The Best and Worst of Friends

I've been thinking lately about having more than one cat versus only having one. I understand people's rationale for not wanting to adopt multiple cats--they do require a lot of work and demand your time. As much as we love our cats, we are not always going to be there to spend every second of every day with them. It seems to me that cats get lonely easily though, begging for our attention when we come home from a long day of work. Duncan goes nuts when we get home, even if we were only gone for a few hours.

I'm taking care of my neighbors' cats for the next few days. They've had one of their cats, Flik, for about nine years and recently brought home a young cat named Judah. At first the two of them didn't get along that well, but now they tolerate each other. It seems like most cats eventually can learn to get along, and ultimately, at least they will never have to be alone. My neighbors are gone but they won't feel so lonely with each other around.


Here are some of my thoughts on why it might be good for your kitty to have a friend:

1. Compatibility--You already have one cat and want to bring another one into the family, but what if they don't get along? Chances are, they will learn to get along, especially if they've been around other cats in the past or spent time with their siblings. At the very least, they will probably learn to tolerate one another. This is not the case 100% of the time, I realize, but cats adjust fairly quickly. They might even become close kitty friends.

2. Nobody Wants to be Lonely...--I'm a sucker for my kitty and let him make me feel bad every time I walk out the door. No two cats are exactly the same; maybe there are some cats that don't seem to mind being alone. But my cat loves to be around people. He's sitting on the rocking chair next to me as I write, just watching. He likes company, so I feel bad every time I leave because my baby will be all by himself.

3. Leaving Siblings--I think it's a shame that kitty siblings cannot find a forever home together more often. It's so sad that we separate them. With siblings, you already know they get along and often times they are sharing a cage together in the shelter, especially if they are kittens. Duncan was born in a home and him and his sister were the only kittens in the litter that didn't get adopted. The family they were with dropped them off at the Northeast Animal Shelter. Duncan had been there for a month when we adopted him, and his sister, Gina, had already been adopted.

I keep thinking about her though. I wonder how much time Duncan and her spent together at the shelter and if they got along. I wish I could have given her a forever home too so they'd have each other. Duncan was in isolation due to a kitty cold for a week, so maybe Gina got adopted when he was gone. The family that adopted her might not have even realized her brother was there too. Also, my rationale is that if he got used to being with his sister and they got along well, maybe he'd like to have a new brother or sister.

4. What's an Indoor Cat to do?--I want Duncan to be safe, and there's too much outside nowadays that I'd be worried sick if he ever got out for a second. But I can understand his constant build up of energy; he's cooped up in the house all day long, every day. He jumped on my legs all night tonight because he wanted to play. Having someone to play with would spice up their indoor life. Two cats would be able to entertain each other, even after you are completely worn out from running laps around the house and wiggling the feather toy in front of them.


Here's a super cute girl kitty named Trixie currently available for adoption at the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA where we adopted Duncan. Click here to read information about her on their website.




Do you have any stories about kitties that became great friends or maybe never learned to get along?

The Pet Fountain--Oh, How They Are Spoiled

Since we've brought Duncan home from the shelter, he's been eating only dry food. When cats are on a dry food only diet, they (need to) drink more water because they are not getting as much moisture from their food. He didn't seem to be drinking enough the first few days though. I had seen those pet fountains while I was shopping for toys at the pet specialty store near us and decided to return to buy one. While there, I signed up for the store's member card and received $10 off the fountain, which happened to be on sale that week. The pet fountain cost only $39.99 (+ sales tax, of course).

When Ricky and I got home with Duncan's new gift and assembled it, Ricky picked him up and plopped him in front of it. "You better like this little man," he told him. "We just spent 40 bucks on this thing." Luckily, Duncan loves it. And he's pretty finicky about toys and accessories, mostly ignoring what we buy for him.

The fountain gives him two drinking options--the reservoir is shaped like a regular water bowl where he can drink, or he can drink from the running stream of water. He loves drinking from the stream, but I see him drinking from both areas.

Okay, so he is just a tad spoiled.

But it's not that expensive and now Duncan is drinking plenty of water, so I have one less thing to worry about when it comes to my baby kitty. Also, Duncan loves running water. Before we got him the fountain, he jumped on the kitchen counter every time the faucet was running. Now, he is still interested in the water coming from the faucets--but instead of having to leave the water running for minutes at a time so he can flick his tongue out and catch it, he can drink from his fountain instead.

The fountain does need to be assembled, but it comes with directions. It didn't seem too difficult to put together, judging from watching my boyfriend do so. It should be completely taken apart about once a week and cleaned because grime does build up. But the good news is that it's dishwasher safe. Otherwise, all you have to do is change the water at least once a day.