Ask Lyle – I need a brother, badly!

Last Updated: November 27, 2017

Ask Lyle is our weekly cat-to-cat advice column from Modern Cat (and ridiculously outspoken gentleman), Lyle. Submit your questions to asklyle@moderncat.com, and he will be happy to answer them. Don't forget to include a photo of the questioning cat so that we can post it with the advice!

You can also follow Lyle's adventures on Twitter and Instagram,@lylestagram.

Dear Lyle,

I am a big fan of your column, and your Instagram feed. I noticed that you have a lot of other cats at your house, and I wanted to ask how you managed to swing that. I am 3 years old, and it has always been just me and my human (a perfectly lovely lady who leaves me at home while she goes away for a long time–don't worry, I usually just sleep while she is gone).

Sometimes I get a little bit bored when she is away, and to entertain myself, I will play a fun game like "infinite paper rollie", where I casually, but purposefully unwind this long strip of fun paper. My human doesn't usually like it when this happens, but I don't see what the big deal is. Anyway, my question for you is, do you like having brothers? Is there anything that me (or my human) should know if we are thinking about bringing someone new into our house?

– Bored Bartleby

Dear Big-hearted Bartleby,

Thanks so much for writing in! I have a lot of opinions about brothers and sisters, and I am really glad you asked. You are right that I do live with a bunch of other cats. One of them is my brother, Lincoln, who has been with me and my human for almost as long as I can remember. The other two cats I get to live with are part of my extended family, and we all get along great. There are some cats who just love to be around other animals. It is just part of the way we are wired. I am absolutely one of those cats. If I could have 10 siblings, I would welcome the opportunity.

On the other hand, there are some cats that aren't well-suited to group life. My cousin Andes (who is the kitty in that video I linked to above), would probably prefer to be an only cat, even though she has a great brother named Bolivar. If you are the kind of cat who really likes new adventures and meeting new people and cats, there is a good chance you would benefit from having another cat in your life. I love, love, love getting into adventures with my brother, and he helps remind me that my family is always here for me, even if Momma is away.

All the best,

-Lyle