For those who have 3+ cats..

Well Isaac was the 3rd and it was sort of a spur of the moment decision. He was so cute & the only on left from his litter and well you can guess the rest. Maggie and I bonded when she was very young. There was just something about her and she responded to me in a differnt way than she did the rest of the volunteers.

I would never give any of them up, the only regret I have is not thinking more about Isaac's personality. He can be a bit of a bully, and does pick on Levi regularly. So the fact that Levi gets picked on and now has some small notches out of his ears is my only regret.

My folks adopted Sassy as a companion for Dylan; I adopted Pearl as a companion for Clyde. Then it became clear that Clyde's mom, Abby, was too fearful to be adoptable, so my Mom took her in as a foster, to work with her. Although Abby has improved drastically, she's still not considered adoptable, and we couldn't bear to see her go back into a cage, so my folks kept her, and she was my father's roommate and "girlfriend," as he called her, for years.

Then I moved in with my folks, and suddenly instead of one two-cat household and one three-cat household, we had a single FIVE-cat household. No mas, we said (in the immortal words of Roberto Duran).

Then somebody threw a six-week-old orange tabby out of a car and Mom and I were at the shelter when he needed a foster, so he came home with us. But he turned out to be the most beautiful, gentle, intelligent, and loving little guy in the world, and there was no way to give that little sweetheart back. So now with St. John, we're a SIX-cat household.

Do we regret it? Not in the sense that we would ever think of undoing it, no! Each and every cat is a special treasure in his or her own way, and our lives would not be complete without all of them.

But having six cats is a huge logistical problem (in addition to involving a lot of work and a lot of expense). It forces us to stay in this house, even though we might be better off selling it and moving into an apartment. If that becomes financially necessary, which it easily could, then I guess all we can do is lie lie lie and hope they just don't notice that we have three times the upper limit on cats.

We never imagined that our households would join up permanently. If we had, we'd have at least kept it down to two cats each, for a total of four. But then we wouldn't have Abby or St. John, and what would we do without them?

Unless you're sure you'll always be able to afford a house of your own, you probably ought to stick with two cats... or maaaaaybe three, if you think you can negotiate landlords up to that.

Good luck!

I have 5 cats, and I've decided that I am at my personal limit. Finances are a partial consideration, but mostly it is that I don't have time to take care of any more animals. I have to make a conscious effort right now to make sure they all get individual attention, regular grooming, playtime, etc. I think, at this point, adopting any more cats would be to the detriment of my current cats. However, I also have a dog and reptiles who also need attention (not to mention my human kids), and if I didn't have them I might think about more cats.

Also, as the previous poster noted, it is much more difficult to move when you have more than a couple of pets. Options for rentals are limited, and when you can find them you sometimes have to pay $$$$$$$ for damage deposits, etc. We've thought about selling our current place and renting for awhile, but I don't think we could find anyplace that would take all of our pets.

For the most part our cats get along fine. Delilah has been here the longest, and she has a really hard time accepting adult cats, so we adopted all the other 4 as kittens just for that reason. Don't be surprised if even your friendlier cat isn't crazy about a new addition at first - mine all threw a fit for several days, then they settle down and get to know each other.

Good luck with your decision!

Trina will be wary at first, but it'll go the way of the other kittens; after two days, she'll be torn between cleaning them and caring for them and being annoyed that they're in her space! =D

With two, it's easy to give them both individual time, but... I dunno about three! Ahhh! =( I hope I figure this out.

We had 3 cats when i was in my early teens because well I had 2 and then when my Mom and Step-Dad got married, he already had Tiger.

Now at my Mom's they have 3 again because it just seemed to happen. My last kitty passed away and they eventually got lonely for another so they adopted Pumpkin. When we were getting him we saw Bunny and I fell in love with her. She stayed at my parent's to be Pumpkins "surrogate" mommy we called her. And then Olivia came when my Aunt couldn't find anyone else to take her. So I guess it just happened for them.

We adopted 2 so they'd have each other. (Besides, they were the last 2 of their litter left!) Sometimes I think I'd like more kitties, but things are so settled with my girls as it is now. But then I see for my Mom's where bringing Olivia in gave Pumpkin a more active playmate, which gave Bunny a break from his antics.

I haven't actually decided to get a cat since I got Sheba in 1989. The others all just happened to me.

Sheba probably would have preferred to remain an only cat. She didn't play well with others. But then Gypsy showed up as a feral stray in the dead of winter. I earned her trust, caught her and got her vetted, and she stayed. Then I fostered Gracie from the SPCA and she had the kind of personality that probably would have gotten her euthanized, so she stayed.

Fast forward a few years, and Sheba has since passed on, and the very day that my husband and I were talking about maybe adding another cat, we found feral kittens living under my neighbors' porch. We caught two of them, and they're now our Pippin and Fergus. (The others and mamacat sadly escaped capture, and haven't been seen in weeks.)

