Expert: Becky - 6/16/2004

Question
Hi! I adopted my first cat, a 1 year old male tabby from the Humane Society in March. I am enjoying very much owning a cat and learning all about cats since I grew up with dogs and before this, I knew very little about them.

My cat is very playful and affectionate, I play with him for at least 45 mins every night but he is alone all day while I am at work. This summer is going to be particularly busy for me and he will be spending several weekends alone (Friday-early Sunday). He will have plenty of food and water but I worry about him getting lonely. I have heard that cats do better when there are two of them..I don't really want to get another cat but I don't want him to be lonely. Also, since he is an indoor only cat leaving the house can be traumatic for him but I do have a friend who has 2 young and playful cats. The next time I leave for a weekend, should I bring him over there? I just want to be the best owner I can and I do try to minimize my weekends away but some can't be avoided. My friends all tell me that he will be fine (and he has been so far, maybe a little lonely from what I can tell) and that I am just used to dogs and not being able to leave them alone. Do you think it is cruel to have only 1 cat? Do you have any suggestions as to what I can entertain my cat with while I am gone and whether or not I should bring him to my friends house.
Jen

Answer
HI jen,

I think it is very comendable of you to be concerned about your cat.  I wish more people were like that.  Cats are not like dogs, and they do tend to do ok by themselves.  I own two cats, myself, and would never consider only one.  The reason is that they will always have a playmate, they sleep together and will groom each other.   It's a very sweet thing and your problems of leaving a cat "alone" would be solved. Once you have more than one cat,  you would never go back. They are hilarious to watch.
 However, I understand that you only want one cat, and that is certainly not being unreasonable. There are lots of people out there such as you that prefer only one.  I would just make sure that he has lots of toys and if you can afford it, buy one of those floor to ceiling cat trees.  I bought one years ago, and my cats still love it!  They last for years, and cats love climbing up and down.   If it were me, I wouldn't take him anywhere away from home.  I think you will totally stress him out doing that.  Now,I could be wrong, and he may do just fine,  but most cats do not like being somewhere "strange" and your friend's cats may not be too thrilled with an intruder either.
All in all, I don't think it's cruel at all to have one cat.  I hope one day ,though, you change your mind. It is so much fun having two and watching their antics!

God Bless,
Becky