cats and kittens are very playful and can get the “kitten crazies” when they’re feeling energetic. This lively behavior is one of many reasons that adopting kittens in pairs, rather than alone, is highly recommended. Paired adoptions benefit the pets and the adopters.
For the Kitties
Kittens are born in litters with built-in buddies. Due to the nature of animal adoption, entire litters generally cannot be kept together. Still, kittens benefit from having a buddy of a similar age in the same home. Without an adult cat around, kittens can learn from each other! Adopters can provide all of the love in the world, but kittens can’t learn skills such as grooming, climbing, and using the litter box from humans. Also, kittens love to entertain each other. Even if an adopter is home most of the time, kittens thrive when they have the chance to play with each other. This is especially true at night when most humans are sleeping.
If there is already an older cat in the home, one kitten might not be the best fit, unless the older cat is still energetic. Two kittens are often easier to integrate into a home with an older cat because they can keep each other busy instead of bothering the older cat. When relationships start with the young kitten pestering the older cat, they are less likely to become friends over time.
For the Adopters
When kittens can’t get all of their energy out or grow bored, they are more likely to turn to destructive behavior. They might chew, climb, or tear up household items that would otherwise be left alone. They might bite, scratch, or wrestle the human since they can’t play-fight with someone their own size. This can be cute when they’re small, but it becomes a problem as they grow and solidify these bad habits. While they don’t mean any true harm, their mischievous nature, when left unchecked, can lead to unexpected costs and pains for adopters.
In summary, kittens and their human adopters reap a variety of benefits from the two-instead-of-one adoption process. A.R.F. does not have a policy that requires adopting kittens in pairs. Sometimes cats or kittens are listed as Bonded Pairs on our site. In those cases, the animals must be adopted together because they have built a relationship and it would not be in their best interest to separate them. Regardless, we do recommend adopting two for all of the above reasons.
When you adopt two animals, you save four lives: the two you adopted and the two open spaces the shelter now has for new ones!
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