who has the most cats on the forum?

[catsallaround]

I can't imagine having enough time, space, or money to care for more than 4. We have 3 now, but 2 is my limit. With a ton of cats, how do you have people over without cats crawling all over them? How do you keep the cat hair under control? The vet bills? Where do you put all of the litter boxes? Water bowls? If you can make it work, more power to ya'...

When anyone comes over its usually my mom and sister or my cat nut friends who LOVE them. When husbands family came over they stayed put in their room for the most part(large group and they were very loud

) But when my sister comes I try to get most of them in the cat room(aka converted to family room garage/sunroom both heated) shes allergic and gets very watery eyes/sneezing.

VACUUM, OFTEN, EVERYTHING!!!! The only place I dont like them is on counter, obviously they get there but I have many spots in house so that they dont seak that out as the best. The sunroom has windows into it and I leave one open so they can go into their room as they please(has a big table in it for them to sunbathe, and most of the litterboxes are in the garage. Only thing that sucks is I was going to lay down a berber rug but we are moving at some point so leaving it be. They have most of the cat tree in those 2 rooms along with a HUGE bowl(salad serving bowl I think) for dry and a few bowls/pots for water(bowls they tend to tip but a few like to move the water then drink so keep those low on water)

vet bills are not to bad. I got slammed by a kitten I hand raised and then she started going downhill fast-liver failure. 2 er trips was BAD. My cats don't get yearlys(stopped that long time ago cause of to many rabies reactions)

But my cats also never suffer. With this many you can't put lots of money into one cat. Like liver shunt kitten(angie) was 3000 to even start to try to fix it. Or the little guy Eric was badly run over(still think he got dumped here) and even the vet didnt want to put him in the repair/ adopt out program as to bad injuries. My seizure cat we tried medicine but it got worse in a day so vet thinks there was a tumor so we euthed her.

Blood work needed it gets done, dentals(so far only one cat but I noticing a few will need them soon) I am usually pretty good far as what feels right/wrong for that cat. umbilical hernias enlarged kidneys and heart murmur(well knew somethign was up didn't want to believe that was it tho!) I knew before the vet trip. Very hands on with them so notice things fast

I always say it might not always be clean(in sense id have to stay up 24/7 to stay on top of every little thing) but its far from a dump, my cats may not eat the best food but they never starve, may not get the best medical but they never suffer if its to much they are let go to not be in pain) May not be perfect but I have seen/heard of far worse.

 

[catsallaround]

Trailer parks I have been to fall in 2 categories. The low budget ppl always in/out and the parks maintained like real homes. This goes for apartments too imo.

The ones where ppl are in out I feel are probably not that stable to start with and many seem to be struggling just for their own needs. Friend lives in a real low budget one and constantly a string of sick kittens/fights/pregnant cats. Even with low cost spay/neuter its like a depression takes over and no one wants to do anything.
NOW!!! I am not saying thats everyone in the park but thats what it seems to me the many times I have been over.
There are plenty of ppl there who take great care of their own and trying to do what little they can for the strays(TNR) on the other hand I saw plenty with pregnant cats with the idea oh we live on a quiet street she ca have a litter. That was one place I really thought late term spay wasn't to bad of an idea. the limitied funds compounded by so many ferals, the owned pets just added that much faster to the core issues.

 

[strange_wings]

Yeah, this one was lower cost. What I still don't get is how the one person lived there for 5+ years and just up and left Sherman. Thankfully she left the a window open on that trailer, otherwise he would have been left trapped inside. How do you raise a cat from a kitten then just abandon them?

Another moved out and left her kids 9 month old kittens. Cats aside, who does that to their children?!

Only one of my cats wasn't an abandoned cat, lost, or feral born. And I honestly don't know if Tomas was actually lost from his home, he could have been a dump off. ...And that's how we all end up with so many, little choice because others can't be responsible.

 

[bastetservant]

I have 5 which is 1 too many. Partly I feel that way because, Tonya, who has been home 3 months, is still living in the guest room and is afraid to come out. However, progress is being made on that front, very slowly.

Probably 3 is the perfect number for me. Eventually, I will stay at that number - about 15 years from now!

(I hope.)

