I was in the cat room of the Parksville/Qualicum branch of the SPCA earlier this year.
A staff member came in and bundled up a cat, saying that he was going off to his new home.
After she left the room, one of the volunteers said that she wondered why that cat was going off on his own when she knew that there were a couple of women who had dearly wanted to adopt both that cat and another - one who had spent all her young life - perhaps a year, in a cage at the SPCA.
I was leaving and encountered one of the pair of adopters in the parking lot.
I asked her if she had considered adopting both cats.
She said she and her partner had wanted two of the cats, but the staff person had refused, saying that the younger of the 2 cats was "too playful" and would probably bother the other cat.
The adopter said that she and her partner had stressed that they had a large house and could easily separate the cats if there was any problem, but the staff person remained adamant that they could only have one cat.
Spaz, the little cat who was not allowed to leave, contracted URI within days, and was subsequently killed.