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| Kittens are curious and crave constant stimulation. A single,
bored kitten will often entertain itself by chewing on plants,
climbing drapes, climbing furniture, unrolling toilet paper,
exploring electrical cords and sockets, etc. This is not to say
that kittens who live with other kittens won't also sometimes do
these things, but if they have another kitten to tumble around and
play with, it is less likely that they will need to entertain
themselves with behaviors like these, which at the least are
destructive and at the worst can be very dangerous. |
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| Kittens tend to be very active at night. A single kitten is likely
to keep the owner awake with constant jumping, pouncing and other
hunting behavior directed at any portion of the owner's body which
moves under the bed linens. With a companion to play with after the
owner has gone to bed, this behavior is minimized as the two will
occupy each other by finding interesting shadows to chase and games to
play until they finally tire and fall asleep too. |
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| Kittens want and need interaction with others of their own kind for
healthy social development. A kittens learns a lot in the first
several months of life from its mother and littermates. Separating a
kitten from its mother is often a necessity in order for it to be
adopted, but taking it away from its littermates and isolating it
can delay the kitten's development emotionally, socially and sometimes physically. Kittens who are able to remain with one of
their littermates or a similarly-aged companion, tend to be healthier
and happier, and in the long run, better socialized pets than those
who are isolated from others of their kind at an early age. |
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| Anyone who has observed kittens know they want to bite and wrestle
with one another--this behavior is normal. You cannot prevent a
kitten from doing what comes naturally anymore than you can force a
two year old toddler to sit still. Though it is not acceptable for a
kitten to bite and wrestle with its human companions, in the absence
of having a littermate or companion its own age to play with, this
is precisely what a single kitten will want to do. Even if you are
willing to allow (and can tolerate) this behavior from your kitten
when it is small, by the time the animal matures, you will end up
with an adult cat who has developed very bad habits (for example,
biting and scratching as "play"). |
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| Humans, even loving, caring humans, are not an adequate substitute for
a cat in lieu of one of its own kind. Even if the owner is fortunate
enough to be home quite a bit, the amount of attention a lone kitten
will demand is likely to occupy all of the owner's waking hours at
home. A pair of kittens will definitely still want to interact with
the owner, but can keep each other occupied while the owner is doing
such necessary tasks as working, paying bills, having telephone
conversations, gardening, laundry, etc. Most cats, regardless of
their age, are highly sociable and are truly happier living with
other cat companions. This in turn makes them better pets, which
results in happier owners. |
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| Particularly if there
is already an older cat in the household, a kitten should not be
brought in as a lone companion. As mentioned above, a youngster
has boundless energy, wants to play and run constantly, and
requires very high amounts of interaction, all of which are
likely to overwhelm and irritate an older cat in short order.
Likewise, a kitten is apt to be frustrated that its companion
does not have the same energy level as itself. At the very
least, this can lead to two very unhappy cats. Worse-case
scenario, behavior problems such as litter box |
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or destructive scratching can occur if one or both cats act out
their frustrations on their surroundings. Longer-term, it is
almost certain that the two will never have a close, bonded
relationship, even after the kitten matures, since their
experiences with one another from the beginning of the
relationship are likely to be negative. An older cat is better
matched with someone of his or her own age, who has a similar
temperament. |
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| Adopting a single kitten or young cat is simply not a good idea.
Trying to keep a single kitten occupied, stimulated, safe and happy
while also going about the business of everyday life is much more of
a challenge than it may seem upon first consideration. |
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| At PAWS Chicago, our goal is not simply to do large numbers
of
adoptions, but rather to ensure that the animals adopted from our
program are getting a home for life. Recognizing that even when a
potential adopter has carefully thought through
the decision to make
the lifetime commitment of adopting animal, brining a new pet
home inevitably creates big changes.
Minimizing the factors which
are likely to cause stress to an
owner, both in the beginning and on
an ongoing basis (like being repeatedly pounced on in the middle of
the night, or having the brand-new draperies shredded) is therefore
the best thing we as volunteers can do to achieve that goal. |
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| We understand and accept that someone out there will probably adopt or sell you a single kitten (even if all the major cat
shelters in Chicago will not). With that in mind, please think long
and hard about forcing a kitten to become an only child. Mother
Nature knew what she was doing when she created kittens in litters! If you have any questions about how to care for
your cat, please call 773.935.PAWS. |
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