Purchaser of a Maine Coon kitten asks whether she should adopt another because she's been offered a second kitten

2 gorgeous, slate grey Maine Coon kittens. Image in the public domain.

A Reddit.com user on the Maine Coon group on that website tells us that she is getting "my boy in a few weeks but was just offered another from a litter that previously wasn't opened". It seems that things have changed and the breeder from whom he is buying the kitten has offered her a second one and is asking whether two kittens are better than one.

She added:

"Not just for wants, but would it benefit my other kitten long term? I am home 24/7 so my current boy would never be alone."

I think the last point is very important. Pretty well all the experts would say that if you are in a position to afford it, and if you have the mindset to look after two cats, then purchasing two Maine Coon kittens is better than purchasing one Maine Coon kitten PROVIDED that you absolutely know that they will get along.

You normally don't know whether cats will get along and often times you have to introduce a new cat to the resident cat's home gently to avoid aggression and then eventually they accept each other but perhaps don't truly get along that well. I don't think that that is a great situation in which to find oneself.

But, in this instance, it appears that the same breeder has another kitten and it may well be the case that these two kittens know each other and get along well. That sounds great BUT will they get along when they are adults?

Adopting a couple of siblings who are very amicable with each other when kittens does not automatically mean that they will get along when they are independent-minded and two adults. This is about kittens developing independence and leaving the natal den and going out into the wide world. They don't actually do that but emotionally and mentally they do. 

And when they do they need to find their home range and defend it. This might create animosity between two siblings who were once very friendly with each other when they were being mothered.

In this instance, the woman who is buying the Maine Coon kitten says, importantly, that she is at home 24/7. That means she can give all her time to her Maine Coon kitten. She does not really need to have a second cat to entertain the first cat. Two cats can often be very useful because it takes away some of the burden of the responsibilities of entertaining and mentally stimulating your cat.

But in working from home - which, apparently, she does - she has the time, one would hope, to be a very close and connected caregiver to her Maine Coon cat. A bond should develop. This will be a close bond hopefully. It could be argued that having a second cat might weaken this bond between the first cat and the human caregiver which might be a minor detriment in this instance to having two cats.

Conclusion

My advice probably would be to adopt one kitten under these circumstances which would break the normal rule espoused by cat behaviourists such as the television celebrity Jackson Galaxy that adopting to is better than adopting one. But this is a balanced decision for the purchaser. It is my opinion only. Others might disagree which would be fine.

Are cats better in pairs?