You’re probably wondering why most fosters and rescues try to adopt out kittens in pairs. It is not to get more cats into homes.
Singleton kittens, once grown into adults, are the most returned animal in shelters.
AND because those kittens end up not knowing how to live with other cats, and most cat owners have multiple cats, they end up sitting shelters for months, sometimes even years waiting for a someone to adopt them, if they are not euthanized first.
An only kitten is a lonely kitten!
It is a myth that cats are solitary animals. When left in the "wild," cats form groups called colonies. An only kitten is a lonely (and often poorly behaved) kitten. Kittens grow healthier, happier, and with fewer behavioral problems when they grow up with another cat in the house. They are therefore, also much less likely to get returned to the rescue. This fits in line with our goal of finding “forever” homes and keeps our kitties’ well-being top of mind. At Denver Kittens, we do not adopt kittens as singletons.
Here’s more info on “Singleton Kitten Syndrome” and what to do about it.
Symptoms:
Going to the bathroom on the human’s bed, pillow, couch, or in their shoes
Biting or attacking you when you try to walk away or aggressive play biting
Destructive behavior like chewing wires, knocking items off surfaces, scratching doors and furniture to excess
Excessive neediness toward humans
Meowing constantly and plaintively
Overeating
Obsessively suckling on your clothing, your hair, your other pets
Cures:
2 kittens are better than one! Don't want to deal with the above behaviors for the next 15-20 years? Choose 2 kittens around the same size and energy level. They will learn appropriate social behaviors from each other and have an appropriate outlet for their boundless energy. Unfortunately, dogs are not a great fill-in, since they don't behave in the same way as cats.
If you have a young cat at home who is already exhibiting these behaviors, adopting a kitten or another young cat will most likely "cure" most of those behaviors.
If you can’t take on 2 kittens at this time, here are some alternatives:
Wear them out! Without a friend, you’ll need to become the playmate. Unlike adult cats, kittens are awake most of the day (and night), and while awake, they will want to play. Get lots of interactive toys that you change out often and spend time several times a day playing until the kitten is too tired to play anymore. Running around the house with wand toys to the point where the kitten is panting works great for this. Be sure to have an extra long play session before bedtime.
Provide a warm place to sleep. If you don't want the kitten taking over your be, buy a heated, covered, kitty-safe bed to put near or on your bed.
Provide plenty of enrichment. Change out their surroundings often. Kittens LOVE new-to-them things. Make sure they can look out a window. Get a cat tree. Kittens LOVE to climb. Use slow feeders for all of their meals so they expend energy trying to get food. Cut out holes in boxes. Toss them some packing paper or toilet paper rolls. Many free items can become toys for kittens, so long as they're safe. Check out our recommended kitten items.
And finally, ADOPT AN ADULT. Don’t have the time or resources to invest in 1 or 2 kittens? There are many, many loving adoptable adult cats available that have already learned good social behaviors from being around other cats. In fact, adult cats that don't get along with other cats are the ones that take the longest to find homes, since most cat homes have 2+ cats. They can often sit in a cage in a shelter for months or even years. Remember: all kittens grow into adults after 3-6 months.
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