Do Two Male Kittens Under One Year Get on Well Together?

For wee kittens, interaction is essential for normal and healthy social development. Kittens are born with that important interaction because they are surrounded constantly by their littermates. One of the most crucial factors to a kitten's development involves rough play -- a style of play in which the little guys learn how to restrain themselves while biting, scratching, grabbing, pouncing and ambushing. By taking notice of how other kittens react to their "fighting" tactics, kittens learn by experience how to behave in peer settings.

Being around other kittens is also beneficial when it comes to grooming. "Allogrooming," or mutual grooming, refers to the simple act of adult cats or kittens grooming each other -- a loving gesture that is practical, comforting and bond-strengthening.

The Humane Society of North Texas indicates that young kittens usually get along better with others from the same litter. After all, kittens are usually very bonded to their siblings -- whether due to allogrooming and rough playing or simply a lot of time spent together. Also, kittens are used to their family members and may be significantly more suspicious of "newbies."

Although littermates may be a preferable pair, the little cuties are also fully capable of getting along with cats who aren't related to them, too, especially if they were brought together at very young and tender ages. It also is hard to predict. Cats all behave differently, just like humans. One kitten may get along famously with a "strange" kitten, while simultaneously sparring with his blood sibling. These situations all vary depending on individual cases.

The Humane Society of North Texas reports that although opposite sex pairings of felines may be more successful most of the time, a pair of males may be more effective than a pair of females. Something to think about, indeed, even though as mentioned before, all cats are different and react differently to things.

Even if you're worried that your two little kitties might despise each other, also remember all of the positive benefits associated with having a duo. Firstly, kittens get lonely pretty easily -- not good, especially if the members of your household all work during the day. Secondly, when a kitten has a constant playmate around, his likelihood of getting into mischief and destruction will decrease -- phew! Thirdly, if you love kittens, the sight of two of them playing together is absolutely unforgettable -- aww.