Overwhelmed

I have a bit of a dilemma... I've got 5 cats (2 cats, 3 kittens). we can financially care for them, they get the best food available, and lots of attention. However, i feel like i'm wearing thin. I clean the litterboxes 3 times a day, and the kittens will randomly crap and pee in the kitchen. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning, and cannot do the simplest task without stumbling over one or more cats. Just when I'm done cleaning, another mess is created.

I am tired most of the time, but they will climb all over my face when I try to sleep. They just turned 4 months old, and to top everything off, the boys have just discovered their tiny "friends", and have begun trying to mate their sister. (she is seperated from them now. I am beginning to reminisce about our 2-cat household days more and more. I am beginning to heavily consider adopting the kittens out to new homes.

They are set to be fixed the day they turn 5 months, which should calm them a little, but I know that the messes will just get bigger, the litterboxes will just need cleaning that much more, the inter-cat relationships will just get tenser, and I am beginning to look forward to it less and less.

Before you dub me as an awful, irresponsible pet owner and flame me into oblivion please read the above CAREFULLY. Don't just skim and judge.

Well, the key of the answers you have it...
I can´t tell you what is the correct thing to do... but I can listen to you...
Good luck with this hard desicion...

How many litterboxes do you have and what type of litter??
I have 4 cats and right know only 3 litter boxes and only "scoup" daily.
Maybe you need to work on the litterbox training for the kittens as they shouldn't be having any accidents at this age. Is there health ok??
Do you have a litter box in the kitchen?
When I got bakker last fall it had been over 5 yrs since I had a kitten and they can take lots out of a person. Do you have any help from spouse/children??
Take care and don't let them stress you out.

Well, congrats on such a vivacious household! Personally, if I had a cat or kitten not using the litterbox, I would first get a vet check. Then I would limit them to a crate or one room, unless they were being closely watched. This will help them relearn cleanliness.

I had a problem with Festus. She was wormy, and had been wormed, and began pooing in bedroom corners. A few days in a crate and she was cured of the messy habit. It made us both much happier!

Is it possible to get them fixed sooner? It will help immensely! And remember that babies do grow up, and they will all settle down soon. Or if you decide to share the love, and rehome some of the babies, that may be a possiblility, too. (I foster, so am accustomed to kittens moving on! LOL)

If you are unhappy & stressed out, maybe you should consider finding homes for the kittens..
I know you want to do the right thing, but you have to also take you into consideration & find a happy medium.

Responsible pet owners must also consider their ability to care for the animals. If it becomes too stressful to care for the animals and you take the time and effort to find them suitable homes, then I applaud you.

I don't think it means that you love them any less. In fact you care for their well-being by acknowledging that your efforts may not keep up with them.

Best wishes.

Originally Posted by GailC

How many litterboxes do you have and what type of litter??
I have 4 cats and right know only 3 litter boxes and only "scoup" daily.
Maybe you need to work on the litterbox training for the kittens as they shouldn't be having any accidents at this age. Is there health ok??
Do you have a litter box in the kitchen?
When I got bakker last fall it had been over 5 yrs since I had a kitten and they can take lots out of a person. Do you have any help from spouse/children??
Take care and don't let them stress you out.

Click to expand...

3 litterboxes, big & deep with scoop-away multi-cat litter.

The kittens are all healthy.

There isnt a litterbox in the kitchen, as I feel a bit strange having stool and pee in a food-oriented room (plus it's a huge put-off for me to smell a freshly laid kitty-bomb while i'm cooking dinner/eating...momcat did not teach them how to bury.)

I take care of all 5 cats by myself. (bf works long hrs.)

Get them fixed because if you don't you will soon have more than 5 cats

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Well, congrats on such a vivacious household! Personally, if I had a cat or kitten not using the litterbox, I would first get a vet check. Then I would limit them to a crate or one room, unless they were being closely watched. This will help them relearn cleanliness.

I had a problem with Festus. She was wormy, and had been wormed, and began pooing in bedroom corners. A few days in a crate and she was cured of the messy habit. It made us both much happier!

Is it possible to get them fixed sooner? It will help immensely! And remember that babies do grow up, and they will all settle down soon. Or if you decide to share the love, and rehome some of the babies, that may be a possiblility, too. (I foster, so am accustomed to kittens moving on! LOL)

Click to expand...

