One or Two Kittens?z

I have owned cats and dogs and dogs with cats. Kittens and puppies are worse than two of the worst behaved toddlers on earth. You can't ground them, you can't stop them, you just have them fight over and over until you get so sick of it you start locking animals in rooms which really isn't fair. Let the puppy grow up a bit, then add a cat or two.

My mom got two kittens at once (siblings) and they would play play play together. One of them only wanted to interact with it's sibling and never properly socialized to people. It's a very shy adult cat now. I think if this particular cat had been an only kitten she would have wanted to play with people and would have gotten better socialized. I personally would get one new animal at a time.

you do like to keep your anxiety level coasting high, don't you?
i'm glad the puppy is working out so well. that's a huge plus. puppies are about the most work of anything, so if y'all are doing great with the puppy you're probably fine for kittens.
but that assumes that you LIKE cats and want kittens. the idea of someone who doesn't like cats and gets 'sick' at the thought of them climbing in the kitchen taking on not one but TWO is pretty whack.
(is it the cats on the countertop thing, a germ issue? you can train them to stay off the counters, you know. i have 3 and unless i've got tuna or chicken on the counter they never even try, and i know not to leave smelly treats unattended.)
kittens play all the time, they're not specifically nocturnal. in fact, the 2 out of my 3 whom i had as kittens were nighttime snugglers. but yeah, it's nice for a kitten to have other kittens to play with. in your case it's less of a big deal because your kitten will have a) a puppy and b) kids to play with. the logic in getting two kittens is more for a working person who will be leaving the kitten alone for long stretches and wants it to have company.
i'm leery in your case. 'game to try' indicates 'and if doesn't work out, oh well.'
i think you should have a puppy for at least a year before adding more pets to the mix. even then i think that if you don't want them and aren't committed to them, it should be off the table. you create enough stress for yourself already without adding high maintenance family members who may then need to be rehomed.
khairete
S.

ETA: I see a poster below has mentioned allergies. Do you or anyone in the family have allergies? If you end up being allergic to the cats, it will not be a good thing. It will be traumatic to give them away, so you are left with doing immunotherapy. I chose the later so we could keep the cat our kids love. I went for these shots for years. It helped, but it was a huge time commitment. Rule out cat allergies before even considering getting the kittens.

ORIGINAL:

I'm the dissenting vote, here.

Sorry, but I just don't see this working out very well. You home school. You have three little kids. You've mentioned before that space is an issue in your home. You've talked in the past about wanting a little time for yourself. You've just added a new puppy, and now you're considering adding two more kittens?

It's great that the kids are helping now, but what happens when they don't? Who will all of these new responsibilities fall on? It's not just walking the dog (in the frigid Chicago winters and on rainy midwestern days), but now cleaning two litter boxes, ensuring three animals are fed and watered, playing with them, brushing them. And let's face it---even the cleanest animals create more housework. More vacuuming, more sweeping, more moping, more using the sticky tape roller thing to get all the hair off of your furniture and clothes.

Your kids can't yet drive to the grocery or pet store to get food and litter, and I can tell you that hauling big bags of cat litter, cat food, and dog food is no picnic. (And I don't even have to deal with snow and ice anymore). We get the recycled newspaper litter, and to decrease the trips to the pet store, I buy several huge bags all at once. Do you have places to store these? If not, you'll be running to the store a lot more.

Who will be responsible for taking these young animals to the vet for all of their check-ups and vaccinations? Have you considered all of the costs involved with having three pets? It goes far beyond food and litter. Are you prepared to cover costs of any medical emergencies or long-term illnesses that your pets may develop?

What happens when you go to Ireland or take that trip to Greece? Do you have someone who will come and take care of three animals, or will you board them? Boarding three animals for an extended vacation will cost in the thousands, if you are going with a reputable establishment.

You said it yourself that you think you "have enough living things in our house." Trust your gut on this one, J..

Would you be insane to take this on, you ask? My verdict is yes.

With all due affection for you and respect for your wise comments - I have to ask, are you nuts???? LOL!

