No. You Don’t Need a Second Cat

If you’re not spending most of your time out, your cat isn’t constantly lonely, you have time to play, and the new cat isn’t from the same litter.

Hearing this might make some of you mad, but I just want to prevent people from ruining their bonds with their soul cats. Some people really enjoy playing with their cats, don’t mind zoomie modes, and love when their cat is clingy and follows them everywhere. They get disappointed after getting a new cat because their soul cat won’t be as close to them or the new cat. Unintentionally, you may make your cat lonelier. But if your cat is already lonely, getting a new cat for companionship is great. If your companionship is enough for them, don’t force them to befriend a random cat. I support adopting two bonded kittens at the same time, but if you don’t have that chance, don’t try to get a new cat friend after years of living together and making your cat the king or queen of your home.

Your cat will change. Good or bad, they will. If you want a strong 1-to-1 bond and affection with your cat, you most likely won’t have it when you get a second cat. If they get along with the second cat, you won’t be your cat’s primary friend anymore. And there’s a worst-case scenario where they may never get along. They might learn to tolerate each other, but your cat may become avoidant toward you because you disrupted their kingdom by getting a new cat.

Please stop projecting your human feelings onto your cats. If they weren’t adopted as bonded pairs, and you have time, love, and attention for your cat, don’t adopt a second cat.

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EDIT 1: I never intended to judge anyone who has multiple cats. I’ve never even mentioned anything like that. But on this sub, everyone keeps suggesting getting a second cat whenever someone talks about a behavioral issue with their cat. This makes people feel bad about having only one cat, then they adopt a second, and it doesn’t fix the problems. I just wanted to bring that up. ————————————————————————-

EDIT 2: After getting a lot of comments, I decided to clarify because I think some people didn’t really understand what I was trying to explain. Maybe my wording caused this problem, sorry for that.

First off, we are here to provide our cats with the best life. Of course, if they are perfectly happy and healthy, I don’t mind if I become invisible to them. My point was that everyone on this sub insists on having a second cat, but sometimes it doesn’t work out as we wish. Cats may not get along well, which can make them feel even lonelier because they may also lose interest in you. They could become even lonelier even though they didn’t feel lonely before.

I wish we could talk to them and get their ideas, but that’s not possible. I always suggest adopting two bonded cats from the start, but if that’s not possible, adopting a second random cat after years of living together may end up badly. I’m not against having a second, third, or however many cats you want. If they get along well, don’t hide from each other, don’t lose their appetites, and don’t bully each other, that’s perfect!

But life is unpredictable, and what works for some may not work for others. So, if you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your cat, and your cat looks happy and healthy, and you’re considering a second cat because you think your cat is lonely, I’m just saying you should also consider this risk. I’m not pushing anyone to stick to just one cat.

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EDIT 3: Why do people react so strongly to an opposite opinion? I’m absolutely not against having 2+ cats; I wish everyone could. But it just doesn’t show positive effects on SOME cats in SOME cases. Why can’t we discuss that as well?

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EDIT 4: Cats, just like humans, have different personalities, and not all cats get along. Their personalities may not match, maybe forever, just like humans. This is a risk we need to consider. I wish all cats could be happy together, and I would adopt all the cats from the shelter. But sometimes, we think we’re getting a cat for our cat, but actually, we’re getting them for ourselves, forcing our cats to live with another cat they don’t like 24/7.