Are 2 cats really double the work?

[Anonymous]

Two cats are barely any more work than one, but the cost is double for most things. Two cats are definitely more fun for the people and for the cats...

[Anonymous]

We have 2 cats and I agree the only real difference is expense. But I don’t find cats to be any work (clean litter box, what else is there really?) , and I’ve had them all my life so...🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

We have a bonded pair after our singleton died and I highly recommend the bonded pair. More love, more fun, not more work.. maybe slightly more expensive but nothing that would make it a dealbreaker.

[Anonymous]

When two cats get old - yes it is a ton more work no doubt.

My sixteen yr. old died five mos. ago and it was so rough caring for two elderly cats.

I have the remaining sixteen yr. old brother still and caring for him is a ton of work.
He meows in my ear when I am sleeping, vomits often and I step in it at times (oh joy!) plus he pees outside the litter box.
I love my little guy to death, but it is a ton of stress and labor dealing with aging issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 cats and I agree the only real difference is expense. But I don’t find cats to be any work (clean litter box, what else is there really?) , and I’ve had them all my life so...🤷‍♀️

Have they gotten old yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two cats are barely any more work than one, but the cost is double for most things. Two cats are definitely more fun for the people and for the cats...

Yup, especially if your cat is entirely indoors, it’s much more humane if they have company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But remember that any pet you get is going to age. And pets tend to get more expensive as they age, and you sometimes have to deal with tricky decisions, like whether to spend thousands on a surgery or let them die. They might wind up needing ongoing medical care. Or they can become difficult personality-wise as they age.

We never bought pet insurance with our first cat, but we did for these two for this reason. It is a true luxury - it actually makes more sense to just save the premium and by the later years of their lives you've got more money than insurance will likely ever pay out in claims. But it is the emotional component of the tough decisions, taking money out of it is a luxury I can afford now. I could pay for any treatment they need out of pocket, but I wouldn't.

I ended up going with FIGO after extensive investigation. Rates will go up as they age but pretty reasonably for cats. Costco also offers a discount on FIGO, just learned that today.

My last cat needed daily sub-q fluids for 2 years, had extremely difficult to regulate thyroid issue (went to a cat only specialist vet and she said he wad the hardest one to get stabilized he'd ever seen), and had a giant tumor in his lung that we discovered when getting full body x-rays in preparation for doing thyroid treatment at age 11 (which we ended up not doing bc they thought he'd be a goner in 6 months... lived 5 more years). My cat before that had to be put down at 6 months due to a genetic seizure disorder. So I am definitely not naive to the medical possibilities with pets, but I still say - 2 are awesome if your finances allow it!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lost our sweet 18 yo kitty girl this past spring and my family has been thinking about adopting a kitten. My kids want 2. I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of 2 cats since I think they would keep each other company and I know that our sweet singleton kitty got very lonely when we were not home or away on vacation. Since I was the one who did most of the work with our previous cat (mostly because I had adopted her before I got married and we had kids), but I’m a little hesitant about the extra work. Our old cat was a lot of work in her old age cleaning up lots of yak and bathroom problems and howling all the time. I’d make sure that we split up the responsibilities between family members this time, but I know that potentially that most of it could fall back on me again.

No, they're really not. More poop, but if you scoop daily, not more time spent cleaning. More food and vet bills. But pairs of kittens is a really good idea. They entertain each other, tire each other out and that lessens the undesirable kitten behaviors like being destructive because they're bored, keeping you awake because they're not tired, etc.

NP, fostered many cats and kittens over the years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:. But pairs of kittens is a really good idea. They entertain each other, tire each other out and that lessens the undesirable kitten behaviors like being destructive because they're bored, keeping you awake because they're not tired, etc.

NP, fostered many cats and kittens over the years

This is so true. I'm amazed at how many less bad behaviors my two cats have vs when I had 1. They are much more tolerant of being touched anywhere, if they are irritated they just walk away instead of biting or clawing, and they generally are more sociable. If we are playing with them and they give us a "play bite" (which we don't encourage and stop playing then), it is SO gentle. Being around other cats is really good for them to learn how to be gentle and tolerant - and every cat is different, but I fully believe cats need to be around at least one other cat for the first year of their lives.

If you want an only cat, I think the only way to do that is to get an adult cat who the shelter/foster has identified as being happy as an only cat. More and more kittens are not being adopted out as singles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When two cats get old - yes it is a ton more work no doubt.

My sixteen yr. old died five mos. ago and it was so rough caring for two elderly cats.

I have the remaining sixteen yr. old brother still and caring for him is a ton of work.
He meows in my ear when I am sleeping, vomits often and I step in it at times (oh joy!) plus he pees outside the litter box.
I love my little guy to death, but it is a ton of stress and labor dealing with aging issues.

Caring for any elderly animal can be -but not always is- a lot of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 cats and I agree the only real difference is expense. But I don’t find cats to be any work (clean litter box, what else is there really?) , and I’ve had them all my life so...🤷‍♀️

Have they gotten old yet?

I've had multiple cats at once for, basically, my entire life. Usually they are of the same age (but not always the same litter), so that they can play and have same levels of energy. (NP, btw).

I'm not sure what your point is? Yes, caring for elderly pets in a multiple pet household can be expensive or consuming. But, that is not always the case. Sometimes they go quickly. Sometimes you get a diagnosis and decide not to treat it. Some times you do. People have different thresholds for when to "make the call."

You cannot just say "multiple cats means larger expenses or more work when they get old." That's a generalization and one that I have not always encountered. Sometimes, yes. Same for multiple dogs or multiple (insert your animal). But, vet care and maintenance is always a cost when you adopt an animal. I assume OP has figured that out.

[Anonymous]

Only more work when they age. Double the high vet bills, any prescription foods, etc.

That said: I have two (17 and 14) and absolutely adore them. But the vet bills are absolutely killing me.