How many is too many?

crittermom · Oct 22, 2006

Blaze hates kits and other cats.So, that is also a concern for me.I don't want to aggrivate her more than she already is.
For the most part,she ignores them and stays as far away as she can.

willie'slove · Oct 22, 2006

4 would be too many for me!

I have just one right now (although I live in the same house of one other)
I wish I could have mroe, but because I'm young and can't yet get a job, I don't have enough money to support two cats!

Willie is my little one, and he is almost 8 months old!

leli · Oct 22, 2006

Right now we have 4 cats and 1 dog in a 2 bedroom apartment. It is too many, because we have to keep the 2 kittens separated from the dog until he gets used to them, which means they have to be in our bedroom. Since I'm allergic to cats, this has been hell for me, because I just can't escape the dander anywhere. Plus, anyone who has tried to sleep in the same room as kittens knows it's pretty well impossible to get a full night's rest. If we had more room, it'd be better, though. But 4 is my limit. No more cats.....especially since ours are all close in age and will therefore all be seniors together $$$$. Maybe another dog when we have a house and a yard.......

beckiboo · Oct 22, 2006

Originally Posted by crittermom

I know this has probably been asked before.But, thought I'd ask it any ways.
How many cats is too many for you?
How many do you have?
names & approximate ages
I am at my limit!!!

Anymore than 5
I have 5
Blaze is 1 1/2
Corwin is 5 months
Lilly is 4 months
Sapphire is 3 months
Mia is 2 months

I put 4-7. I have 3 housecats, and one cat Will who is in and out. Then I foster...generally one Momma and kittens. We sometimes keep the Momma's until they are adopted. So I know my cats are good at accepting new cats into their group.

However...when the fosters are getting to the point of needing more attention, and they are eating and using the litterbox...my care of my own cats drops. I have a lot of trouble scooping my own cats 4 litterboxes, and the foster room litterboxes, and feeding, fresh water, attention to the babies, keeping up with feeding my outside cats...it becomes overload and my cats lose. As do the kittens sometimes...they just don't get the proper attention. So while the idea of having loads of kitties is lovely, I just can't do it. And honestly, I don't like scooping poo enough to say that once my kids are grown, or once I retire, I would commit to having more cats.

That's why fostering is nice. You can have the greediness of taking in loads of kitties, but then you aren't commited to them for life! Of course you lose some of the depth of relationship you have with your forever kitties with fostering.

Anyhow, Crittermom (Tammy), I wanted to remind you that you have very young cats. Even Blaze at 1-1/2 is still just a young'un. While kittens are cute, they are so pesky and high energy! I think once your babies are all a year old, things will get somewhat easier in your house. And once they are over 2 you will be able to breathe a big sigh of relief. Two is the magic age for me with kitties, that is when they become calmer and more pleasant. My cats are all 2-3, except Jazz. She is the baby at 1!

starryeyedtiger · Oct 22, 2006

I would say that you should never have more animals than you can properly provide daily care, cleanliness, food, water, grooming, and atention for. If you feel as though you just don't have enough time for another baby, even though you want you- you're probably at your limit and should not get anymore. That being said, I don't feel like there is a magic number as to how many animals you should or should not own. I think it is dependant on the owner, the animals, the space, commitment, and funds. I picked (4-7) becuase I own four cats and I also foster....That works perfectly for me, but for some, four may be too many. It is completly variable. I feel that sometimes people have a hard time resisting those cute fluffy faces (I know I do!) ....but if you take everyone in that you see without ample room or time to clean and provide good care of them, it can easily lead to hoarding and improper care of the animals. (sorry, I've gone into way too many hoarders homes to rescue neglected animals with the local shelters I volunteer for- I just had to mention this issue- it's more common than a lot of ppl may think, and it's not an issue of just having too many animals- it is a neurological and mental issue that people can recieve good help for. But often times, these animals wind up "wild" because they are not socialized properly, often times they are ill due to neglect, and many die or are not placable in new homes because of the neglect and abuse they suffer through. So I think people always should be cautious to make sure that you are not out of control with the amount of animals that you own- even if you have good intentions, those animals are completly dependant on you- you should never have more than you can proplerly care for.) / Ok, sorry, now i'm off that topic....hum, i would say, as long as you have the room, the time, and the life long commitment to make to those animals, as well as money to provide them with proper vet care, food, vaccinations, etc....then you should have as many as you feel responsibly comfortable with. For me right now, I have 4 kitties, I keep my numbers low so that I don't get overcrowded- because I am constantly fostering. I live in a 2 bedroom duplex with 4 kitties, 1 rabbit, and 1 dog there as well as a few nice fish tanks. We are at our limit there...so I wouldn't dream of adopting any more while i'm there. Now at Colin's house, Colin and I have 1 dog and right now, my current foster kitten Kenzie, is staying there as well because of ringworm concerns. If Colin and I were to get married, I would be taking 3 of my cats with me and my rabbit. Abilene and Ginger(dog) would stay with my mom- they are VERY attached to her as is my mom to them- so my mom and I have already talked it through and decided that is the best decision for them

. I am happy with that because I know how much my mom loves them. . If Colin and I get married, I will be taking Jasmine, Isabella, Velvet, and Sophie (bunny) with me...and Colin and I will have Fosters our dog already at his house. Since Colin's house is a lot larger than my two bedroom duplex..and he is currently looking into buying a larger house soon...I will most likely adopt another animal or two in the future (Probably adult kitties- kittens always have an easier time finding homes and the adult kitties often get overlooked). So for now i'm at my limit, but whenever I get married and move out, I will plan on adopting one or two more since two of my animals will be staying behind with my mom.

