As a long standing Ragdoll cat breeder I often get the question…One kitty or two, which is best?  Personally, I myself have never raised just one kitten alone.  While I feel that we humans can offer a great deal of love and nurturing, there is a special type of feline companionship and interaction that cannot be duplicated or reproduced by human beings.  Felines crave two types of interaction for a healthy mental self esteem:1.) Human Fellowship  2.) Feline Friendship.  We as humans can shower our feline friend with our time, fun, cheerful toys, soft fuzzy beds, tall elaborate kitty towers,  grooming & brushing,  great quality food, cuddling and excellent veterinarian care; but the power of feline to feline friendship cannot be replaced by objects or humans.  They offer one another a confidence and intimacy factor we humans simply cannot, such as cleaning one another's face or chasing each other throughout the house at top speeds.   I swear, sometimes they reach over 50 MPH!!  LOL  Their bond is very apparent to see as you watch them sleeping all curled up together or both trying to smash their faces in the same food dish.  So, without hesitation my recommendation is always two. 

 

Now, for those of you who have raised two cats together and one passes away and you find yourself wondering…Should I get a new baby kitten to help with the grieving process the older cat is enduring?  I will say this, that bond between those two older cats is equal to two elderly people who grew up and are old together. When one crosses over the rainbow bridge, the other is completely lost and life without their soul mate is usually not something they want to face any longer.  Many times they too give up on tomorrow and the fact their furry friend is no longer by their side to chatter with or just feel one another’s warmth.  So if this is the situation you are dealing with, I will also give you my professional thoughts.  Think of grandparents, their bodies are not what they used to be in their childhood.  They used to race one another out on the playground and sled ride down the hills after a new blanket of snow had just fallen.  It doesn’t mean that they no longer enjoy those things, it’s just that most grandparents would rather watch their grandchildren do those activities.  It’s the same for the older cat in the house, for the most part they are not as physically youthful as they once were.  Yet mentally they do love watching little ones run, flip and play.  However when you add just one new baby kitten to the household thinking that you have helped out the older kitty,  you have in fact, just annoyed the older one because he or she is content to watch, not join in and play.  So once again I suggest TWO, that way it is though the older cat is at the movies! They get the mental thrill and entertainment but are not physically exhausted.  I know that adopting two at the same time is not always an option; but if possible, it is always best to pair them up with a furry friend within that first year of life. 

 

The other question people often ask me is what gender combination’s are best to go with.  I always say the same thing: MALE/MALE or MALE/FEMALE but to avoid FEMALE/FEMALE unless they are adopted at the same time and are either litter mates or nursery mates (born within a 2-3 month age range of one another).  Ok, I think this pretty much covers “My thoughts” on…ONE vs. TWO.   Because we feel strongly that pairs are better than one, we offer a “Buddy Discount” of $50 off the regular price of the second kitten when you purchase 2 kittens at once.

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Jean Fohey, founder of PowderPuff Rags