Dealing with the stresses of so many cats......

les26

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We have 9 cats, we have had 9-10 for several years, mostly ones that we took in from our own backyard and a few that were "drop offs" at my work, and while we love them dearly there are times when taking care of them puts us on stress overload, constantly scooping litter boxes, cleaning up poop and throw up and whatever else, dealing with their issues, them getting underfoot and in our way, running down the basement when we don't have time for that, you know, the usual stresses but with 9 cats it at times becomes a bit much. I was just wondering what "tips" anyone else has for dealing with this, how do you handle it if it starts to get to you? We love them dearly, we wouldn't trade it for the world as my wife says, we know that we saved their lives as they wouldn't have survived this long outside, really had "more heart than brains" years ago when we took them all in ha ha, but there are days when it gets you nuts, we both work full time jobs which adds to the stress, but we are looking at ways to cope. One thing that I do that does help is just lay on the floor and play string toys with them, it helps calm them and me, and it shows that we are a family, they need attention and we give it to them. Plus we live in a Cape Cod house, so while it isn't a huge mansion it is somewhat small for that many cats but it's not too bad, they all have their places that they can go to get away from each other and us! But they are well taken care for and loved, we never ignore anything about them, just sometimes we need a little breathing room from it.

Thanks, any tips would be appreciated as we will be locked in to caring for them for years yet! 
 
 

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There are two cats at work (we call them shop cats).
There are three at home. 
  One is pretty much an outside cat. She was a feral kitten and she likes her people just out of reach.  She lives in the garage.
  One now lives inside only. He's a carrier for bobcat fever and can't be around the other two.  And one of the others might hurt him by playing too rough, and the other would just hurt him because it's what she does.
  The third.  He lives in the sunroom at night and in an outdoor enclose during the day, or, he goes with me when I leave. (he loves going places).  He can't have access to the whole house because of the other indoor cat.

Basically, three cats that must be isolated from each other.  And "that" gets to be a pain sometimes.

Long story to tell you the solution for how we deal with it is nothing more than a "routine".   We have our cat chores we do in the morning before work, and our cat chores we do when we get home from work.  Just a redundant routine that we do every day.
 
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les26

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Yes, we have our routine also, but it is 9 cats in the morning, afternoon and night, so it is a lot and always "there" from the minute we wake up until the minute we go to bed. It sounds easier having it split up and just 2 at work and 3 at home, the days of us having "just" five cats seems so long ago now.....

A woman at work had just one and she said it drove her nuts, and she often thought "how does Les and Deb do it with 10?". We just do, I guess, but some days it just gets to you, it's like having a second full time job at times.
 

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Yes, we have our routine also, but it is 9 cats in the morning, afternoon and night, so it is a lot and always "there" from the minute we wake up until the minute we go to bed. It sounds easier having it split up and just 2 at work and 3 at home, the days of us having "just" five cats seems so long ago now.....

A woman at work had just one and she said it drove her nuts, and she often thought "how does Les and Deb do it with 10?". We just do, I guess, but some days it just gets to you, it's like having a second full time job at times.
Do they give you pleasure - warm your Heart and calm your Spirit - every day?

.
 
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orange&white

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Maybe you and your wife could reward yourselves with a date night once every week or two.  Get out of the house for dinner or a movie (or whatever you both enjoy).    Life can’t all be work and cats.

Alternatively, each of you could take a separate night out while the other tends the cats.   Find a new hobby?   Maybe you would like a poker night and she would like to take a cooking class (or vice versa)?

Find something new so that you don’t feel like you’re stuck in a rut?
 
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les26

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Do they give you pleasure - warm your Heart and calm your Spirit - every day?

.
Yes, yes and at times yes, sometimes it is anything but calm lol! Deb just said again tonight "I wouldn't trade it, I know they throw up and make messes and all, they can't help it they're cats, but what upsets me the most is they wreck the house, they scratch the woodwork and the sofas (despite having scratching posts), the rugs are a mess", and it is, and we try to train them to not do those things but when we're not home God knows what goes on....
 