Volunteering at a shelter does not help my resolve to not get more. There is one there now, who I am particularly attached to. He's been there 10 months. If he doesn't get adopted in the next 6 months or so, I may bring him home.

However, he is male, and my two male cats do not get along so well. There is no real fighting. But the hissing, growling, and sometimes caterwauling is disconcerting. There are minor skirmishes between the others. And sometimes my boys are very lovey-dovey with each other.

It is odd to me because they were all "floor" cats at the shelter living loose among 25-30 other cats. And conflicts there are minimal. I don't know if it is because this is their actual home and they are more territorial here, or what.

Cat hair is not an issue because I vacuum and use washable towels and throws everywhere they go. Also, I brush them, which they enjoy. I also think the quality of food they are fed influences that. Certain times of the year, also, are worse.

They don't scratch the furniture, thanks to training using "Sticky Paws" double sided tape.

They are free to go anywhere, except I don't want them on the kitchen counters, and they don't go there (at least when I'm around). That is probably partly because I'm a vegetarian and no food is ever up there that interests them (except when dishing out their food).

They are all shy (except for Harlow sometimes), so when people come over, they all hide, or go to a room far away from the guests. I have a big basement that is open to them all the time. All the litter boxes (except Tonya's) are down there. People come over and say, "What cats?"

I really would like to have more cats, because I love cats more than about anything, and so many need homes. But because of the on-going expense, and behavior issues, I am, hopefully, not going to get more. Also, I feel my 5 take up a lot of time and energy. If I had more, I'm afraid that they wouldn't get the attention they need.

Robin

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Yeah, this one was lower cost. What I still don't get is how the one person lived there for 5+ years and just up and left Sherman. Thankfully she left the a window open on that trailer, otherwise he would have been left trapped inside. How do you raise a cat from a kitten then just abandon them?

Another moved out and left her kids 9 month old kittens. Cats aside, who does that to their children?!

Trailer/RV parks have no exclusive on that one. It's happening all over as people lose their homes. And look what happened to Genesis (the kitty of bellaandme's neighbor who moved and left the cat behind - and no window open).

 

[my4llma]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I don't mean to stereotype, honestly, since I know not all living in them are like this - but what is it with trailer parks? I had to deal with a group that was half skittish and half feral - the skittish ones had been without much human contact for months and their offspring had none at all. It was ridiculous. People would move in and out, leaving cats and even dogs in the process.

Not just in trailer parks. A house on the street behind ours burned down. The animals that were outside at the time lived. The people left and never came back for their outside pets. I know 1 neighbor on this street, took in their tuxedo cat.

There was a neighbor on this street. He gambled all his money. He and his family left. They left all their pets behind, didn't tell anyone about them. I don't know how 1 of their bunnies got out, but we were able to rescue him. Their next door neighbor heard dogs barking, she broke into the house and found all the animals, most were dead. She saved the ones she could.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by LDG

Trailer/RV parks have no exclusive on that one. It's happening all over as people lose their homes.

I'm talking about pre-2008, all the way back to the 80s when I lived in one myself and was always taking in kittens people left or neglected.

 

[bastetservant]

And another thing about so many cats, I don't have a dishwasher because when I had one, I didn't use it and so got rid of it. My current 1920's house, with the 1940's kitchen (charming, but . . .), doesn't have one or room for one. I wash a lot of cat dishes every day. It's almost reason enough to get a dishwasher.


Robin

 

[momofmany]

I am down to 8 cats right now. My ideal is no more than 5. But there was a long period of time where I had a lot more than what I have now (got up to 27 at one time), and frankly all the work that goes into that many just got too much for me. It was easier when I didn't work, but during that time it fully dawned on me how much they had been taking care of each other, rather than getting the attention from me that they all deserved when I did work.

In 6 months, all of my cats will officially be seniors. Half of them are already seniors, and I lost 2 this year due to old age related diseases. It gets very difficult to care for this many when they are old. Put special diets and vet visits aside, they get more demanding of your time at this age.

It is a very rare person who can take more than a handful of cats successfully. And that's if you are being completely honest with yourself.

