In case of true cat lovers, there is no such thing as too many cats. Nonetheless, in this case it doesn’t really matter what the owner thinks, the most important thing is for the cats to be comfortable. There are some animals that feel really good about being an only cat, while others seek the company of other felines.
You should know that in the majority of the cases cats consider themselves to be self sufficient. Naturally there are some exceptions as well, such as mating, mothering and having kittens. Usually they spend a lot of time on their own and this is a natural state for them and this is why the interactions must be engineered very carefully.
The natural solitude of cats comes from the fact that they are lonely hunters. Their natural prey comes in meal-sized packages, like mice.
This is why these animals rely on their abilities rather than on the large number of hunters.
The studies conducted show that in case there is an abundance of food, the cats as pets can live happily together, while if the food is scarce their behavior to one another will become antagonistic.
Kittens are really easy to teach to be tolerant with other cats. In order to achieve this, they should be exposed to interaction during the most sensitive period of their lives.
Naturally in order to have good results, the mother should also be at ease around other cats, since the kittens learn by observation. In case there are other cats around the house as well, they should also be calm about the little ones. In the same way, the little ones could learn to tolerate other animals, like mice or doves.
In case the cat doesn’t meet another one during the first seven weeks of its life, it will always be suspicious about other animals. Also a hostile encounter might have a negative impact on the “social life†of the cat in question.
It might be difficult to define the optimal number of cats to have. There are too many factors that influence this, regarding both the cats and the owner. In some cases it is enough to have one or two cats, but there are some people that are happy to have up to ten cats, without any problems.
Some people say that a person should have as many cats as they can care for. In order to make living easier for the cats, you should think about getting enough food bowls for the exact number of cats you have. Also each one of the cats will need a home that is only its, so in case it would like to be alone or retreat, it could use that.
The cats also need some entertainment to keep them happy. Think about climbing frames, perches, window boxes and also toys. This way you could make sure that they will have less time to “argue†with each other.
When you get a new cat, you should keep it separated from the rest of the cat in a crate, until it will be comfortable enough with the others, and the others with it.
