I lost my cat about half a year ago. Finally decided to start looking for a new cat and I spend this past weekend visiting several rescues. There were a lot of cats, mostly kittens, available.
I was a bit taken aback at the aggressiveness of some of the staff, who were like pushing and almost arguing with me that i had to have multiple cats and how superior having multiple cat is and it’s not responsible to only have one cat. I am really looking for an adult cat, but I’d consider a kitten, but the staff were aggressively insisting I had to take two kittens or a kitten and an adult and didn’t really listen to me when I tried to claim my lifestyle isn’t really the best for two cats as I travel quite a bit and I can only travel with one cat, they kind of them went sour grapes on me. It was really jarring and off-putting.
Anyway, least to say I didn’t really get any one on one time with any cat I was interested in and I walked away disappointed. I put my application in anyway, and now I’m getting voicemails and texts again like pleading for me to take 2-3 kittens or bonded adult pairs. When i reply I’m not looking for a kitten and I already have a dog who would be more than happy to play and be friends with a single cat, they just kind of come back at me insisting no you need two cats. This is across five different shelters this same kind of thing happened.
Is this a new thing? I have adopted cats before and never had I had this experience. Both times I adopted before it was far more laid back and the rescue staff were far less pushy, and I ended up adopted an single adult cat who were surrender for behavior issues I was able to rectify after a few months of focused attention and training, who became amazing animals. This is what I’m looking to do again. I am more than happy to put personal effort in, and it is weird to me the staff are like insisting ‘two cats is easier than one’. I don’t want easy. I don’t see why that is problematic?
Are the shelters just like desperate to get rid of animals now and bullying potential adopters? Or is this another kind of trend like raw dog food, that rescue folks insist on pushing on new prospective pet owners? I had to deal when I adopted my dog a few years ago, there were some dog rescues who were like insisting you had to go on a raw dog food diet and it was… weird and offputting. Nobody was insisting you had to adopt two animals or a puppy or anything.
I will even say I have adopted from two of these rescues before, but I also applied to some new ones who seemed to have some cats who fit my needs, but they all actively steered me away from the cats i asked about and were pushing kittens or adults pairs on me that I had not inquired about.
Would having a dog already in my home also be why they are kinda pushing kittens on me? I understand that might be easier to integrate, but I kinda know what I’m looking for and have introduce animals before very successfully.
I’ll just say its super easy for a single cat to get lonely and for you to not be enough to keep it feeling socially engaged or entertained or whatever. They are very much social creatures, even if they dont like each other and obviously they as beggars dont get to be choosers but its something I recommend, even if you have to stagger it out (get used to the workflow with one cat then surprise it with a mate later)
I kind of wish I had been in a circumstance to immediately get a second (my first likely would have been better socialized and less rough in playing which i cant do with her because she goes for blood in the absence or a playmate early) but then my third would not have ended up in the roster so it all works out either way but I do recommend it if they are all neutered/spayed and shots etc are up to date
Try not to take it personally, like yes they want to move cats so theres room for new arrivals and all that but its not a bad idea for the cats’ wel-being and taking pressure of you to be its chronic focused entertainer.
There is also a deep joy in watching the two of them develop their own little world between them, seeing them chase each other or compete for shit, and establish their little internal “Pecking Order” that you get to be a fly on the wall for. Its like free AnimalPlanet or some shit haha, little domestic Lions
Alternatively, you get a second cat and they both hate each other which leads to years of behavioral issues too. I don’t think having multiple cats is always the best way to go, especially staggering them out like that. I’ve had cats my whole life and each one is different. I think if you do plan on having multiple, getting siblings is probably your best bet since they’ve always known one another, but even then that’s no guarantee they’ll enjoy eachothers company once they reach adulthood.
I hate to frame it this way but I had this more or less but i know from when the third buffer cat was missing for a night that it still resolved the issue.
When my third cat was missing snd it was onlu the two (who hate each other), it still prevented thr daily lonely yowl (she was spayed so it wasn sexual)
This just isnt the point you think it is. Even if the cats fundamentally dislike each other, there is still a conserved sense or community that prevents them from acting like you have left them all forlorn and alone. Its just my experience