So humm...when I move, that would put me at 5 or 6 kitties if I add I am at 4 right now and Abilene would be staying with my mom.

About my girls:

Velvet - 10 yrs. I've owned her since she was a few weeks old. I adopted her from an extremely high kill shelter. She is such a wonderful kitty!!!

Abilene- 5 yrs. I found her and her litter mates 1/2 drowned when they were only a few days old. Her sister Drama lives with my sister Kimmy and her family, and her other siblings found excellent homes. I've had Abilene since she was only a few days old. I adopted her out of the bunch, because she is the most feral and wild....I knew she would be difficult to adopt out and wasn't willing to risk her not finding a home, when she had already found a perfect one with us.

Jasmine- 5 years. I've owned her for about 3 years now. Her former owners dumped her off at the shelter I was volunteering at one night in the midsts of a bitter divorce. I brought her home "just to foster" that night.....I already had 4 foster kittens at the time lol...Well, Jasmine got along soo well with everyone else and was soo sweet, that after much discussion and a mutual agreement, my mom and I adopted her.

Isabella- 2 years. Isabella, wow, where do I begin- she was severly abused and beaten by her breeder. (I know there are a lot of good breeders out there, but this one was trash and was only in it for the money.) Once the breeder abused her soo much that she was no longer adoptable, she dumped her off at the shelter. I began fostering Issy that night...and it took me months to socialize her and get her to trust me. She was petrified of everyone else, and was not able to be placed up for adoption at that point. She boneded immensly with me and Jasmine...and slowly began to trust and love us. She was just one of those kittens that I knew I would never let go. I brought her up to the shelter one night after a few months of fostering her to place her up for adoption...that was the worst feeling of my life! Her cage was right by the window and she looked out at me crying and meowing the whole time I walked off. I went back home that night and thought it over thoroughly, made out a budget, and the next day I went back the next day and officially adopted her. That was one of the best decision's i've ever made

(much to the happiness of my fellow volunteers- they knew issy would have a good home with me, and that I was the only person she trusted)

hopehacker · Oct 22, 2006

I have 4, and it doesn't seem over crowded, but I think I would have to stop at 4. Anymore and it would be just too much for me. Actually, having Simba is about like having 3 rolled up in one little furball.

menagerie mama · Oct 22, 2006

My limit is 4 and I have 7...hehehe...

crittermom · Oct 22, 2006

As for the energy level,mine are all fairly calm kits.Of course they play and run through the house.But, we enjoy watching that and actually encourage it.
It's just based on the $$$ for litter,food,vetting,toys and etc.PLUS, cleaning litter boxes,cleaning bowls and all the general care.
So, I am at my limit for that.If God were to send me a kitty that REALLY needed a home,I would take it in UNTIL I could find another home for it.
I love all my cats/kits,but like I said,I'm at my limit.
I don't want to overstress my allergies either.

alaynna · Oct 22, 2006

How every many you can afford and properly take care of...

delilah_blue · Oct 22, 2006

We have 3 cats, and I think that's my limit right now. I would love to have more kitties, but we just don't have the space for them. Delilah's already going a little nuts having to share the house with the 2 kittens, plus DH and I and our 3 kids. Also I do not have space for more than 3 litter boxes, tops, and I'd hate to develop any issues in that area just for lack of boxes. I'd love to have more kitties, but I need a bigger house first!

luvslive · Oct 22, 2006

We have 4 young cats and sadly this is probably our limit. People are always suprised to learn that we have four cats..they don't know that it was our plan to have one, but that she was pregnant when we got her. I would have LOVED to slowly add more to our family by adopting from our shelter..but also I don't regret the kittens because they are family now.
Our cats are:
Baby-The momma cat, she is 2 1/2 years old, but looks younger than her offspring. Her legs are very short and she is quite compact.
Bear-5 months, a big boy
Bean-5 months, he is quite a bit smaller, don't know why..
Tumbler-5 months old, she is a great cat.

commonoddity042 · Oct 22, 2006

My limit is 3. For now we have Pudge and Typhus, and will be adding another cat in a few months.

