Home Pets
Articles about the life of pets
№7
How many cats should you have in one house?
The Internet, filled with videos of funny cat antics, the many open groups on social networks where lovers of furry and mustachioed pets gather, the delight and joy that cats evoke in children, have turned these animals into an object of mass adoration and affection.
It is not surprising that a person who already has one grown-up cat at home sometimes wonders whether he should get another charming and graceful neighbor, who will also purr contentedly, loudly demand food, rub against your legs and furiously chase a ball of wool.
It would seem that the answer to this question is obvious: of course, you need to get a second cat, and then not only the owner will be happier, but also the pet who has been living next to him for a long time, who sleeps too much, eats a lot, does not come home from the street for days and demands increased respect. However, from this cat's point of view, an attempt to settle another cat next to him, even a younger one who is willing to submit to the will of an older relative, does not look so unambiguously positive.
After all, the mustachioed animal, having lived in the apartment for many years, has long considered it the territory of its exclusive dominion. It is no coincidence that one can often hear the same, at first glance, strange statement from cat lovers: from an affectionate pet, the cat has turned before our eyes into nothing less than the true master of the house, who knows better which people need to do what, where they should sleep and sit, when to watch TV, work on the computer and listen to music.
That is why the appearance of a second cat next to an adult animal claiming domestic dominance, who will eventually develop a directly opposite opinion about the rights to living space, the ownership of places for sleeping and resting, the order and amount of food given out, can become an unpleasant surprise for the first pet.
Of course, in many cases the "older friend", especially if he was taken home from the street, where after birth he managed to live for several months in a cat family, will accept the new neighbor favorably and even become friends with him. Alas, it will not be so easy for the cats to get closer if one of them turns out to be a purebred.
For example, even if taken into the house as a second whiskered pet, a Siamese cat will not necessarily reciprocate the attempts of the "owner of the house" to make friends and may enter into open confrontation with him. Well, if the first cat also shows a quarrelsome character and is indignant at the appearance in "his" apartment of a competitor for people's attention, comfortable areas on upholstered furniture, windowsills and radiators, then one day he may simply not come home from a walk, thereby showing his former owner that there cannot be two favorites in one family.
A tiny kitten, picked up on the street and brought home for the first time, constantly squeals, feeling lonely in a strange environment, and he is not at all pleased by the company of strangers who are trying in every way to cheer him up and console him.
Perhaps he will try the milk poured into the saucer, but it is not a fact that he will be interested with scraps of sausage and other delicacies, which the owners, who appeared out of nowhere, generously filled the bowl with.
The shock caused by the rapid move from the street to the apartment, the absence of familiar smells and the appearance of new ones, the feeling of loneliness and the desire to return back to the brothers and sisters in the native yard will oppress and torment the kitten for a long time. Only by the evening of the first day, having become hungry, eaten and slept, will he begin to understand that the new home is not without comfort, and the people constantly watching him, apparently, do not pose a danger.
Having become accustomed to an unfamiliar environment, the kitten will quickly get used to it and will begin to feel "at home" there. Growing up quickly, he will happily join in the games and amusements offered to him, such as an exciting chase for a piece of paper or a piece of fabric tied to a spool of thread, a ball of yarn, cheerful running along the corridor and rooms, high jumps for a ball wrapped in an elastic band.
During a cat's happy childhood, perhaps the greatest psychological rapprochement between the furry whiskered animal and its owners occurs. It will trust them completely, happily share emotions with them, rely on them in everything, and occasional misunderstandings, such as comments made after an “incorrect” trip to the toilet or pieces of food carelessly scattered around the bowl, are perceived as unfortunate accidents.
Alas, this period of selfless friendship will gradually begin to fade away after a couple of years. And the more time the kitten has spent on the street after its birth, the faster it will begin to turn from a "best friend" into a rather independent "personality", increasingly demonstrating a desire to linger in the yard during a walk, or even stay there until the morning.
You shouldn't be offended by a gradually feral cat - it has simply entered the cycle of growing up and gaining psychological independence. Let it walk and communicate with its street brothers as much as it wants - it desperately needs to feel like a member of not only a human, but also a cat family.
Thus turning from a cute young pet into a "flatmate" demanding respect, the cat may even leave the premises forever, one day not returning from a walk, if he considers that the owners are treating him too freely or dismissively.
But if they survive this probationary period, showing the rapidly maturing cat in every possible way that his pride, comfort and freedom are not in danger, then he will definitely appreciate it and after the "difficult age" has passed, he will become, if not an infinitely devoted, but a loyal friend, who will certainly let you know with a loud meow early in the morning that he has already climbed the stairs and is waiting at the front door of the apartment to be let in.
Often, having decided to get a cat, many believe that this is a type of plush toy that will only amuse its owners with funny antics, rub against their legs, purr happily and only occasionally ask for food.
Alas, from the very first days of a cat's stay in a city apartment, he can be quite disappointing: he sleeps all day, licks his fur for hours, settling down somewhere near the wall right in the kitchen, and sometimes flatly refuses to chase a ball of wool, while casting a contemptuous and surprised look at his owner. If we take into account the fact that without regular nights outside, the cat's life will be painful, then you will inevitably have to put up with his occasionally torn ears, and deep scratches on his face, and even with matted dirty fur.
With all this, even in such a shabby state, the cat will cause much less problems, since street passions will take so much energy from him that he will not bother with "incomprehensible" meowing, rushing around the room and other hyperactivity. In addition, during periods of shedding of a furry pet, it is even preferable, after feeding him to his fill, to let him out again into the yard full of events, so as not to collect hairs all over the apartment with a vacuum cleaner.
That is why, having watched funny videos about cats on the Internet and on TV and having decided to settle the same restless "neighbor" in your home, you need to soberly weigh all the pros and cons. After all, such a pet will bring affection, joy and admiration mainly in its childhood and adolescence. Having matured, it will become more serious and lazier, will cover carpets and upholstered furniture with a clearly visible layer of wool, and will prefer to carry out its hygiene "for some reasons known only to it" in full view of everyone, sometimes spending two hours in a row on licking.
Nature has created a cat in such a way that it needs to walk outside at night, sleep ten or more hours during the day, shed periodically, eat regularly, and wash itself for a long time, comfortably settling down for this not in a closet or on a mezzanine, but in a lighted open area, where it is possible to take a good look at itself and, if necessary, freely turn its head.
If all these inevitable manifestations of cat physiology seem too unsightly, then it is better to continue to watch the cheerful and dashing antics of the mustachioed "mischief-makers" climbing on curtains and wall carpets, sharpening their claws on rugs, turning over flower pots, showing interest in aquarium fish and tensely watching birds fluttering outside the window on the display or TV.
Well, when the willingness to look after this pet, albeit small, but causing a lot of trouble, prevails over the reluctance to come to terms with the inevitable consequences of its presence in the apartment, then you can safely get a kitten and together with it, with surprise and joy, explore the world around you.
Cats can count... 
Which pet... 
Why You Shouldn't Keep... 
How to stop a cat... 
How to play with... 
Cat games are serious business 
Benefits and harms of having... 
Some underrated qualities... 
How to Earn Trust... 
Thanks for the background picture to choemik from Pixabay