In one month, the novelty of the puppy hasn't worn off. Give it 4 more months minimum before you even consider cats. Right now everyone's doing their chores, and hubby and 1 child promise to clean the litter box, but let's see what happens when the time comes.

The puppy's training won't be done for 6 months, and frankly, the cuteness wears off, the poops get bigger, and the exercise needs increase.

I'd get through the summer with the change in programs, possible vacations (now you want 3 animals who will need vacation care???), and a sense of the veterinary bills that will inevitably happen.

And you have an allergy problem to deal with.

Hold on it. See if everyone can follow through on their commitments when it starts to get old, you know? Giving an animal away is traumatic - it's better not to take them on if you aren't positive. And you have to assume dogs have 12 years in them (maybe more) and cats often more. How old are your kids? If they are going to be headed to college in less than 12 years, these animals will be entirely YOURS to deal with!

Kids who just love extra animals can always volunteer at a shelter where the need is great and the cat hair is abundant!

I'm amazed you fit a puppy into your lives so easily but enough is enough.
All I can say is - learn to recognize when your plate can just not fit one more thing onto it.
The kittens are that one thing too many.
Cats have way different personalities than dogs (or ferrets) and if you're not a cat person to begin with - it's a heck of a lot wiser to just say No.
Oh, and with a 3 months old puppy (you've had him maybe a month?) - you're still in the honeymoon phase as far as participation with the kids are concerned.
In 6 months time you'll have to see if they are just as enthusiastic about walking, playing, pooper scooping, etc.
Once the novelty wears off you'll see the real lay of the land and how much falls to you to take care of the pet.

Yes, you would be insane. You have no idea what you are talking about. A friend of mine takes care of kittens and cats who find themselves in just your circumstance and the families give them up because it doesn't work out. They expect that the kittens/cats will act like dogs, and they don't.

You need to learn how this is done from that "super friendly mom". It is not easy.

And I don't believe for a moment that anyone in your household will change the multiple litter boxes (one per cat, by the way - they will not share) more than ONE time. After that, it will be YOU.

Well I have a dog and I've had cats all my life. I'd say this is the wrong time to get a cat/much less two and here's my thinking. Right now the puppy is the new kid in the family. Your kids are excited to play and care for the puppy. But pretty soon the puppy won't be the new fun thing in the house so how will it work when you have to nag the kids to play, walk, and care for the puppy? Or do all the work yourself.

I have fostered a lot of cats and kittens. Two kittens will be a two man wrecking crew for a while. They get up on everything so you have to make sure anything breakable is put away. They also chew stuff so if you knit or crochet you have to put all your yarn and needles away so they don't become a kitten snack. Kittens have endless energy so you have to play with them to wear them out although they'll usually go wilding in the middle of the night while you are trying to sleep.

Add in vet visits for shots X 3, flea and tick medication X 3, and any additional treatments needed for whatever comes up. Its a lot all at once.

I'd say to stick with the dog for a while and see how that plays out before adding anything else.

As a household of 5 cats, I can say that having more than one is easier in many, if not most ways but does still come with it's challenges. Cats can be trained. It's not as hard as people make it out to be, but you have to be willing to put the time into it just like with any pets. Getting them fixed as soon as possible helps with a lot of potential undesirable behaviors. DO NOT get them declawed! Getting them declawed is like removing your finger tips from that last knuckle up. It's NOT a decent or humane thing to do to a cat! If you give them plenty of things of their own to scratch on and they have plenty of stimulation and play either from a companion or you they will not scratch up your furniture. You can keep them off the kitchen counters with training as well. Again, giving them safe places they can climb to satisfy that need to be high up helps.
With all of that said. In your case, I would skip adding any animals to your family just now. A puppy is a very time consuming addition as it demands a ton more training and attention in that puppy stage. You will not have the time left over for the cats and the needed training they need and you will likely end up with 2 destructive cats in your house. You said already that you don't like cats, now add 2 untrained cats because you don't have time for them because it's all eaten up by the new puppy. I see you begging to rehome those cats in no time because you didn't have the time for them and only got them because you felt pressured into it. That's not fair to those poor living souls.
You need to consider the cost of multiple animals. Vet bills, food, litter, flea meds that you'll likely need forever because the dog will go in and out even if the cats are indoors only (which they should be!), toys, treats. You get the idea. Do you want to commit that kind of money to that many animals?
Enjoy your puppy and don't add anymore pets to the mix for the time being is my advice.

