There are many wonderful reasons to consider opening your heart and home to a pair of cats or kittens. By having two feline friends, you can ensure your cats are never bored – they will always have a playmate, and when you leave the house there’s no need to feel guilty as the cats will always have each other for company. Best of all you get double the love!
Here are five top tips for a multi-cat home:
- Ideally adopt kittens at the same time so that they can grow up together or adopt a pair of adult cats who already have an established relationship.
- If adopting a furry friend for your cat, think carefully about their personality and choose the right cat or kitten for your family. As much as we may dream of a multi-cat home, there are some cats who really prefer to be the only feline in the house.
- Cats can be very territorial, so when you decide to have more than one cat, you will need to make sure you provide each with their own resources. This includes separate sleeping spaces, high areas to perch, food and water sources, a scratch post each and one litter tray per cat plus one extra. Making sure there is enough of the essentials to go around will help your cats feel secure.
- Be patient throughout the introduction process. It is very important that you introduce your new cat to other fur family members slowly and never force the friendship, let the cats set the pace and follow their lead.
- If you adopt a new cat continue to reassure your existing cat they are still loved and show them this with regular one-on-one time together and plenty of pats.
For more information on everything feline and factsheets on a range of topics including Multi-cat households, go to www.catprotection.org.au or if you’d like guidance call Cat Protection Society of NSW for assistance on 02 9557 4818.
