Multi cat household - how do you manage?

I have recently rescued one kitten and already she is taking up almost all my time. Nope, I am not complaining at all since she is a wonderful kitty and I can't imagine not having her in my household.

But to think that many of the people here with 5 or more cats, how do you manage the time, the care and attention/affection and more importantly, the expenses? I really feel that you are doing a really wonderful thing for them and sheltering them from all the bad things out there.

Most cats don't need to be held 24/7 .. though some may try to convince you they should.
Litter box scooping and feeding sort of comes naturally, the person would do that for one already - so what's with a few more?

And most importantly, if the cats get along they provide each other with company.


Though to be fair, I don't understand how parents handle one child - let alone 3-4.

For a start, one kitten is hard because they have a lot of energy and it will demand all of your attention. I have 3 cats, and they amuse each other most of the time. I have one hyperactive kitty who demands more attention, but a couple of good play sessions (which we all enjoy) and she's fairly happy.

The kitties generally come to us when they want affection, and they all want different amounts of affection. Smudge comes and sits on your chest regularly and gives you head butts, and is most snuggly when we're in bed. Lily is pretty shy so only occasionally wants attention, and it's generally when it's quiet, so that's fine. Stumpy is happiest just following us around and getting the occaisonal head rub. They'll also snuggle with and groom each other which keeps them happy.

Cost wise, it works out fairly cheap in bulk. We get our cats Felidae premium dry food, and feed them nothing else, and that generally lasts close to 3 months, and costs about $32, so about $10/month - a little over $3/cat per month. Litter wise, we use scoopable litter which lasts a very long time, so doesn't cost much. I get their shots at the shelter which is $10/shot (and no consultation fees), so it's just their yearly vaccinations I need to worry about, and the costs of those are reasonable.

Because they are inside cats, are fed good food, and are happy I don't need to worry too much about injuries or sickness, so the only vet visit we've had is an allergy problem which just needed a steroid injection.

I think you just need to shop around and find the most cost effective way to keep your cat as healthy as you can.

Edit: And as strange_wings said - you have to feed and scoop litter for one cat, so it's not much extra for 3 cats.

If you have kittens, they will often take care of others' social needs. In my case, the adult cats don't seem to need to interact with each other much. The hardest part is probably if one gets sick (vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) it's difficult to narrow down who's sick without actually witnessing it.

I have 2 cats, they keep each other amused a lot of the time. 1 kitten is harder work than 2! Your little one would be less needy and probably better off if you adopted a playmate of a similar age

I have eight cats and at times fostering several..right now down to fostering just one. yes they do take alot of my time...but I love every minute. l have all rescue kitties and they all are the most loveable babies. I think your kitty needs a playmate!
Remember the saying ""Cats are like potato chips..you just can't have one"
there are alot of kitties in shelters just waiting for a home...good luck!

Having a household of umpteen cats isn't easy that's for sure. It's a lot of work but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As "kluchetta" said, the hardest thing is trying to figure out who it is when somebody gets sick. That's where knowing each cat's body language and personality plays a big part. The attention thing is pretty easy as each cat has different needs and chooses when they want my attention. They each have their own time/place when they want what I call "momma time". As for the expense, well I'm in denial and try not to think about it. I can't imagine what I must spend on food and litter. I keep my receipts from the Vet but I don't want to know the tally. The last time I saw him he said he was going to add a wing onto the clinic for me lol. Thankfully overall my cats are very healthy.

I'm with the others who say you might consider getting a playmate for your little one.

Depends on the type of cats. I limited myself to 6 adult rexes as rexes are a demanding cat for attention. We have 2 cats and a dog - the dog gets jealous anytime you pet the cats No rexes now, but I know I could handle TWO Ocicats

Since cats have different personalities, you might adopt one that is more independent and not as cuddly and one that wants to be in your face all the time. You adjust to each cat.

Kinda like human babies - you deal with the first one, and thru practice, you learn how to adjust to one or two more kids

Kittens are more work. Some people would rather adopt older cats with their personalities set so they know how to deal with more then one cat.

Thank you for all the input here. Actually, I didn't really start the thread because I am having problem with my kitten. It's just that I am really amazed at the wonderful people who offer up their home to numerous cats and is curious to find out how they manage it so I can also learn to be a better parent to my kitty.

Right now, my kitten is extra active to the point of going into hyperdrive at least once a day, usually right before bedtime. She can amuse herself by playing with her toys so it's great to not have to be with her 24/7. I remembered reading through the threads somewhere when all the cats go into hyperdrive and running around crazy, creating sounds like a thunderous stampede. I can only imagine what that would be like!

I have 4 and as others have said they do keep each other company. I always thought Jordan would be a demanding cat on his own and now I know he would be. Due to his medical needs I've taken him on 2 differnt trips now. He is the most needy cat in the world when he spends all day alone. Over Christmas everytime I would walk in the room he would jump on me and would be so upset when I left. The next day after work I stupidly expected the same reaction. Nope he yawned and looked at me like, "oh your home, that's nice I'm going back to sleep now."

The cost well that's a differnt story. For me I just have to plan vet trips out as best I can. I do have to make sacrafices. If they need to go to the vet and I want something, well their vet vist comes first. There is nothing in this world I would rather have than my kitties so it's not much of a choice for me.