margecat · Oct 22, 2006

We have 9 in the house right now: 5 of our own, and 4 fosters. The funny thing is, I used to think when I had 3, that any more would be too many. Then my husband found 2 more at work last year. It worked out o.k.. I kept saying, "No more; I'm tripping over the ones we have now!". Then we decided to foster strays...I guess what it boils down to is how many you can properly care for and house (and afford to pay medical bills for). This is what concerns me when you hear of people that have dozens of cats--the cats often are not being properly cared for. If I had a larger house/farm/etc.,and didn't have to work full-time, I'd probably have more (they'd all be hardship casesor fosters). Also, if you have more than a couple, and you live alone (or have a significant other/roommate who doesn't like cats), and get sick, who will take care of them each day while you're incapacitated? One or two you probably can manage to stagger out of bed to care for (I found this out when I had a bad case of flu this year, and lived on the sofa for a week and a half--and hubby was working long hours). In other words, acquiring more and more pets may seem easy at first, but one needs to consider all of the long-term potential problems. Also consider the dwelling you live in. Do you really want a litter box in every room? More food dishes to fill and wash, more litter boxes to keep clean...

I think, in my case, no more than 12 would work. As we don't have kids, I think we're o.k. with a lot of cats, but I do spend a lot of time cleaning because of them, and there's a lot of accidental tail-trodding-on going on! Turning my garage into a kitty bathroom helps, though--they hang out there. (We installed a cat door in the door that leads into the garage, and put the litter boxes out there--we keep our cars in the driveway.)

katiemae1277 · Oct 22, 2006

Originally Posted by Oscarsmommy

I think as many as you can handle-both financially and physically-is fine with me

Think of Katie and all her wonderful FLV kitties! And she has 13!

uh, make that 14

got an e-mail Friday about a 6 month old calico that tested postive... of course I can't say no

Oh, my personal limit? 9, but, yeah, passed that one a couple months ago

white cat lover · Oct 22, 2006

Originally Posted by Pami

I have 5 cats and would love to add another one in the near future. As soon as I help Tino and Ducky work out their new found hate for each other

I wouldnt mind having 10 cats total. But my cats are Mother and her children and Ive always been concerned how they would accept a "new" member to the family, especially since Easy doesnt seem to like cats, period. But we will see how it goes, if Im able to add another one successfully, I will just go from there.

Same problem here. I have the space for more cats, could afford 2 more cats, but until Ophelia & Lily work out that hatred for each other, it ain't gonna happen. I've got my eye on a 10+ y/o white boy w/ blue eyes who is deaf.....and there's a blind 3 legged cat my brother found for me in Chicago...

I guess I think that in the future, my limit of kitties will be lower as they are all going to be special needs and/or senior kitties. Those are the ones that need homes most, & I love my 3 special needs babies more than life itself...(I love the "normal" ones, too, but the special ones are so....you know).

katiemae1277 · Oct 22, 2006

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Same problem here. I have the space for more cats, could afford 2 more cats, but until Ophelia & Lily work out that hatred for each other, it ain't gonna happen. I've got my eye on a 10+ y/o white boy w/ blue eyes who is deaf.....and there's a blind 3 legged cat my brother found for me in Chicago...

I guess I think that in the future, my limit of kitties will be lower as they are all going to be special needs and/or senior kitties. Those are the ones that need homes most, & I love my 3 special needs babies more than life itself...(I love the "normal" ones, too, but the special ones are so....you know).

I do know!!!

It takes a special person to love a special needs cat

ilovesiamese · Oct 22, 2006

I had to put 12 + because that is the only thinkable option for me.

I currently have 3 adult cats:

Mittens age 2
Misty age 1
Casper age 2 (well in Nov)

and 11 kittens, so 14 total. I can never say no to a needy queen who has no where else to go.

lionessrampant · Oct 22, 2006

I have 3, and could financially and time-wise care for 4, max, according to my budget.

As far as space goes, most would argue that my limit was one, but these guys do fine. I live in a 425 sq. ft studio. But, really, they do fine. They're active, they have multiple cat trees to climb on, the have lots of love and toys. That's sort of why I always wonder about people who say they need a while house to have 2 or more....nahhhhhhh. Most cats can do fine with little space as long as vertical space is also used.

Ok, that's my little rant

crittermom · Oct 22, 2006

I live in a 5 bedroom double wide....it's a 58X28,we have 4 skin kids and DH and I.So, with the 4 kits and Blaze,we really are at our limit for space also.
I just get to thinking about what if's and all that.Like what if there is a an emergency and I have to go to Michigan and board 5 cats.That kind of thing.Also,with Nikki going through the ring worm thing,what if all of mine got that and so did my skin kids.That would be HORRIBLE for us finacially.DH makes REALLY good money,but still there is a limit to what we can afford.

halfpint · Oct 22, 2006

I have 8 That's what you get for trying to rescue some kittys from a busy shopping center parking lot, I used to have 2

Kept 6 momma 5 babie gilrs found homes for 2 then couldn't give the others up, and I had 2 more ...I'm so done.. I don't go close to parking lots when its dark

I have plenty of room 2300 sq ft 2 story home, But plenty more brains now to

How many is too many?

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