Kitten Times Two
December 30, 2016 1:13 PM   Subscribe

So, I got this handsome fella as my husband's Xmas gift. He is world's most awesome kitten. We fell for his sister, too, and plan to adopt her next weekend. (He's on the left, she's on far right.) Any thoughts, hive mind, on raising two kittens from the same litter? I've done two kittens before, but never related ones.
posted by bearwife to Pets & Animals (21 answers total)
 
Rufus and Leia.

Wait, are you asking for names? Or kitten husbandry advice?
posted by Drosera at 1:17 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: 2 kittens are often easier than 1. They entertain themselves, and are twice the entertainment for you as well. Same litter is even better because they already know each other's smells. Other than that, I don't think there's much difference between same litter or not for any two like-aged kittens... have fun with those adorable little fluff balls!
posted by cgg at 1:23 PM on December 30, 2016 [10 favorites]


Best answer: Congrats. It should be easier overall. I grew up with two big-boned tabby brothers from the same feral litter. They were inseparable companions throughout their lives, hunted together, and died within weeks of each other at a very old age. It was awesome. Congrats and happy kittening!
posted by spitbull at 1:25 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


two from the same litter are the best.
posted by lescour at 1:26 PM on December 30, 2016


We got ours from the same rescue, but they're not the same litter -- one was maybe a month older? Or at any rate bigger.

As cgg says, though, I'm not sure same-litter is as important as same-age at this point. They'll grow up together, as ours have. Have fun!
posted by uberchet at 1:30 PM on December 30, 2016


Best answer: I "fostered" and bottle-fed two kittens (Seamus and Charlotte) whose mom was killed before their eyes were open. There is nothing in the world more fun than two kittens, and they'll be company for each other. You can make popcorn and sell tickets to watch the kittenish entertainment. I will buy all the tickets. Congratulations!
posted by cyndigo at 1:42 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I got two kittens - one male, one female - from the same litter around 3 months ago. It's the first time in 30 years I've had kittens, first time ever I've been the responsible adult. I've come to the conclusion the best toy any kitten can have is another kitten. They play with each other happily for hours, cuddle up, fight, race round the house like stampeding elephants. I have no idea how people survive one kitten, I wouldn't have the energy!

The only real concerns I had was neutering. I made sure the male one was neutered as soon as possible (the vet was keen too and did it at 4 months), the female one about 6 weeks later. I did have problems keeping her quiet for a few days after the operation. She wanted to run round madly with her brother, but in the end just shutting them together in one small, quiet room for 3 days worked.
posted by SometimeNextMonth at 2:02 PM on December 30, 2016


Best answer: Bugs and Daffy... oh, yeah....
Yep, no question, two kittens at the same time is best, not necessarily from the same litter. Less hiss and howl about the pecking order, more hide and seek in paper bags.
You no doubt have two litter boxes, their own food and water bowls, two car carriers. Looks good.
I always took my cats in together for vet visits. After the first couple of years it was more fuss to get them into the carriers. Both were entirely ready to hop back into the carriers after their shots, then it was back home and happy to be there.
I never did the leash training or take them on regular car rides, which at some point over the years might have been good training for them. As it turns out it was never necessary in an emergency.
Enjoy the next 12 to 15-plus years!
posted by TrishaU at 2:19 PM on December 30, 2016


Best answer: Same litter doesn't always mean bestest-buddies-fureveh. It's great if that happens, but it doesn't always work that way. Kittens raised together have a great chance at successful transfer to their new home and a lifetime as a bonded pair. If you have Jasper home now, he's going to smell funky to his sister (possible gem names: Topaz? Beryl? Jade?) That will pass, but it's a lot of new smells for a hyper sensitive little nose.

I volunteer at the local neonatal kitten nursery here in San Diego and kittens are much more adaptable than cats. Bring them home, keep them in a small area for a few days and then allow supervised exploration. You want to keep them together as much as you can so they really bond.
posted by 26.2 at 2:23 PM on December 30, 2016


The only difference between adopting two kittens from the same litter and adopting two kittens from different litters is that only in the former are incest joke names appropriate.
posted by jeather at 2:24 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Years ago, I adopted two brothers who are, sort of, twins. When I first got them, it was hard to tell them apart; the only clue I had was that one has a white-tipped tail. Now, they are easy to tell apart: one is 26#, the other is 13# on a good day. They are appropriately named Pumbaa and Timon.

Their personalities are also quite different. The 26#er shadows me 80% of the time I'm home and will force me to pay attention to him; his brother runs away when I enter a room, though he will come out and ask for attention sometimes. On his terms. I've had them for more than five years and Timon still does that.

The brothers are very protective of each other. Timon was injured during my move to Tennessee; Pumbaa laid on top of him in the crate till we could get to a doctor (Timon's fine). If Pumbaa thinks that either of the other cats in the household is threatening Timon 'too much', even in play, he'll step in and chase the other cat away.