But that's the reason I didn't actively look for another cat after Sheba died. I knew that at some point, a cat (or cats) who needed us would come along.

When we had Willow, she was a terror. It was like the classic Tortitude, but magnified. She hated people outside of our family, and would attack them (stalking them and then slicing at them if they tried to touch her). She was just terrible, and she had a real reputation amongst friends and on the internet. When we got Buffy, it was because she was a 4 week old orphan who had lost her mom and siblings the day before at the vet hospital, and we were asked if we wanted to adopt her. Willow was 2 years old at the time, and we were initially afraid at how she would respond to this screaming black intruder. We kept them separate for the first week, but after the first few days of Willow showing FEAR and uneasiness (but at the same time, curiousity) about this kitten, we decided Willow wouldn't be a problem. It was proved when we'd let both cats roam, and Willow would be following the kitten, but when the kitten would turn around, Willow would turn tail and run in the opposite direction. After a week, Willow finally made the first move towards friendship (scaring Buffy in the process, as Buffy was eating a cheesie in a basket and her tail was hanging over the edge, and she didn't notice Willow's big paw playing with the tail until her eyes caugh a glimpse). From that moment on, though, they were fast friends, and Willow became Buffy's surrogate momma, minus the milk. She raised her like her own for the next 8 or 9 months, and I think it's because of Willow that Buffy grew up so well-rounded. She is a little quirky, but that's to be expected, being Willow's "baby." Willow, in reward for taking care of Buffy, gained security and companionship, and is now a calm, laidback little girl who no longer cares if strangers come into the house. It's wonderful!

We got Molly when my sister found her stuck in a tree, and when we fell in love (at first sight) and nobody called to claim her, we kept her. I still can't understand why anyone would just ditch her; she was 5 months old (thereabouts) and was so gentle and well-mannered, that someone HAD to have owned her. The only reason I can think of for her abandonment was her bowel issues: for a year, while being fed kibble, her poops were NASTY; runny and sometimes bloody, and the smell would melt steel. When I finally got fed up of trying different foods, I decided to take the plunge and try RAW for the first time, and voila, that was the magic answer. She's now as normal and stink-free as the next cat, lol, but she can be a real bear when it comes to waiting for me to serve up her food.

My parents have had 3 cats at various points. Mostly it was because Mom is a soft touch (can't bear to separate littermates, fell in love with a rescue and didn't want to drop him or her off at the shelter, etc.). But the last period when my parents had three, my grandmother was responsible. Lucky wandered into our yard starving, covered with fleas, and suffering from a URI. We cleaned her up, and my grandmother insisted on taking her to the Humane Society but had a change of heart once she got into the parking lot. She said it was because my brother (who went with her) was giving her dirty looks, but I knew -- she had a soft spot for that little calico. That was August 1992, and Miles, Taffy and Lucky coexisted peacefully until Miles crossed the Bridge in May 2004 at the ripe old age of 15.

My two cats were totally contented with one another and life in general. But I wasn't done....I wanted a real cuddle buddy for myself

I was concerned about my cats getting along with another cat...didn't want to mess with my peaceful home.

I fell in with Rocko at the shelter. He is 8 years old. He definately turned out to be my cuddle buddy.

I knew he would be a good choice because he was loved by all the shelter staff and had been living in their cat community with other cats for a few months (so I knew he could get along with different personalites).

I didn't even do a slow introduction with the other cats (I know not the best idea usually) I just had a feeling it would be okay. All my cats are pretty easy going (my cat sitter says they are a very amiable bunch! )

Fiona (she is close to 3 yrs old.) will slap him around showing her dominace and she screams at him from time to time (but thats just because she is smaller and needs to make her voice loud to compensate for her smaller size ), but they play and i've caught them giving little licks like they are grooming each other They eat side by side too!

And Ree-Ree (he is 1 yr. 3 mnths old) him! From the very first day...he follows him around and they sleep together, they are like brothers

Rocko is very patient and tolerant and easy going....If you have two dominant personalities (like I had) maybe getting a cat that is laid back and not so dominant(i got lucky that they got along though) is a good idea.....I agree with others that an older cat is a good idea. Find out from the shelter what his/her personality is like....go from there.

I hadn't planned on 3. I got Anastasia as a buddy for Demetri, and Farley just came along with her Now I'm waiting on another kitten, to even up the number to 4.

Farley came on trial, and I don't regret having him (or the others) they all get along so well and are together most of the time. I love the way they cuddle up to sleep together.

My main thought was that we had one cat (Trent) who loved to play and tormented Ophelia who didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t. Being a boy, he never got it through his thick kitty scull that hissing means she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to play. Ginger came to our home sight-unseen from a TCS member who couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t find a home for her in Ohio (which is odd, because almost everyone who meets her wants to take her home!) as a playmate for Trent. It took about a year but that has worked out very well.

Mojo wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t planned. We went to Petsmart to get food, we looked at the kitties up for adoption and my husband fell in love. The feeling was mutual. So Mojo came home.

