Mary Allen
The misconception that cats are unreservedly loners unfortunately persists. In fact, most cats are very social animals who love contact with fellow cats. We clarify five misconceptions about keeping cats individually.
Cats are Strict Loners
It is true that many wild cat species such as the serval or the ocelot are pure solitary animals. The direct ancestor of our velvet paws, the fallow cat, is mostly on her own. Our domesticated cats inherited much from their ancestors. Nevertheless, they live very differently today than the animals in the wild. The best example is you as the owner: Most fur noses love regular cuddles with “their” humans. That could not be said of their wild relatives. But humans cannot replace dealing with other cats. The fact that you enable her to socialize is therefore not a bonus, but is just as much a fundamental part of a species-appropriate attitude as regular feeding and setting up a litter box.
However, contact with other cats should not become a (well-intentioned) compulsion! Occasionally there are also individual animals that tend to avoid contact with conspecifics. And even a very sociable cat needs rest from time to time. Appropriate retreats must therefore always be available. After all, our house cat is not a real “pack animal” either.
Kittens Become More Human When Adopted Individually
For cat lovers, there is hardly anything cuter than a small kitten. The decision to get a kitten is therefore made quickly. Many adopt a single kitten because they believe it will become more affectionate. However, the opposite is often the case. Because when young cats get lonely, they can develop severe behavioral disorders. When the kittens leave their mother at the age of eight to twelve weeks, their socialization is far from over. They, therefore, need contact with cats of their own age, with whom they can play, tussle, and cuddle. Cats learn important behaviors in order to grow up happy and healthy.
If a small cat grows up solitary and cannot meet its need to interact with kittens of the same age, it can happen that it shows behavioral problems instead. Perhaps she will try to try out the playful fights that she actually practices with her fellow species on her humans. This is quite painful and is often interpreted as aggressive behavior. By the way, an adult animal alone is not necessarily a suitable partner for a kitten, as it may need more rest.
Two Cats do Twice as Much Work
If you keep your kitty as an all-indoor cat, she’ll need a lot of activity. Wandering through the garden, climbing trees, and chasing mice – all of this is omitted when it comes to housing. Here it is up to you to create a replacement with scratching posts and ample play options. But of course, you can’t keep your cat entertained around the clock. Even if cats sleep a lot, they will still be bored if they are alone all day. You don’t have the problem so quickly in a multi-cat household – your cats can play and cuddle with each other and are not lonely so easily. Then you don’t need to have a guilty conscience if, in exceptional cases, you leave her alone overnight – always with enough food and water, of course. So two cats may be easier to keep than a single cat.
But My Cat is Happy as a Single Cat
Unfortunately, animals cannot tell us when they are not doing well. Your cat in solitary position may appear satisfied and relaxed, while in reality, it suffers silently, withdraws, and only sleeps. Other possible consequences may only arise later: uncleanliness, scratching of wallpaper, or even aggressive behavior towards people. Contact with you or another pet such as a dog cannot replace contact with other dogs. After all, you or your dog speak a completely different language than the fur noses. However, there are definitely cats that are purely single cats. For example, if they were not sufficiently socialized when they were kittens because they were separated from the litter too early. Even if you have an older cat who has lived alone for a long time, socialization is risky. Such animals are sometimes happier on their own and should actually be kept individually. Nevertheless, the socialization can be worth a try – some house tigers literally bloom through a partner cat.
My Cat Doesn’t Get Along with Other Cats
Your cat may have had trouble with the neighbor’s cat at one point or another. Or you’ve even tried to keep two cats together and it didn’t work. This is not necessarily an indication that your cat is a solitary cat. A new cat is always seen as an intruder first. Especially if you have kept your cat alone for a long time, you need a lot of patience with socialization. Most cats take time to get used to each other. So it is quite normal for a dispute to arise at first. Only after about three months will you be able to say for sure whether your fur noses are in harmony with one another or not.
It is also important that there is enough space for the number of cats that you live together to ensure that socialization is as low-stress as possible and that there is long-term living together. As a rule of thumb, the animals must have at least one living room per cat – more rooms are of course even better.
And even if the socialization has not yet worked despite these conditions, that is not yet proof that your animal is happier on its own. Because it always depends on the right choice of the second cat: Whether your kitty is better suited to a hangover, to an agile or calm, to a dominant or fearful animal, depends entirely on the individual character of the fur nose.