I couldn't imagine only having 1 cat, I'd be bored!! Like the others have said, my crew keeps themselves occupied, and they sleep a lot Some are more demanding of personal attention than others, but it all works out somehow

As long as they all get along having more then one cat is alot easier! Calamity makes things dificult for me because she has decided she hates the other cats. Thankfully she doesnt fight with them just does alot of growling and hissing till they go away. Good thing Skye is easy going and Sundance is her son and is used to her bad attitude or else I would have a problem. None of the fosters are allowed upstairs because of her.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I couldn't imagine only having 1 cat, I'd be bored!!

Like the others have said, my crew keeps themselves occupied, and they sleep a lot

Some are more demanding of personal attention than others, but it all works out somehow

Click to expand...

Yep, exactly! I've currently got 13 permanent cats and 1 possibly pregnant foster cat so I will most likely have a litter of kittens within the next month. I'm lucky to be able to stay home with the kitties all day so I can give them a lot more attention than if I was working all day. But they really don't demand much attention, some do more than others, and they generally keep each other occupied.

It's a little more poop to scoop but I don't mind, and feeding time is fairly easy now that we've gotten into more of a routine.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I couldn't imagine only having 1 cat, I'd be bored!!

Like the others have said, my crew keeps themselves occupied, and they sleep a lot

Some are more demanding of personal attention than others, but it all works out somehow

Click to expand...

I went from a 7 cat household to a 2 cat household and I was bored. My adult cats play less and sleep more. Benson is a bundle of energy that I wasn't ready for. He is doing much better in the 7 cat household. The boys play together but the girls play independently.

Litter we get in bulk but the canned food gets expensive. Benson won't eat the same can twice and only likes certain flavors. Lucky & Cello eat like pigs and will steal any food left unattended.

Playtime is never ending. Yesterday I was with them for 3 hours. When one takes a break another comes around.

Originally Posted by catcaregiver

Having a household of umpteen cats isn't easy that's for sure. It's a lot of work but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As "kluchetta" said, the hardest thing is trying to figure out who it is when somebody gets sick.

That's where knowing each cat's body language and personality plays a big part. The attention thing is pretty easy as each cat has different needs and chooses when they want my attention. They each have their own time/place when they want what I call "momma time".

As for the expense, well I'm in denial and try not to think about it. I can't imagine what I must spend on food and litter. I keep my receipts from the Vet but I don't want to know the tally. The last time I saw him he said he was going to add a wing onto the clinic for me lol. Thankfully overall my cats are very healthy.

I'm with the others who say you might consider getting a playmate for your little one.

Click to expand...

That pretty much sums it up. The other thing that works for me is that because mine are tolerant of each other and have always been used to sharing me, their "momma time" usually consists of 2 or more cats at a time. They count on me laying on the sofa in the evenings so that a bunch of them can cuddle in with me. When too many get demanding at once, I simply remind them that I only have 2 hands. I have gotten good at giving them scritches with my toes!

My guys are pretty self-sufficient. Twitch, Lily, & Damita live upstairs....they get fawned over my mom & lil sis. Dorky, PJ, Punky, & Ophelia live downstairs, they sleep with me. Ophelia doesn't like to be touched, so she's easy to "love on". Dorky is plastered to my side all night long. PJ & Punky...when they slow down enough....love to sleep with me, too. Cow is in the office, he gets loving when I'm on the computer. "Bailey" is in the bathroom....I haven't established a "loving time" as he's only been here 12 hours. The farm kitties...Molly & Fafeena get individual "love time" when they're in the bathroom for snackies. The Bobs get love when they're in the garage....the other's aren't exactly friendly....so I try to avoid touching them so I can keep the flesh on my bones.

Expenses....I carefully manage & pay everything I can. But with now 16 cats, most of the bills are paid by my parents. They, after all, are keeping most of the cats(only Ophelia, Dorky, & now Cow are "my" cats).

I do all the "dirty work"...LB cleaning/maintenance....meds.....vet runs....etc.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

I couldn't imagine only having 1 cat, I'd be bored!!

Like the others have said, my crew keeps themselves occupied, and they sleep a lot

Some are more demanding of personal attention than others, but it all works out somehow

Click to expand...

From no prior experience in caring for a pet to hand raising a kitten, I think I did pretty well. Initially, I was telling myself that one kitten is enough but looking at how well two or three or a household of cats get along with each other, I am really about to change my mind.

I am looking into the possibility of adopting a friend for Lucy Belle. I am a little worried though since Lucy Belle has no opportunity to be socialized with other feline and am unsure how well she will take it. I have a lot of research to do before subjecting her to another kitty friend and also to be fair to the newcomer, I have to make sure that I can really take good care of them both.

So, reading and learning from all of you who have multiple cats really do help.

Oh man, if any of my cats were an "only" they'd drive me crazy! They keep each other so well occupied and entertained that they don't demand much from us aside from meals, a clean litterbox, and a few snuggles now and then. Multiple cats, in my experience, are not a whole lot more work than just one cat.

Our family and friemds think that we are crazy for having the 9 that we have and a 6 mos. old baby but we do just fine. My husband and I make sure that we spend adequate time with each kitty and believe it or not we can all fit on the bed at night!!! As for the cost of owning all of them-we have to buy special food because Uno is allergic to chicken-the main ingredient in almost every frickin cat food, and every one of them has some genetic problem-we are always at the vet-I have stopped keeping track of what it all costs-I am sure I would pass out if I ever found out, but to my husband and I our cats our our passion-we have never had to get in an argument over the cats. We love our cats and would kill anyone who ever caused harm to them. It can be expensive and time consuming, but well worth the love you recieve in return. ( we have rescued or adopted all our cats from bad situations and will continue to do so in the future.)