Expert: Jessica - 5/3/2010

Question
Hello, this week I will be going to pick up my first show kitten- a black and white Persian male. I have no other pets and I plan on making him an "only child" so I can focus on him as much as possible. I am always home unless I have class, so I will be able to spend a lot of time with him.  I want to be able to devote all my time and energy on him so I can have the best show cat possible. Would this be enough for him or would it be in his best interest for me to find another kitty so he can have a companion?

Answer
Hi Katy.  There is the occasional situation where there is an exception, but I firmly believe that cats should generally be kept with at least one other cat.  There are lots of good reasons for this, and in fact, some countries have outlawed keeping just one cat, claiming that isolation from their own species is cruelty!  I think that it will probably be all the more important in the case of a show cat for him to have the social skills that only come from interacting with other cats in order to deal with all the exposure he’ll encounter at the shows.  Ignoring the kitties in the cages around him will be much easier for him if he’s not completely shocked by what the creatures are!

Some reasons why it’s best to keep cats with other cats:

They are healthier physically.  Cats encourage each other to exercise often through play, so cats who live with other cats are overweight less often.  This equates to less diabetes, arthritis and even urinary tract disease.

They are healthier mentally.  In one study, it was found that cats who were able to interact with other cats had brains that weighed up to 30% more than cats who were single pets.  It’s believed that this was because the cats would continue to sharpen their problem-solving skills each day as they interacted during play.

They are healthier emotionally.  Cats who live with another cat visit the vet less often for anxiety-related problems such as over-grooming, excessive vocalization or urine marking the owner’s property.  Cats who have only the owner to bond with can become extremely anxiety-ridden when the owner is asleep or away from the home, but when there is a second pet to relax the cat, these problems don’t usually arise.

They are healthier behaviorally.  Some cats don’t necessarily suffer emotionally but just become bored without the interaction of their own kind.  These cats can become destructive to property by scratching inappropriately, jumping on countertops and shelving and breaking things, etc., simply because they don’t have anything better to get into.  A certain amount of cat-proofing is necessary, but keeping your cat busy with a playmate will do a lot of good!

Also, a cat who’s lived with another cat is usually going to be more well-adjusted than one who hasn’t.  If you think there may be any chance of adding a cat down the line, I would strongly encourage you to do it now.  A cat who’s been an only cat all of his life can be very difficult to acclimate to having a new kitty in the home.  Those who’ve had some experience with another cat tend to be more open to newcomers.

I think you will be surprised how naturally cats tend to split up their time with you.  It seems that they almost take shifts, and even if they both want your attention at the same time, they figure out pretty easily that each hand can be used for petting!  I don’t think that by having two cats your show cat will feel any less pampered at all, and I really believe he’ll be better off for it.  Even if you just get a domestic, it may be fun to show him in the household pet category so they can comfort each other during the long show hours.

Best wishes!

Jessica