Carol Smillie

Your opening gambit says it all: you live alone and work full time, so why do you feel the need to have not just one pet but two? It's selfish to assume that an animal can live on the scraps of time you have available. They need company; not just from one another but from you, too.

Unless you have no social life, I think you're being naive. Most people go out at least twice a week, and you can't not go out because of the cat. However, it might come as a shock just how much time you need to give to a new animal.

If you get kittens, they will need house-training and regular handling if you want them to grow into pleasant animals to have around. If you are lonely, a cat will perpetuate that feeling because you'll be spending what time you have with the cat instead of seeking out people. In addition, cats tend to lounge around all day sleeping and go out at night, which is when you will be home. In my experience, young cats don't want to spend all their time with human beings. Like a child, they want to grow, explore and break things. It is most likely that it will shoot out of the door as soon as you get in, and you won't see it until morning.

Also, if you want them to be well trained you can't leave disciplining them until the evening: they need daily supervision in the early months. Left all day on their own, they will wreak havoc with your furniture. If you really want an animal, I'd suggest choosing something smaller such as a gerbil or guinea-pig, which will need less of your time but is still friendly.

The TV presenter Carol Smillie lives in Glasgow with her husband and three children. She supports the University of Glasgow's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Emma Magnus

Cats are often considered to be less dependent on us and can certainly adapt to being left alone for longer periods of time than a dog. Plus, because they are often out of the home or asleep, our relationship with them becomes more about feeding them and providing them with a home than the affection and daily interactions normally associated with dogs.

But this is a sweeping generalisation. If you are after a dog-like cat, there are some breeds, such as Burmese and Siamese, that are more dog-like in their behaviours. These breeds crave companionship in a way that other cats may not, so would not be the ideal type to leave on their own all day.

Cats are, however, generally solitary animals whereas dogs are social and often live in groups. When a single cat encounters another cat problems can arise from fights through to marking areas of the home by scratching or depositing urine or faeces. Unfortunately, keeping two cats can sometimes result in each trying desperately to establish an area of the home as its individual territory.

If you do take on two cats, go for an older established pair that have lived together. This should minimise territorial behaviour, but you must work on their security within the home. Give each a room to use as the base of their territory. To do this, give them separate beds in their room and spend time with them individ-ually in this room. There is a product called Feliway (available through veterinary practices), which is a synthetic pheromone that can be plugged in to electrical sockets or sprayed on key areas of the territory. It is a kind of “happy hormone” designed to increase your cat's sense of wellbeing.

Other ideas to make cats happy while you are out include providing raised areas for them to climb on so that they can see their territory from above. It's also a good idea to provide continual access to food as cats prefer to eat little and often, and in a variety of locations.

Overall, I'd say that one cat is easier than two, as they are solitary beasts, comfortable with their own company and space.

Emma has a masters degree in applied animal behaviour and animal welfare. She is the author of How to Have a Relaxed Rabbit (Pet Behaviour Centre, £3.50)