Should cats be kept alone or not?

Cats start to become socialised from the fourth week of their lives. In most cases this involves their siblings (‘single children’ are a rarity in cat families). During this period they find out everything about pussy cat interaction, and this way they are brought up not just by their mother but by their siblings.

If a cat grows up under these circumstances and in a species-appropriate way, it will be a “solitary hunter” all its life; but only in exceptional cases does it become a “solitary animal”, because cats are very gregarious by nature.



Cats love cats

This being the case, if you want to keep a cat indoors, you would do best to offer two cats a home together – because it has to be admitted that a human being can never replace another cat completely. Whatever lengths you go through, you can never satisfy the need for closeness and entertainment in quite the same way as a member of the same species. But of course this is OK – you are a human- being after all, and don’t have to mutate into a cat just to make your puss cat happy!



When several cats are kept in your apartment together, they will provide mutual fun and games. And the unpleasant concomitant phenomena that can result from isolation – like lack of hygiene, and other forms of inappropriate behaviour – will not occur at all.

It’s a different matter with cats who are allowed to go outdoors. Outdoor cats have enough adventures in the wild, and are also going to come across other furry friends.

What kind of cats go well together?

Siblings are ideal, in the nature of things – here the likelihood is highest of an affectionate feline friendship developing. It also works very well you can join an older cat and a very much younger one together. At least at the beginning, the older one will turn a blind eye on the little one’s antics.

The benefits of keeping two cats

Two cats reduce the stress that a bored cat gives you when it scratches the furniture, or gears up to other kinds of mischief. Vet’s bills will be reduced with additional cats as well, since cats living together are much less prone to illness.