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les26

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Maybe you and your wife could reward yourselves with a date night once every week or two.  Get out of the house for dinner or a movie (or whatever you both enjoy).    Life can’t all be work and cats.

Alternatively, each of you could take a separate night out while the other tends the cats.   Find a new hobby?   Maybe you would like a poker night and she would like to take a cooking class (or vice versa)?

Find something new so that you don’t feel like you’re stuck in a rut?
I coach youth soccer so that is my escape and "time out" for awhile, she sings on the church choir and her practice night when she isn't working is Wednesdays so that is hers. We pretty much share the workload, she deals with them in the morning and I tend to it in the evenings, but it still just seems like all we do is scoop cat boxes and tend to cat things, and it has been this many cats for about 6 years now. We can handle it, but at times it can really get to you if you let it.

Now she has today and the next two days off, I have the whole week off, and we feel some relief today, but that's probably because we didn't go to work which is very stressful. Good ideas though!
 

1CatOverTheLine

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me one very important lesson:

Life is this short:

Things - sofas, woodwork, that lamp that your Wife's Grandmother gave you for your tenth anniversary - are just things.    Fifty thousand years ago, when our ancestors first decided that walking on two legs was a bright idea, cats had already been around fifty thousand years before, planning and scheming how they were going to insinuate themselves into our lives and into our homes - almost certainly as a way of knocking that lamp that your Wife's Grandmother gave you onto the floor.

Remember the last time your Brother-in-law needed fifty bucks, and you said, "okay," knowing that you'd never see that fifty again, and knowing also that if you'd said, "no," that when your Wife found out, that you'd be sleeping out in the barn between the rototiller and the tractor for the next month?  Cats will never ask you for money; in fact, they never ask for a thing.  They're loyal in the fashion that Humans will never be; they're absolutely fearless, yet there's nothing about them which speaks of savageness nor barbarity nor of viciousness; they're incredibly beautiful, and are endowed with grace which surpasses all other creatures, yet they're not sullied by narcissism, haughtiness nor affectation; they bestow their Love with liberality - without restraint and without regret - and will take in return, Love in any form or measure - or in no measure at all, if that's what they're offered.  They don't care if you shaved this morning, nor if you spent the whole of the day in your bathrobe, nor even if you've walked out and left them alone for twelve hours, because they have something which Humans - no matter how kind-Hearted and wise and well-meaning we might be - will never have - they understand what's important - genuinely important - in this Life.

The next time you've spent the day toiling and chasing whatever dreams you might have, and come home exhausted, faced with taking care of the cats for the ten thousandth time, stop for a moment and watch one, curled up and sleeping that last errant sunbeam before it slips away into nightfall, and realise that here is an animal who embodies every single one of man's virtues, and who retains not even a single one of his vices - except, perhaps, for wanting to hear the sound of a Capodimonte lamp as it strikes the tile floor.

And let's face it - that lamp was just plain beastly.

.
 

orange&white

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I coach youth soccer so that is my escape and "time out" for awhile, she sings on the church choir and her practice night when she isn't working is Wednesdays so that is hers. We pretty much share the workload, she deals with them in the morning and I tend to it in the evenings, but it still just seems like all we do is scoop cat boxes and tend to cat things, and it has been this many cats for about 6 years now. We can handle it, but at times it can really get to you if you let it.

Now she has today and the next two days off, I have the whole week off, and we feel some relief today, but that's probably because we didn't go to work which is very stressful. Good ideas though!
Well, that sounds good.  For some reason, I was envisioning a life of nothing but work and cats.  Good to hear you have some balance with hobbies and church.

