Raising two cats together can turn out to be a challenge the complexity of which can fluctuate on a case-by-case basis. The decision to raise two cat means double the responsibility and the patience on most of the occasions, however, if you love cats, then it’s twice the cuteness and fun. Let us have a detailed look at different scenarios and the pertinent tips for raising two cats together.
Adopting two kittens
Adopting two kittens together is always the ideal choice that can help you alleviate the headache of introducing two older cats in your household. If you know that with time, you would end up adopting a second cat, why not think of adopting two kittens from the word go? There are several advantages of sticking to this strategy, other than twice the fluffy fun. Kittens can always play and spend some quality time together. They learn from each other’s behavior and kittens with such a background will grow up to be more socialized adult cats. They can easily socialize with other felines and even know how to show affection and greet other felines, all of which can only be learned by socializing with other cats especially from a young age.
Get multiple litter boxes
If you have two cats, make it a point to provide them with at least two litter boxes. Cats are territorial and they do not usually prefer sharing their litter boxes. It is also ideal to keep the litter boxes in different rooms. Cats are super hygienic with a high sensitivity to smell, therefore, it is imperative to keep their litter boxes clean. Keep aside some time by the end of the day to clean the litter boxes and ensure that you do not clean it with soap or cleaning solutions with pungent smell that might irritate your cat.
Take precaution against conflicts
With multiple cats in your household, the chances of conflicts are always on the cards. This is where you can resort to pheromone products that can effectively bring down the possibility of conflicts between cats. These products can induce a sense of calmness, thereby easing out the tension in a household with multiple cats.
Give them personal space
As cats are territorial it is important that you give them some personal space within the household where they can retreat and spend some time alone. With multi-cat households, providing personal space to each cat can be useful when it comes to taking care of cats that have some behavioral problems and needs to spend some time alone.
Reward good behavior
Rewarding one cat for good behavior is always an ideal strategy to encourage others in the pack to follow the rewarded one. For instance, you can reward your cat every time she uses her litter box. On the contrary, you can also show your dislike by spraying water near her, whenever she shows a bad behavior. For instance, if one of your cat is not taking advantage of her litter boxes properly, when she does her business elsewhere in the house, you can try and show your dislike by spraying water near her.
Taking care of multiple cats can be a task that demands lots of patience and attention. Follow the above listed tips to manage multiple cats effectively. If any of your cats is showing some consistent behavioral issues, it is ideal to separate it from the pack and take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.