Pumbaa is the resident bully and gleefully harasses my two other cats, particularly the younger female (I do try to keep the bullying to a minimum, but... sometimes it happens), but he lets Timon walk all over him. There have been many times when Pumbaa's been in my lap and Timon has decided he wants attention, too. Pumbaa lets Timon have my lap. The other cats know better than to try to oust him.

All of which I write to say that, perhaps, siblings bond more securely and tightly than do cats who aren't related. Maybe? If you decide later to add another cat, it may have a difficult time fitting in. On the flip side, separating the siblings in the future is a bad idea. I have a clause in my will asking that the cats be re-homed in a particular way (bottom line: Pumbaa and Timon have to stay together).
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 2:24 PM on December 30, 2016


Best answer: I was a foster-failure for two male siblings a few years back. They have always been very bonded (groom each other, sleep in a big fur-pile, etc.) and I'm so glad I took both of them. Their personalities are completely different - one is Mr. Laid Back Fat Cat and the other is a spastic troublemaker, but they clearly adore each other and I couldn't be happier with them.

I'd say the only negative I've experienced is that the tabby was diagnosed with eyeball herpes at about 6 months old, and the vet said that since they were littermates, his brother probably has it as well. Luckily its not a big deal and they are both healthy and happy.
posted by tryniti at 2:31 PM on December 30, 2016


Best answer: My cats are sisters from the same litter. The nice thing about them was that I didn't have to do any integration with them - they were already a set! I will say that my two are more like roommates who can't afford to live apart but get along okay, in that they never snuggle, but I do find them most of the time hanging out in the same room with each other most of the time.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 2:32 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: We have two sisters. One is more dominant and outgoing. The other is shy and skittish. We were having some problems with the shy one and peeing in inappropriate places in the basement. Then we figured out she was hiding (and peeing a LOT) in a room in the basement that the other one couldn't get into. We put a litter box in there so she now has her own secret, private appropriate place to pee that the other one can't get access to. (That brings the total number of litter boxes in the house to four, in case anyone's counting...) That seems to have fixed the peeing everywhere problem, unless we forget and leave an empty laundry basket right-side-up in the basement. (Ugh.)

Otherwise, they're absolutely great. They play together, do some boundary-respecting wrassling, sometimes get hissy and swatty with each other, but always snuggle together at night. The only problem is that people insist that they are indistinguishable. (They are NOT, they look TOTALLY DIFFERENT.)

So, anyway, obey the n+1 rule with litter boxes, and treat them in all other ways the way you'd treat two random cats.
posted by BrashTech at 2:40 PM on December 30, 2016


Response by poster: OK, you eager namers -- His name is already Jasper. Her name will be Agathe, which is Hebrew for agate (as agate and jasper were allegedly two of the precious stones in the High Priest's breastplate.) I did quite the hunt for appropriate names for her, and that was my husband's choice -- Agathe. Pronounced Ah-gah-tay. As they are both speckled and striped, I like the idea of naming them after stones of that description anyway.
posted by bearwife at 2:47 PM on December 30, 2016 [4 favorites]


My thoughts are that raising two kittens from the same litter IS AWESOME, but I don't understand why this question if already names?!? what is question?

Squeeeee
posted by tel3path at 3:06 PM on December 30, 2016 [2 favorites]


This is clearly just an excuse to post pics.
posted by AFABulous at 3:34 PM on December 30, 2016


Two cats from the same litter do not necessarily have the same father, if mom was a feral found pregnant (vs pedigree cat specifically bred). Cats are slutty like that. It helps explain how siblings can be so very different, beyond even normal genetic dice rolling.
posted by anaelith at 3:58 PM on December 30, 2016


Response by poster: I admit I bought my husband pedigreed kittens. So I know they are full siblings. I did it due to their extreme cuteness and because I really like the breeder. I swear it has all been rescue cats, all but the prior rescue kittens as adults, in my past.
posted by bearwife at 4:28 PM on December 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Our two goofballs are littermates, and they're great. They do fight from time to time, but not terribly badly or often. (Usually it's because Finnegan (the orange beastie) is being a Typical Bog Brother and harassing Molly (the calico sassypants) and doesn't know when to quit. But they typically go from squabbling to snuggled up sleeping together in no time flat. They play together, cuddle each other, sleep in the same kitty bed together every night... it's pretty great, and there was no introductory period or anything.
posted by sarcasticah at 4:53 PM on December 30, 2016


Response by poster: So, it is all going great. He was VERY jealous and angry when we first brought her home, due to the disruption of his existence as ONLY kitten, but now they are great. They play together, sleep together, of course fight each other, and yet are very bonded to us as well. I look forward to seeing them every night and every AM when I wake up. My husband is absolutely tickled with this Xmas gift. Thanks for all the comments, folks.
posted by bearwife at 1:55 PM on January 30, 2017


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