My max capacity is 3 cats and 2 dogs.  So 5 pets per human?  lol  Right now, I'm at 2 cats and 1 dog (lost a cat in September, and a dog in January).  I'm already thinking, "Oh, I have room...and time...and sanity....for at least another one."  I'll question the sanity part later, maybe.  : )
 

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I feel like I've gotten into a mess the last two years. I have more than the cats and the cats are kind of special.
I have three parrots that require constant neglect *they said it, not me*
I have 5 guinea pigs taking up my dining room; 4 of which are related because I got a pregnant guinea pig *didn't know it* from the humane society when the 8 year old died.
Then the kitties special needs. Tom and Stew are always going to be fat little boys because we are always monitoring their weight and they will always be hungry. Stewart's asthma greatly improved over the 4 lb weight loss. Tommy got down to 13 from 21, but required more care since late last year. He developed urinary issues with blockages so it was hospital stay(2k+), raw food diet, hospital stay(2k), hospital stay(2k+), surgery(2.5k). The raw takes me 2 hrs every time to prep for the month. He had the cone on for 4 weeks following his PU.
So I was feeding the boys $40 a month on dry food and now they're $115-125 a month for rabbit turkey raw. 
The girls are different. One of them refuses to touch anything wet and they both remain on kibble since they eat together. Yue is a Princess that loves dirty smelly clothes and whenever she vomits the boys run to swarm her to eat it *stop that*. My girl that will only eat dry does not at all in any way like Stewart's face.

I get to run and do errands or hang out with a friend every few months or go be antisocial and catch a movie at the theatre by myself with my nachos.
 

1CatOverTheLine

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I feel like I've gotten into a mess the last two years. I have more than the cats and the cats are kind of special.
I have three parrots that require constant neglect *they said it, not me*
I have 5 guinea pigs taking up my dining room; 4 of which are related because I got a pregnant guinea pig *didn't know it* from the humane society when the 8 year old died.
Then the kitties special needs. Tom and Stew are always going to be fat little boys because we are always monitoring their weight and they will always be hungry. Stewart's asthma greatly improved over the 4 lb weight loss. Tommy got down to 13 from 21, but required more care since late last year. He developed urinary issues with blockages so it was hospital stay(2k+), raw food diet, hospital stay(2k), hospital stay(2k+), surgery(2.5k). The raw takes me 2 hrs every time to prep for the month. He had the cone on for 4 weeks following his PU.
So I was feeding the boys $40 a month on dry food and now they're $115-125 a month for rabbit turkey raw. 
The girls are different. One of them refuses to touch anything wet and they both remain on kibble since they eat together. Yue is a Princess that loves dirty smelly clothes and whenever she vomits the boys run to swarm her to eat it *stop that*. My girl that will only eat dry does not at all in any way like Stewart's face.

I get to run and do errands or hang out with a friend every few months or go be antisocial and catch a movie at the theatre by myself with my nachos.
Wait - you get to go out alone every few months, and you get nachos???  Boy, do I envy you !

.
 

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You shouldn't be cleaning up throw up. Cats aren't supposed to throw up. It could be the food. Maybe a clean diet would help with this and also decrease your stress level.
 
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les26

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You shouldn't be cleaning up throw up. Cats aren't supposed to throw up. It could be the food. Maybe a clean diet would help with this and also decrease your stress level.
I work with a woman who has 37 cats, indoor and outdoor, and she says her cats also throw up a lot. I thought that was common for them to do?
 

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Just posting about the stress and getting emotional support is a great thing. I don't know if there is one on TheCatSite but there are several online communities that help people deal with the stress of running a rescue which is pretty much where you are at.

The cats throwing may be due to the stress in your home it sounds like you've hit a cycle where you're all feeding off each others stress.

I only have 4, how did that happen anyway but we have a routine and I've learned that sometimes things can just wait. You are no good to your cats if you're stressed out and sick. Remember you're supposed to enjoy them too.

You need to make time for yourself and as a couple.
 

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Chronic throwing up indicates a health issue, but every cat I've ever owned occasionally had an upset tummy from stress or changing food, plus an infrequent hacked up hairball even in short haired cats.  Genetics - some cats have sensitive guts and others have cast iron stomachs.  A good diet of course is beneficial for either.
 