Annie is a rescue from up in the middle of a National Forest. No idea how she got to be there. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re in the midst of introductions to the rest of the crew, so itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s still up to the other cats if she stays for good or not. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s SO snuggly, I hope Ophelia especially accepts her because it would be great for both of them to have a snuggle-buddy.

I've always thought two was the ideal number of cats (though I dearly love all 5 of them!).

I started out with two, then ended up with two more when a stray had 5 kittens under my porch & I could only find homes for 3 of them before I got attached to the last two. The next addition was feral who showed up & I started feeding her, then got her spayed. She's not indoors with the rest, but she is still an additional commitment (she's about 13 years old now), and I've had to move her along with me when I've moved since she's become dependent on me. After the first cat died, I got married & my husband's cat was integrated into the bunch, making a total of 5 cats (4 indoors).

For me, aside from the finances issue (things can get VERY expensive when the cats all get old), I've found there are some other things to consider:

Space - how many cats can peacefully share the available territory without fighting or urine marking breaking out? Different cats have different personal space needs. I had trouble for a while with my younger cats picking on the oldest one. I also had trouble for a while with one cat peeing on the bed out of stress. Things are peaceful now, thankfully.

Health - the more cats you have, the more difficult it can be to determine which cat is vomiting, producing more or less urine, having bladder issues, diarrhea, drinking excessively, not eating enough, etc. If some cats need to be on a different diet, it can be a challenge. It can also be difficult if you have to medicate multiple cats.

Time - Do you have enough time every day to meet not only the daily demands of caring for and cleaning up after multiple cats, but also the time to give each pet some individual attention and play time?

Travel - if you travel, do you have someone reliable to care for the cats? Are they willing to clean up after them and medicate them if needed? Or would you need to board them? Do you have a place in your area that is good with boarding cats?

Circumstances change, and if you find yourself caring for children or with less free time available for any other reason, will you still have enough time and energy for the cats? Cats can live to be 20+ years old now, so it's a big commitment, and worth taking the time to think about.

I love all of my cats dearly, and they have all brought immeasurable joy into my life. But, I do want to share some things I've learned that I think might be helpful to know about when considering new additions .

I got a second one to keep the first one company and they didn't get along so I got a third. Everything worked out great. Then I went to Best Friends to volunteer for a week and I found a 4th. The first two still don't get along but all is well with the others. I don't know if i would go out and seek another one. It just seems when you are a cat lover, one always ends up on your doorstep needing a home or you find one dumped on the road somewhere or someone is about to shoot one for some stupid reason and you cant stand the thought so you take it. I can't afford a 5th but will probably end up with one just for the reasons I mentioned above.

I have three cats. It started as one. My boyfriend got my first cat ever, gaz. Each year I have gotten another cat, and I got a ferrett too. "Just one more wont hurt". lol. Its always hard getting cats aquainted, especially if one was the only kitty for a while. But my third one ajusted quickly. Gaz still doesnt like the younger cat Cloud too much, but they will tolerate each other enough to act civil.

All of mine were rescues in immediate danger.
The janitor where I worked wanted to see if a kitten could be flushed down a toilet, so I took Scooter from him.
Pepper had been hit in the road and left to die, when she was just stunned and barely injured.
Pearl was removed from an abusive home.
My SO rescued Fluffy, she had been dropped in his job parking lot, about 10 feet off of a major highway, on Christmas Eve. He sat for several hours outside with her inside his jacket because he could not take her inside the tattoo shop, due to health regs. She has been peeking in the window and tapping on the glass with her paw. She ran right up to him, jumped in his lap, and wiggled into his jacket and his heart. He called me to come get her, and she has been with us for almost 3 years.
Fred, the old kitty on the far right of my siggy was my first cat, and he was with me for 18 years. We rescued him from a tree on Thanksgiving weekend by bribing him with turkey.

I saw how well Rosie and Sophie got on with each other, then started thinking how they would be should one of them die, because i've read so many threads here about cats grieving when they were the only ones left So that's when i thought about getting my 3rd (Jack) and i don't regret a single minute

I was happy with one, Mary but I felt she needed a playmate because she was kind of needy as far as needing attention. Plus she was so physical. So we added Olivier. They played and fought and played and fought but they loved each other. Mary was about one and he was 9 months. But then we had to put him to sleep. So I grieved for 6 months. On a whim around Christmas I went to the cat shelter. There in a cage were the kittens who were so cute they were used as a photo on their website. The photo is still there. I saw Seldon first and I saw that he and Cleo were laying together. I wanted a boy so I brought two home.
Of course then I found the kittens under the porch and added two more.
5 cats and that is my limit. I physically can't do it.
My house is big enough that all of the cats can go off some where and be alone if they want. I have a room just for the cats but everything is going good so why mess with it. I think Mary would get fed up. My cats are all under 3 and will grow old together.