Cats are small, incredibly attractive, and relatively simple to care for, making it very simple to “collect” them. Even if they don’t get along, they prefer to leave the situation rather than engage in conflict. However, there might be a lot of conflict between cats that their owners are simply blind to. Although they can live in groups, cats are typically related to one another or choose their living companions so that they do not share a space with cats they do not get along with. Cats come from a largely solitary species. When cats are dealing with a situation where they feel stressed out by other cats, they may start to spray or soil in the house. This is sometimes the only behaviour that owners notice.
If you already have two cats that get along well, think very carefully before getting more. Thank your lucky stars and stop while you’re ahead if you have three cats who get along well! The issue with adding more cats is that as tension and stress levels rise, it’s not just likely to affect how the existing cats interact with the new cat; it’s also possible to disturb the resident cats’ relationship as a whole and cause issues even between the original cats. Any new cat needs to be introduced slowly.
Siblings are your best option if you want two cats that get along. These will have shared a childhood, which typically portends well for a happy marriage (although this is never guaranteed!).
