Oh my gosh "GATES" I have 7 of them
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Overwhelmed
- Thread starter commonoddity042
- Start Date
3 kittens eh? Well, I've never had a kitten, but I have read books, not that that can make up for my lack of experence but kittens are usually pretty, uh, "wild" but I think they'll get calmer as they grow older. Yes, spay and neutering will probably help much. Could it be possible your cats don't like your litter? Maybe you should change it. But all the advice I can really give you at the moment is: Hang in there, and try to train your cats to use the litter box before they grow out of kittenhood.
I have heard it said so often on this site that 'one more is nothing and you will not notice'. But you DO notice, and being a responsible owner and not a hoarder means that you recognise your limit, which is different for each person. I know I have reached mine, and though I love them all dearly for their different ways, I will not look for or accept any more, whatever the temptation. I and the house could not cope, and I am not sure the cats could either. If you are really unhappy, and believe that the situation will not change once they are grown, then you should try and place one or more of hte kittens now. Having said that, most of us have probably had moments when we could cheerfully have thrown babies, teenagers, husbands and animals out the window as we felt unable to cope. And it has all come right in the end. Good luck with whatever you decide.
I, totally, agree with you. Great post.
I agree with the others, this does NOT make you an irresponsible or horrible pet owner. Admitting that you are at wit's end and considering other options for your kitties is the best thing that you could do. Good luck, I know it isn't easy, but your well-being is important here, too.
if the load is overwhelming, look into friends, co workers, relatives. see if they would like a little companion, then you dont have to worry about never seeing them again? either way, for your stability as a person (not saying your going crazy, but with the part of feeling 'worn down') it would be healthier for you and the cats if you had a lighter load- because if one day you end up having a sort of break down or just get way tired and annoyed, it will be taken out on the cats or family, hopefully that kind of makes sense without sounding weird, lol. when i got my puppy i was crying and crying to my friend and i wanted to give him back, i didnt care if i got my 600 dollars back or not i just didnt think i could do it. of course i still have him now. but thats just one, with, 5 cats i believe you wrote, it is a pain cleaning the litterboxes, heck i hate doing it and i just have one cat! lol. i take it these are all indoor cats..i lived in a small town so we had two outdoor cats, one died of old age im assuming because we had him for like 15 years and we still have our siamese. my cat is indoors though because i live in a crazy college town. good luck with placing any of the cats or making any decisions, check with neighbors..anyone to see if they may want to take one in! you need to think about yourself too! and i agrree that it totally doesnt make you a bad person at all..anyone who would /say think that is just plain pyscho! lol. best of wishes!!! from little river and phoenix! peace
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #27
no vet aroun here will s/n before 5 mos. In fact, one wont neuter until 8 months.
Maybe someone has aready suggested this but the rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one so by your math, you need 6 boxes at a minimum. I have one cat plus 2 fosters and have t5 boxes.
Re:
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,
I realize you are constantly cleaning but cats do get upset at a dirty litterbox and some just do not like to share. Also, never use bleach for cat urine since it reminds them of the smell of urine so when they sniff the area, they think they should go there.
I applaud you for considering their welfare and how much you can care for. Good luck!!!!
Re:
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,
I realize you are constantly cleaning but cats do get upset at a dirty litterbox and some just do not like to share. Also, never use bleach for cat urine since it reminds them of the smell of urine so when they sniff the area, they think they should go there.
I applaud you for considering their welfare and how much you can care for. Good luck!!!!
Oh I'm sure we all get overwhelmed at some stage. If they are really stressing you out however, do think about rehoming them
CyberKitten said:Maybe someone has aready suggested this but the rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one so by your math, you need 6 boxes at a minimum. I have one cat plus 2 fosters and have t5 boxes.Sorry cyberkitten but 1 box per cat......
I do not have the space or want 5 litter boxes in my home.
I have 3 boxes, (only had 2 for a long time) and I would not add another.
3 litterboxes for 5 cats is really not enough! Rule of thumb is 1 per cat PLUS one! I have 4 cats and 7 litterboxes (4 are sterilite boxes and BIG). I scoop twice a day. Yes occaisionally I smell one but that is only when I have been busy and did not scoop till night or when one is sick and has diarrhea. I have one in the living room, dining room (USED to have one in the kitchen, when I had my handicapped girl) one in each of the 3 bedrooms and 2 in the hallway. When they poop you can sometimes smell it so I simply go scoop and either flush it or put it into a plastic bag and stir the box and Voila NO SMELL!
ONE thing - even if you do get rid of hte kittens get them an upper respiratory shot first! my dear Panther was allowed to be an outside cat as he did not always use the litterbox BUT they never gave him any vaccinations and NOW his life is at risk as he has the calici virus and it is getting worse!
pjk5900 said:CyberKitten said:Maybe someone has aready suggested this but the rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one so by your math, you need 6 boxes at a minimum. I have one cat plus 2 fosters and have t5 boxes.we can't possibly have one litter tray per cat either. we have two for our four in the cat room and since Benja is penned he gets his ownSorry cyberkitten but 1 box per cat......
I do not have the space or want 5 litter boxes in my home.
I have 3 boxes, (only had 2 for a long time) and I would not add another.
has anyone ever trained their cat to use the toilet? lol man that would be easier than litterboxes. and the only good thing with an outside cat. we had two back home, we still have our siamese and my mom was thinking of trying to put her inside again, but she loves/and is so used to the outside so much i dont think she would even want to stay inside! lol she always sits by the front door. but..i wish i could have the time to train my cat to use the toilet like Mr. Jinx! lol
I won't flame you one bit! I congratulate you, if anything!!!
I know what it's like to go from one mess to the next... a poop track rubbed on the carpet in one room, then there's that barfed up hairball in the next. Just as those are cleaned up, a crash comes from the kitchen... and lord forbid leaving a plate of food out even for a moment, or a toilet seat up.
Kittens do outgrow all that insanity... they're just naturally curious! They'll outgrow it and calm down, that's a guarantee. Soon enough they'll be sleeping 20 out of 24 hours in each day.
Re: the kittens climbing on your face, sleeping with you... I've seen quite a few people who have dilemmas about this. My cats sleep with me and I guess I've gotten used to it. If I didn't have Snickers waking me up every morning by biting my cheeks and sitting on my head, I'd not wake up! Sometimes kittens outgrow that sort of thing, sometimes they don't (Snickers is 14 and he's like my own personal binky at night).
Hang in there, you'll be okay.
I know what it's like to go from one mess to the next... a poop track rubbed on the carpet in one room, then there's that barfed up hairball in the next. Just as those are cleaned up, a crash comes from the kitchen... and lord forbid leaving a plate of food out even for a moment, or a toilet seat up.
Kittens do outgrow all that insanity... they're just naturally curious! They'll outgrow it and calm down, that's a guarantee. Soon enough they'll be sleeping 20 out of 24 hours in each day.
Re: the kittens climbing on your face, sleeping with you... I've seen quite a few people who have dilemmas about this. My cats sleep with me and I guess I've gotten used to it. If I didn't have Snickers waking me up every morning by biting my cheeks and sitting on my head, I'd not wake up! Sometimes kittens outgrow that sort of thing, sometimes they don't (Snickers is 14 and he's like my own personal binky at night).
Hang in there, you'll be okay.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
i do not have room for 6 litterboxes at all.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #36
I spoke to a rescue group and they agreed to let me foster two of the kittens, and have posted them on petfinder for me.
Good news. Keep us posted.
Do you have any animal shelters with spay/neuter cilincs? They are normally willing to neuter or spay at 2 pounds.
