# "Only" cat advice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893 "2013-01-02T23:07:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893/21 "2013-01-04T09:30:17Z")
It’s common for shelters to recommend adopting kittens under 6 months of age in pairs, unless there’s already another cat in the house. Kittens do better with another cat in the house, they get less feisty in play with their humans (less biting and inappropriately aggressive play). I think cats generally do better in pairs, especially if they are frequently left without people in the house, and even if they’re not particularly fond of each other. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893/22 "2013-01-04T20:27:32Z")
> [@SweetiePotato](#): > > Hrmmm, perhaps I should get another kitten! > > My husband is wary of two cats. I think, in his mind, one cat is a small footprint, but two cats makes the whole house a cat-zone. This is an energetic breed-- a bengal-- so I feel like another energetic kitty would solve a lot of problems. I don’t want kitty getting bored and destructive. > > That being said, the last cat I lived with started peeing on my bed while I was on vacation (my roommate’s cat, but I bonded with him) out of, I assume, separation anxiety, so I’m a little wary of a kitten that doesn’t get enough play time. > > We will probably keep him mainly indoors, but we do have a mostly-fenced backyard I’d like to introduce him to at some point, maybe first on a leash or some such so I don’t have to worry about him bolting. A Bengal? That complicates things. I would ask the breeder if he’s been exposed to regular cats before getting a regular kitten. But if you’re going to do it, you’ll want to do it asap before your bengal gets used to being a solitary hunter. But his energy needs are probably well beyond a purely domesticated animal. How big is he? What generation? I would never let him outside, personally. A) He’s too valuable and B) his instincts might prove too unpredictable. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Laurencia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@Laurencia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laurencia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893/23 "2013-01-05T07:32:28Z")
Perhaps an enclosure or an enclosed area of the yard accessible from the house via a catflap that will let the kitten come and go and watch the birdies etc without getting hurt or lost. A 2nd cat is always good but isn’t the perfect option for every household. There are also DVDs that you can play on a loop all day long while you’re out that look realistic, birds, insects in nature etc with all the appropriate sounds, that will often engage cats for hours. Use an old TV screen so it doesn’t “paw” and scratch your best LCD. Toys that you can hide treats inside, like rolling balls, you hide a few round the house, it will sniff them out then spend time retrieving its reward. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893/24 "2013-01-05T10:50:50Z")
My vote is to wait it out. The kitty is playful now, but it/she/he will calm down quickly. Like any pet, it has to understand limits and discipline. If you are busy, you should begin teaching the animal that “no” means to stop what they are doing, and do something else. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893/25 "2013-01-05T18:20:54Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > 2 cats is actually significantly _less_ work than one. Your ankles get bitten a lot less, I can tell you that! This. Most cats are much better adjusted with another cat around. There is the odd cat that really prefers to be solitary but most cats want a cat companion. You need two good cat beds in good, cat preferred locations, every thing else they can share. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-cat-advice/645893.md?page=1)