I would say definitely NO, don't add any more living critters to the mix for at least a year. As several other commenters said, you need to wait at least 6 more months to see whether the kids continue to do the puppy/dog care, how much the vet bills mount up, and how the space issue inside the house works with having an increasingly-large dog. I understand about family members petitioning for pets--my kids asked consistently, and we finally did get two gerbils. They're the lowest maintenance animal around, I think--non-smelly, live in a cage, entertain each other, don't bite, etc. Even though I grew up with a cat and love them and our kids want another pet, I'm not ready to add another responsibility to our --MY!--load. It also would put a serious crimp in our ability to travel. If you don't like cats and think you might be allergic, getting not just one, but two would be insane. [I also don't think you need two. The one will have kids and a dog for company.]

Well, think of it this way. The more pets the more money you will have to spend, not just vet bills. It will be the cost of food for two to three animals, and kitty litter which barely lasts a week with two cats using it. You also have to consider the damage that kittens can do while being trained, like climbing curtains, scratching furniture, etc..

I would wait until you have the puppy fully trained (at least a year) and see about getting another pet then. I also wouldn't give in to my kid(s) every time they asked for something. Your children need to understand that these are living creatures and not toys you can just toss out if your not happy with them or don't want to deal with them anymore. Cats live anywhere from 10 to 20 years old, inside cats live closer to 20. So they are a life long commitment.

100% get two, they will play and entertain each other and you will avoid some of the "kitten" onery issues ;)

Kitten should come in pairs, they play together, and if something happens to one of them, you still have one. I understand you're concern for the kitchen cleanliness, but my cats have never been allowed on the counter, so it's never been and issue. If you allow them to go in and out on their own when they get older, you can get rid of the litter box. I haven't had one in years, through 4 cats, because they use the dog door like the dog. But, if you have allergies in the family, I would borrow one for a while and make sure none pop up for anyone in the family. It really doesn't mater what ages you get them together, I've seen it done at all ages. I will say that my kitten and lizard were both raised together, and they are best friends. My mom's dog thinks she's a cat because a cat raised her as a kitten.

if you get 2 cats, then you have 2 more mouths to feed and 2 more bottoms to clean up after. (not to mention twice as many hairballs if the cats you get do that.)
i had one cat. he was trained easily to use the litterbox. he was declawed and fixed so he never sprayed and only did damage to a couch that i was working on (the week before i had him declawed.) my dad used a sticky page to train the cat to stay off the counter tops and he learned quick that being on the furniture was a no no. we kept him in a half finished basement when not home and at night. and he knew that keys jingling ment it was time for him to go to his room. if you do get a cat i recommend only getting one. you have kids that can entertain the cat as well as the dog.

My husband used to hate cats, but we have one now who gets along beautifully with our dog. I do not understand the thinking that it is easier with two? however it is nice when we have two pets to be around together. I am true believer it can cure the lonelies. In addition if you ever want to go away for any length of time you need to consider how much their care would cost. We have had to parcel them out when we went to see my son for instance and it wasn't cheap. We also had someone cancel to just check on the cat and I had to scramble to find someone else. They also need shots. And finally you sort of mentioned the fact that your father is allergic. How severe is this? You would think about how his reaction might be or find out -I believe there is a topical solution that helps but not sure. Anyway, I love cats and they can be wonderful or naughty just like any other creature.

I would take siblings and have. Any responsible foster on this earth would have them neutered / Spayed and vaccinated before they are placed with a new family. She should be spaying the ones she already has.

Why in the world did you practically take in a two month old pup. They still need socialization with their mother and siblings to be well adjusted.

Give your puppy time to settle in. Then go to a rescue or shelter and talk to them about nice older (past 1 yr) cats who are good with kids and dogs. I bet they have suggestions for you. You may want to ask about any cats that are great with other people/dogs but don't want another cat in the house.

for companionship reasons we have always found that having two kittens at once is best