 

[Willowy]

Let's see. . .
Litterboxes:
I have 3 rooms set up for the kitties, with baby gates/cat doors to keep the dogs out. The "porch" (not sure what else to call it-it's a proper room that used to be the front porch, but is now enclosed, heated/cooled, and insulated), the spare bedroom, and the basement (half of the basement is the laundry room--no cats allowed--and the other half is one big room). There are 6 litterboxes in each cat room (lined up against the walls), plus 2 in Silka's bedroom (she only enjoys the company of 2 other cats, and usually one of them is in with her, they switch off), plus one in the spare bathroom, because that's Mooch's safe haven (the other cats pick on him so he spends a lot of time in there). I use Tidy Cats and Special Kitty clumping, and I dump/wash/refill with new litter one litterbox a week.

I have found that food has the biggest effect on litterbox odor. If I go with the cheaper foods, I get stunk out of the house! So I stick with mid-grade foods (Chicken Soup, 4Health, etc.). They don't cost much more than the cheaper foods, all things considered. And I get a discount at the feed store for being a good customer

.

Food and water:
There is one pan down for dry (a large stainless steel "puppy pan" with a raised middle) in the porch room. Also a large ceramic water bowl in there. There's a small glass bowl next to the kitchen sink that they all prefer, I fill it almost every time I go by the sink, LOL. There is also a large plastic water bowl on the "back porch" (same thing as the front porch--now enclosed) for the dogs, and the cats can get to it when the dogs aren't closed back there (when I'm not home). I put 2 large plates of canned food down every night.

Guests:
I don't really like having guests. It's more fun to go out with friends instead of having them over. When people come over, they do get mobbed, but not by all 20! 5 of them are feral and several are quite shy and just hide. But if you don't want to get cat-mobbed, don't come to the cats' house! LOL. If I wanted to have people over without cats bugging us, I'd shut them in the basement.

Cat hair:
Not a problem? IDK, it just isn't an issue for me. Regular vacuuming and a washable slipcover on the couch takes care of everything. Maybe it's the food, but really the cats don't shed much. The dogs, on the other hand. . .

Vet bills:
So far so good. Other than spaying/neutering and kitten shots, most have never had to see the vet. If they need vet care, they get it, but I won't go to heroic measures to save a cat who likely won't have much quality of life afterward anyway (but that would be the same whether I had 2 or 20). They will never be allowed to suffer. Plus my vet is nice and will let me get antibiotics, de-wormer, etc. without an office visit. All I have to do is talk to him and describe the symptoms, and he'll tell me whether the cat needs to come in or what I can do at home.

Attention:
I don't think they lack for attention. Like I said, some are feral and don't want my attention anyway, but those that do want attention are not shy about demanding their due!


I am not a neat freak or a control freak, so if things get a bit chaotic, I'm fine with that. If someone had a problem with chaos, I think it would be terribly stressful for them to have so many cats.

I really do not feel overwhelmed by the cats. I do sometimes feel overwhelmed by the dogs, and after they're gone I will only have one dog at a time. I like having lots of cats around, although I probably wouldn't choose to have 20. Maybe 10. But they need homes, and I can provide that home, so why wouldn't I?

 

[sharky]

I have four which is very comfortable and down right easy... Yes ,I make payment s on vet bills but some of that is Having to PTS 4 animals in 3.5 yrs and dealing with several chronic illnesses...

I had 10 at one pt( fostering kittens ) and learned that 8 is my max ... So I am happy with four who tolerate each other ... And happy knowing if someone is in need I have room...

I vaccum alot .. no less than three times a week... My house does not smell , they are all spoiled with attention ( yes including the semi ferals), have decent food and they get the meds and care they need...
I would not trade a single one but if I had it to do over likely I would have just two..

 

[crazybird]

I have 5 cats living in a 4 cat household.

Four was our "limit" but we had a recent foster failure. The only reason we crossed our own line was that our kitty Spitty is so sick and mysterious ailment-laden that we don't know how long we will have her, and she is very much our son's cat, and he took quite a liking to our recent adopted boykitty. He is certainly not a replacement, but he is definitely working to fill the void that she leaves when she is not feeling well and doesn't do the things with our son that she normally does.

