Improved Mood and Health

One pet provides a variety of health benefits, and more than one can compound the effects. You get exercise walking and playing with your pets, which promotes a healthier mind and body; the more pets, the more activity. Among other benefits, sharing your home with furry friends reduces stress, helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, enhances your mood and lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke, notes Woman's Day.

Decreased Allergies in Children

Pets are great for kids in so many ways, and as the National Institutes of Health states, children raised in multi-pet households are less likely to develop allergic conditions. As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, kids living with more than one cat or dog are at reduced risk for hypersensitivities to common allergens, such as animals, grass, ragweed and dust mites.

Enhanced Development for Multiple Children

Cats and dogs aren't just beloved companions and sources of comfort to kids. They teach them responsibility, encourage emotional development, promote a nurturing instinct and strengthen family bonds, as Parents Magazine details. In homes with more than one child, having one pet per child helps prevent competition for attention and affection, allows each kid to develop a special bond and provides opportunities for each child to have more involvement.

Considerations

Just as the decision to share your home with one cat or dog cannot be made lightly, the decision to take on multiple pets calls for a good deal of thought and planning. Some things to keep in mind include:

Not all cats and dogs get along with all other cats and dogs - do research and take individual personalities into account
New cats or dogs must be introduced into the home and to other pets in a carefully controlled manner
Most experts recommend putting at least one to two years between getting cats or dogs
Pets of the opposite sex often accept each other more readily
Spaying and neutering are even more important to prevent pregnancies, dangerous competitive mating behaviors and other complications
Pets may fight over food, toys and turf
Groups of dogs can revert to a pack mentality
Cats and dogs require a year or more to feel comfortable in a new home
Pets should spend time apart, or they may bond strongly to the exclusion of bonding with human family members
Pet parents must spend time one-on-one with each companion animal
Training needs to occur individually
Costs increase significantly with additional pets - you pay for more food, toys, bedding, litter, other supplies, medications, veterinary appointments, grooming, boarding, etc.
It's more complicated to travel with more than one companion animal
Two or more pets of the same age may develop age-related health problems - which can be expensive, time-consuming and draining - around the same time and may pass close together, creating a massive emotional burden

The Benefits of Multiple Pets

Benefits of Adopting An Older Dog

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