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My girlfriend and I are waiting for 2 kittens to reach the 12 week mark so we can bring them home (since they are siblings they should get along, right?). We have both had cats as children and love them, so we finally decided to adopt our own.

While we're both going to be spending time playing with them, in the case we're both out of the appartment for anything between a few hours to maybe a day (they will of course have food and water!), will they keep each other stimulated or will they get bored easily?

One of the primary motivations for getting 2 is that they will keep each other company so they will refrain from destructive behavior in case we might not be around, is this true or just speculation?

So to boil it down to a concrete question: will getting 2 cats reduce boredom and keep them stimulated in case we're not around to play with them?

I'm working from home so I'll be around a lot, but a few times a year I'm out of the country for a few weeks for work reasons. Our parents have already told us they will look after the cats in case we're both gone for longer periods of time.

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Yes two cats will stimulate each other. They will also clean the hard-to-reach spots on each other. Siblings will typically get along, but they still may show some aggression against each other (like human siblings). Oddly I notice some male cats sometimes picking on the females and the females vocalizing about it. The siblings I have had never really hurt each other though.

Cats get jealous so make sure you give them equal attention and praise. A jealous cat may get aggressive with the other cat.

Even if stimulated by other cats some cats still like to knock things over or chew on things. It is just in some cats' personalities. Other cats are reserved and seemingly conscientious.

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  • We're getting 2 female kittens, so I hope they will get along. Thanks!
    – Jeff
    May 30, 2017 at 7:29
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    I agree with the above answer, but there are some things to keep in mind. The cats WILL argue about dominance occasionally, that's just part of a multi-cat household. This isn't dangerous, and will usually be handled much easier between siblings. IF it becomes a problem you could try pheromone spray from the vet to make things more peaceful.
    – Stig Tore
    May 30, 2017 at 10:36
  • @StigTore would getting M/M or M/F be better? I read somewhere that spayed females can be territorial while neutered males just don't care anymore, is that true?
    – Jeff
    Jun 11, 2017 at 13:07
  • @Jeff M/F will probably lead to some in house action, siblings or not. Unsure about M/M. Individual personality will probably play a much stronger role than gender, especially when it comes to siblings. And keep in mind that arguments for dominance is not about territory, it's about who's in charge of the local clowder.
    – Stig Tore
    Jun 12, 2017 at 6:41
  • @Jeff Sibling M/M or F/F would give you a better chance of peaceful coexistence imo. Cats can be clickish and often select their friends based on unknown reasons like people do. Cats are territorials in general but live in groups so the are social animals.
    – Beo
    Jun 12, 2017 at 13:13

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