I foster for the local HS, so we have a fluctuating number of temporary cats and kittens. But five (permanent) is just right for us. They are all on a good wet food only, water bowls throughout the house, including fountains....litterboxes we have in our basement with a 'cat door' on the basement door so they can get to it (they love our nasty unfinished basement, go figure)

I, too, have a house that does NOT stink, is NOT covered in hair, we have nice furniture, cathair-less meals, pee/poop-free floors.... I love my kitties, but they live in my house, not the other way around. So we expect some manners (as many manners as you can expect a cat to have, anyway lol) I enjoy having company over, and enjoy a clean home. I admire those that can accomplish those things with many cats, as I don't know that I could keep up with too many more to my liking.

 

[wellingtoncats]

6 is definitely my limit. I currently own 7 cats and 4 kittens (OK owned by)...BUT the 7th cat is on a trial home although she has been there for 9 days now so maybe she will stay there (ex breeding queen, Fluffy). I'm thinking of keeping one of the kittens but that will take me over my own personal limit *sigh* decisions, decisions. Although I am working full time now as of November, I may not have time for 7.

 

[farleyv]

I have 11. I was down to only seven seniors. Then there was construction on our road and it was closed for 8 months. Well the ferals started living on the machinery and I knew they would get hit once the road opened. So, I adopted Spot and her son.

The seniors have their own apartment that we put in for my dad years ago. Spot and Beeb lived with us. Then Spot passed away, so Beeba lives with us.

Then, the last female barn cat, Slick was pregnant. I could finally put an end to the ferals by bringing her in and adopting the kittens out. Adopted four out, but Slick and her two, Fetch and Beeshee Marie remained unadopted.
Beautiful black and whites. They live in their own apartment.

It's a lot of work, but I love them and my house is clean.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I'm talking about pre-2008, all the way back to the 80s when I lived in one myself and was always taking in kittens people left or neglected.

It happened before 2008, and sadly, it will continue to happen.

Originally Posted by WellingtonCats

....Although I am working full time now as of November, I may not have time for 7.

We have 8, and being primarily responsible for everything, if we didn't work from home, I think 3 or 4 would be the most I could comfortably manage.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by Sakura

With a ton of cats, how do you have people over without cats crawling all over them? How do you keep the cat hair under control? The vet bills? Where do you put all of the litter boxes? Water bowls? If you can make it work, more power to ya'...

I don't know whether 8 is a ton of cats or not, but if your cats are healthy and you don't volunteer at a shelter or don't foster (so you aren't at risk for bringing things home with you they could catch), I imagine vet bills really aren't such a problem. We take ours every year for annuals, and two need dentals every six months, but plenty of people with just one or two cats only take them to the vet on an "as needed" basis.

As to the cat hair - the way we manage it is no different between 2 and 8 cats, and I don't think another 10 or 20 would make a difference. We vacuum a lot, and use throw blankets on our stuff. We don't like visitors, but when we lived in a house, it was a simple matter of folding up throw blankets and there was cat-hair free furniture ready to go.

In the house, we had litter boxes in every room (except the kitchen). If you don't like cats, you're not coming over, so what does it matter that there are litter boxes out, or bowls of food or water out and cats around?

 

[hissy]

Ideally, I would like to get back to my core of ten. But in this area, no one cares about the strays except to find horrific ways to hurt them.

I have issues with two strong alphas who collide every so often but we are here to break up the tension.

I recently placed six to various homes and it was a joy to make phone calls after the holidays and find out each cat and or kitten are doing well. My latest two and last rescues are 3 months old and I have found a home for both of them right after they get neutered (Jan. 7). The people have adopted from me before and they want both Puzzle and Riddle so the two of them will be together. They are very bonded.

Cat hair, I use a horse grooming tool to remove hair from my chairs and sofas plus I groom all the long and short hairs at least once a week. I just don't have time to do it more. Litter box scooping is a neccessity and I do it several times a day- my litter boxes aren't normal litter pans but kiddy size pools and large rubbermaid containers.

I have a patient, wonderful vet who takes payments but my vet bill is still one major concern for me. The last two older strays that arrived here had to be euthanized. They were pretty sick and hung on for about two weeks before their systems broke down and it was time.

If these cats weren't here with us, they would be dead or worse. So I just keep keepin on and we are never short of being entertained by this bunch.