I would love to do the seperate & retrain, but all three of them use the boxes, it is just that every once in a while, two of them (that I know of) just go into the kitchen and do their business in a corner for some reason. I actually scrubbed, bleached, and re-scrubbed the place they were going in before. since then, no one's gone there. Until yesterday, I thought that the problem was solved. Then it started smelling like crap again. I thought that someone'd just gone in the box next to the kitchen doorway.

Today, one of them just casually walked in there and peed in a pot lid <grossed out>. I did not see it in action, but I suddenly heard the scratching at the pot lid, and she came out with pee covering half her fur.

I would need to focus on one at a time, because of the mating behavior starting, and in that meantime, the others would be getting worse, imo (or even worse, the newly "retrained" one would revert to using the kitchen as a bathroom). I also fear that in the meantime, other things would be going on with the other cats that I would not be able to notice in time. They constantly find random objects and try to eat them. I've chased them down quite a few times to find wrapper fragment, matchstick pieces, and other random debris, and I have no idea where they're getting most of it from, as I sweep every day.

5 mos. is the soonest i can get them fixed (and I had to "haggle" a bit for that, even), so i just have to wait out and hope that spraying doesnt start adn that the girl doesnt get knocked up somehow.

Originally Posted by hissy

Get them fixed because if you don't you will soon have more than 5 cats

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I've said that they're set to be fixed the day they turn 5 mos. That is the soonest I can find around here. The adults are fixed. the kittens are "too young to be fixed at this age", which i believe is rather stupid. if it can try to mate, then it is old enough to be fixed, i think.

It takes a really strong person to admit they made a mistake. It's hard to say "I just can't do this" when you thought you could I applaud you for knowing your own personal limits

I would say find homes for the kittens. Unless you really have your heart set on keeping them. It sounds like you have a bit more than you can handle at the moment. What about keeping just one of the kittens? We have four cats, and at times it feels like I am surrounded by them, but those times are few and far between. My youngest is 5 months old, and sleeps A LOT. The 10 month old sleeps a little less, but is into EVERYTHING when he is awake. The other two are 4 yrs. and most of the time you don't even know they are here.

Find really good homes for the kittens and you will all be happy. I too would not put a litterbox in my kitchen. (Yuck) Try to get them fixed sooner if possible. If the males start spraying you will have an even worse situation.

Best of luck....
Bobbie

Originally Posted by katachtig

Responsible pet owners must also consider their ability to care for the animals. If it becomes too stressful to care for the animals and you take the time and effort to find them suitable homes, then I applaud you.

I don't think it means that you love them any less. In fact you care for their well-being by acknowledging that your efforts may not keep up with them.

Best wishes.

Click to expand...

I second this opinion. It sounds like you have a group of mischeivous little kitties on your hands, and thinking about rehoming them doesn't make you a bad owner...it makes you a good one. You are thinking about the well being of your animals and yourself. We bring pets into our homes to enjoy them. If it's not working out, then new homes may be the best thing for all. Maybe these kitties belong in a one or two cat household. In the meantime, try not to use bleach to clean up after their eliminations. The ammonia odor of the bleach remains, and they can smell it even if humans can't. It strongly resembles the smell of urine and will encourage the cat to eliminate in that spot again. Try an enzymatic cleaner, or even Resolve for pet stains. Good luck.

With that many kitties you need another litter box or 2. I adopted both of my kittens at 7 weeks and they were already spayed. Why not spay them now? They are just exhuberant kittens, enjoy them.

Wanting to find your kittens a better suited home makes you a GREAT, responsible, person. I wish more were like you.

Sometimes I get lazy and sick of scooping litterboxes, too. Occasionally, I dump the scooping litter and buy clay, and then just change it every few days.

Look at the top of the behavior thread, there are pointers about inappropriate poo/pee; maybe there will be some good pointers.

If you have too many cats, it is fine to find new homes for one or more of the kittens. But if it is just the kittenish behavior that has you down, it is ok to post your feelings here, then keep your "too many" cats anyhow. The babies will grow up, and it will get better as they age.

Although a litterbox in the kitchen is gross, as is one in the front room, I have had both at times. It beats someone peeing in the lid of a pot!