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les26

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I think some of them throw up because they eat too fast. Simba only has 1 tooth, had the rest removed at the vet a few years back, he was in bad shape when we took him in, so I don't think he digests his food as well as he should. Samantha has always been like this, eats, walks away and many times throws up, but that's her, she is fine otherwise and healthy. I think hairballs has something to do with it at times but not much, I just think they eat too fast but it could be more than that. They are all healthy, no issues that are obvious to us.

Thanks for the replies, we deal with it. And whether or not we feel stressed or not they are getting the same amount of love and affection and attention, we try to keep things even keel but somedays it just can work on you and wear you down. I said to a woman at work "it's like having 9 little kids", and she said "yes, but eventually little kids grow up and learn how to do things for themselves, cats don't" which is true. We deal with it, we chose to take them all in so we are obligated to deal with it until the end and we will....just at times, it becomes an overload.
 

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I relate to this so much, we have 10 lovely kitties. I reccomend having tons of toys around and I'd also invest in a big cat bungalow, keeps them pretty occupied lol
 

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I work with a woman who has 37 cats, indoor and outdoor, and she says her cats also throw up a lot. I thought that was common for them to do?
According to my vet, a cat shouldn't ever throw or rarely throw up.  We cat sat my ex's cats for 6 months and one chronically threw up no matter the diet.  We found he threw up less when he was body clipped so I do think there is a hair component. When my elderly cat was throwing up, we put her on steroids as she had IBD and wouldn't eat a proper diet.  Problem solved. What food are you feeding? Grain free, CORN free high quality is key. What is your toothless cat eating? 
 
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les26

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According to my vet, a cat shouldn't ever throw or rarely throw up.  We cat sat my ex's cats for 6 months and one chronically threw up no matter the diet.  We found he threw up less when he was body clipped so I do think there is a hair component. When my elderly cat was throwing up, we put her on steroids as she had IBD and wouldn't eat a proper diet.  Problem solved. What food are you feeding? Grain free, CORN free high quality is key. What is your toothless cat eating? 
Fancy Feast wet and dry, sometimes Friskies. We tried the "better" brands many times years ago, they wouldn't eat it, we kept it out for them to try to force them to eat it but they didn't, we just ended up throwing it out and wasting money.
 

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Just me here, with 5 small dogs and 7 cats.  All are rescues.  So I sympathize!

Since you have 9 cats, you should have 10 litter boxes, and only scoop once daily.  Is that how you have things set up?

Hairballs are not normal.  In the wild, what the cats eat helps to move the hair through the gut and out the other end.  I was able to eliminate hairballs by using a grain free food (kibble and canned are both grain free).  Throwing up  also should not be happening.  I have one pudge gal who gobbles food and throws up 10 steps from the dish.  I now leave dry kibble out all the time.  This seems to have stopped her.  And Emma was throwing up often, since being diagnosed with IBD and put on a special diet, she has stopped!  I just put the entire house on that food (it is not prescription food, just limited ingredientand alternative protein ).

I know you said you tried other food and they didn't eat.  Do you recall what you tried?  Because as far as I know, cats will not starve themselves.  Yes they prefer certain things but that doesn't mean they will die - in spite of what their meowing says!  Just like human children would live on mac n cheese, McDonald's, and never eat their veggies, we have to be the adults.  And if you buy and set out some of each, guaranteed the cats will eat the one and leave the other, so you have to do a complete change over (if you go that route).

I was scooping litter boxes before I went to bed . . . put it off and put it off.  And that was stressing me.  So for the past month, I make a point to scoop at between 4 and 4:30, so I am not dreading it all evening.  And I timed it, I get them all done in 10 minutes, so I remind myself of that as I do the chore. I also 'sing' to the cats while I am doing this chore.  Not sure if I am doing it for them or for myself, but that has helped.

5 small dogs . . . small dogs have small bladders.  Do you think all 5 and go OUT and then come IN together?  HA!  not a chance.  But that is another topic!
 
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