 

[tara g]

We have three. While we could afford more comfortably, my husband says 3 is the limit, and I mostly agree. Every now and again I'll get the urge for another one (like 5 year old Andy I fell in love with at PetSmart), but know that 3 is pretty comfortable. It's the most I've ever had at one time, and took some convincing to get the 3rd. We also have 2 ferals outside about to be TNR'd, and a small black kitten that just appeared (looks to be about 6 weeks old) we also want to catch in hopes it can be rehomed.

Sometimes I feel bad we don't have more since we can afford it and could give another cat or two a better life, but I also don't want strain on our marriage (he's told me he'd leave if I came home with a fourth, and I'm sort of sure i believe him!)

Kind of like when a man wants 2 kids and the wife wants 4 ... better to come to an agreement rather than strain on the marriage.

 

[Winchester]

DH and I both have full time jobs, including night meetings sometimes and DH has business trips for his union from time to time as well.

There are five litter boxes for the six cats. I scoop twice daily and sometimes will scoop three times if I'm home during the day. The cats get their main meals in the morning and at night and, again if I'm home during the day, they'll get some dry kibble for their lunch. There is one large water dish in the kitchen, which gets fresh water twice a day. There are several containers of Sip in the fridge because all of the cats enjoy their Sip at night. They also get their bedtime treats. The cats line up at the foot of the bed and I give them all a couple treats.

I vacuum as much as I can, but sometimes cat hair can be an issue. Each cat does get a really good brushing once a week. Most people who know us know that we have six cats and they deal with them when they visit. Or they wouldn't visit....simple as that. We really do love having guests and entertaining and the cats aren't a problem at all. After saying hello to our friends and doing their "Oh, aren't we just adorable?" routines, they'll usually just go to bed.

As far as vet bills, our four geriatric cats go to the vet twice a year and more, if we feel it's needed; last year Whisper was at the vet four times because of teeth issues. And when Banshee was alive, she made so many vet visits that it wasn't even funny because she had feline asthma, a heart murmur and thyroid issues. We dealt with it. Mollipop has had all of her kitten shots and her rabies boosters and has had her spay, too, so she's good now for awhile....she'll go back to the vet in February, unless something happens that we feel she needs to go sooner. The only cat who has not been to see a vet in awhile is Amber who gets completely psychotic when she thinks she's going to the vet. I told DH that if she goes, he is taking her. I refuse. He tried a couple times this past summer....she gets completely spastic. And I simply won't even try anymore.

We don't feel that our furkids lack any attention at all. We sit down on the couch or on a chair and they come to us. We go to bed to watch tv and they're right behind us as we walk back the hallway to the bedroom. We share our bed with all six cats and it's OK....although it would be better if BooBoo didn't hiss at DH when he tries to roll over in bed! You have to understand, too, that with four geriatric cats who sleep a lot, it's hard to really pay them a lot of attention. They get cuddles and caresses when they want them. Always. Right now Mollipop is just a kitten, so she's awake (and into a lot of trouble!) more often than the other cats. She's always with me, maybe not on my lap, but she likes being in the same room with me whenever she can....even if she's napping on the chair next to me at the computer.

So it all works out. And has been working out for many years. It's just our life with the furkids.

Tara, DH has often told me that if I bring one more cat in the front door, he's heading out the back door. And I do believe him. But like I've said, I know that six is our limit and I respect that. I'd rather be a good Mom to six cats than to have to just deal with more than that. It wouldn't be fair to the cats nor to us.

 

[tara g]

Originally Posted by Winchester

So it all works out. And has been working out for many years. It's just our life with the furkids.

Tara, DH has often told me that if I bring one more cat in the front door, he's heading out the back door. And I do believe him. But like I've said, I know that six is our limit and I respect that. I'd rather be a good Mom to six cats than to have to just deal with more than that. It wouldn't be fair to the cats nor to us.

I agree

I know for sure we can handle our three well, we are very happy with our three, and they are spoiled to no end

They have enough toys for 50 cats here, and enough treats for 100! Luckily they get along pretty great themselves, and its always a risk dropping in another cat on them as well as ourselves. We are great parents to three, and dont see a reason to push our envelope. I really dont have a reason to push, because hubby cleans the litter box!

My friend who fosters (I've posted pics of some of her sets of kittens before) just got five fosters. Four of them are all black

I think I need to avoid her house for awhile