Call around to a few different vets. I have heard that girl cats can be brought into heat by a male mounting them. I would try real hard to get them to spay her now...even if you have to forget her birthday and say she is already 5 months old! (I do not recommend lying usually...but this is a health issue-their physical health and your mental health!)

There are days when I feel overwhelmed by my gang also, and times when I wish I had never been such a big heart by taking them all in. It's not just the litter box scooping, but constant vigilence over territorial disputes, coming of age dynamics, health watch, quirking habits of each (like playing on your face at 4AM), giving each the necessary attention they need, constant cleaning of bowls, beds, rugs, cat hair patrol.......you just get tired sometimes.

I get thru it because 1) I made a commitment when I took them in that it would be for life, 2) I set my house up to be a cat playground (helps them to self-entertain), 3) my husband helps, 4) I have my cat support groups (TCS, friends, etc)

I had 6 kittens within a few months of each other a few years ago. The youngest of those cats is just turning 2 right now. With their coming of age, my household is once again on the edge of chaos, as 2 of the younger ones are trying to push out the older alpha. Why do I tell you this? Your kittens will mature and there will most likely be territorial disputes and challenges for a period of time until they all find their hierarchy in your household again. If you keep the kittens, expect this to happen and if you are ready for it and can deal with it, then keep them. The daily caretaking will never go away. If you don't have help with that and are overwhelmed, they are more likely placed at their current age than 18 months from now.

I never encourage anyone to give up their cats, but ask that you look honestly at all aspects of caring for them and challenge yourself if you can do this for the next 20 years.

If I had to do it all over again, I would not have taken in as many cats as I have now. It is a LOT of work.

Originally Posted by CommonOddity042

I have a bit of a dilemma... I've got 5 cats (2 cats, 3 kittens). we can financially care for them, they get the best food available, and lots of attention. However, i feel like i'm wearing thin. I clean the litterboxes 3 times a day, and the kittens will randomly crap and pee in the kitchen. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning, and cannot do the simplest task without stumbling over one or more cats. Just when I'm done cleaning, another mess is created.

I am tired most of the time, but they will climb all over my face when I try to sleep. They just turned 4 months old, and to top everything off, the boys have just discovered their tiny "friends", and have begun trying to mate their sister. (she is seperated from them now. I am beginning to reminisce about our 2-cat household days more and more. I am beginning to heavily consider adopting the kittens out to new homes.

They are set to be fixed the day they turn 5 months, which should calm them a little, but I know that the messes will just get bigger, the litterboxes will just need cleaning that much more, the inter-cat relationships will just get tenser, and I am beginning to look forward to it less and less.

Before you dub me as an awful, irresponsible pet owner and flame me into oblivion please read the above CAREFULLY. Don't just skim and judge.

Click to expand...

I don't think anyone should judge you know what you are capable of, I to have had a time this year and yes it's wearing me out, been a most emotional time, I have 10 right now 5 adults and 5 kittens that are 5 mos old they are now all spayed, tested, had shots and so forth, they are ones that I rescued from a busy parking lot, I got 10 last year had them all taken care of also, I cried everyday from all the stress and emotions, I don't think I would ever do anything like this again, but I made a commitment to myself that I wouldn't give up till I got the last one, and I did mommy cat with 5 kittens all females. I LOVE these kittens to death but I know I cannot keep them, I am heartbroken that someone will take them and not give them everything I do, but I have to do it and hope that they will Love them like I do.It is a huge amout of work that I don't complain about. But my Heart is telling me I am not cut out for all this. I don't think you can be concerned about what others think, I had everyone asking me all the time what are you going to do with all those cats, and my Hubby finally said it's no onnes business what you are doing. So you have to make the choice that's best for you, your in m thoughts as you try and make a decison...


And I have to say last, do what you need to before you feel Defeated, I have felt that to, and it's a whole lot tougher

Humm...you sound just like me but, I have 3 children, 1 cat, a bird and a turtle. I'm frazeled about 98% of the time. I know it is overwhelming at times. You can do it! Maybe you need a little bit of a vacation to clear your mind. Maybe you could get a child gate for the kitchen you might need to get two one on top of the other one and block off the kitchen so, the cats are forced to break their habit. They are pretty cheep at walmart less then $10. Just a thought. Love, Hope