How many cats is "too many"?

[donutte]

Goodness, after seeing how many @Norachan has, having have 10 at one point doesn't seem like so much at all. We have five now, and that feels like a good number. Two older, three younger. The two older don't care to mingle with anyone else (including each other). The three younger all get along together. So it works.

Btw, I think it's great Norachan takes care of so many babies. If I had the financial ability, I would probably do the same.

 

[Norachan]

 
I am very interested in the type of outdoor enclosure you have.We fixed up more of what one would call a run that is enclosed. It's accessable from inside the house at all times. This is exclusively for my indoor cats. It's enclosed with coated wire on all sides with a tunnel around a tree. They love it & spend lots of time outside.

I have 7 inside now in a 4 room house. It gets very crowded. We also have mucho ferals outside that I take care of (as much as I can). The real money goes to the indoor guys. I have

wormer, parasite meds, lysine, etc. for outside. It all adds up to real $$$$. My indoors are all ages 8-19. We are talking big bucks for seniors.

The ferals get as much care as I can give with what I have.

Seven cats inside is my limit.

Here's the thread.

 [thread="276982"]Moving House Taking The Colony With Me​[/thread]  

It's really long, but if you click on Recent Images In This Thread, top right, you can see the pictures of how it progressed. The fence went through several modifications and I still can't keep my bad boy Button Moon in. We live in the middle of a forest with no neighbours or roads close by, so we've decided to let him climb out if he wants to. He never goes very far.

We have a cat door so they all come in and out as they please. Some of them spend nearly all their time outdoors. We've got a couple of insulated dog kennels they sleep in. They only sleep indoors if it gets really cold. Some of the others spend pretty much all their time in the house.

The best thing about them having outdoor access is that when they get really hyper and need to let off steam they can chase each other around outside. 22 cats thundering around the house can get pretty scary.

 

 

[sparkymema]

I still like my crew of 5 3 adults, 2 kittens. I think if I had anymore I would never get any sleep. I have my Lab my other dog and 2 of my cats in my queen sized bed sleeping with me at night already so I hardly have any room for myself lol. Sometimes I'll have 2 foster dogs that are in training to be service dogs so things can be crazy some times with 5 cats 3 dogs and then sometimes the 2 foster dogs.

 

[misterwhiskers]

If money and the landlord weren't a concern, I could easily have 3 cats in my place, it's large enough, and I would enjoy their presence. And I think my cat would too.

 

[crazy4strays]

For me, having 2 cats plus my fosters is plenty, at this point. 

There are logistical challenges (like being in under 900 square feet) and financial challenges. Plus, I can just imagine the hassle of brushing all those teeth everyday! 

 

[linuxnerd]

I am having this question myself. I just adopted a stray that was living under our shed.

She has joined my house (1200 sq feet) that has two old dogs, a beagle (12 yrs old) and a black lab beagle mix (11 yrs old).

I enjoy her, but my friend has just had a littler of kittens, and I am worried having 4 animals will be too much. I do not want to be an animal hoarder.

My wife and I are so back and forth if we should.

We are really considering it because the Cat we adopted (butters) tries to play with the dogs. but the dogs get up and walk away when she runs up and bats them. Then you can see her tail droop down and she just kind of walks away looking for something else to do.

any advice?

Thanks everyone!

 

[crazy4strays]

Having a companion for your cat is a good idea, if you can afford the extra expense.

 

[linuxnerd]

Here is a picture of my newly adopted kitty Butters with my two older dogs. (during treat time / med passing)

Do you think a cat vs a dog will give her that difference of companionship?

TheDogsandButts.jpg

• linuxnerd
• Dec 14, 2015

Thanks!

 

[kntrygrl256]

I have had as many as 5 inside cats. It is a lot of work but I also had 2 daughters that helped. I am now on my own, working 2 jobs and daughters are out on their own. I am down to two cats inside and that is enough permanent residents.

I am hoping to purchase my own home soon also, (Praying hard it happens) and would like to foster cats for our local shelter but I don't want any more as resident cats. Maybe you could look into fostering and just have a couple resident cats.

 

[mainecoon2013]

It really is difficult to answer. As you say, the main concern is cost especially as they get older and need more professional helpto remain healthy. The alternative is taking out pet insurance which fully covers the life of the cat.

Another thing to consider is the devastation when you lose them but you could argue this is offset by knowing you are giving a homeless cat a home.

I have 2 Maine Coons, there were 3 but one passed away in August and like you I am very tempted to get another but I'm thinking this may not be fair introducing another cat into an already established hierarchy (me being at the bottom of the pile) so I am going to sponsor some shelter cats until they find new homes.

Not a divinitive answer I know

 

[crazy4strays]

Yes, fostering is a great idea if you want to help save lives, but don't want more permanent residents.

I have two permanent residents and usually almost continuously have one foster cat here. Since I don't have to pay the vet bills for the foster cat and have gotten some donated food for them, it's doable.

 

[handsome kitty]

I have 2 cats and have fostered.  I would like to foster another cat in January, but DH says it's 10 times the work.  All the cats need one an one time, then the intro work and Fluffy trying to get into the foster's room. LOL  DH just stops in to play with the foster and other cats.  And answers the frantic call for help.

 

[linuxnerd]

Hmm, those are things to consider.

My dogs, when they pass (which is probably soon, they are pretty old and showing it). My wife and I are going to adopt new (to us) dogs.

In the honor of the poem by Susie Moncek (at the bottom of the page): http://www.houstonboxerrescue.org/animals/rainbowbridge

We figured that's what our animals would want, give a good life to another if we can.

 

[Norachan]

Thanks!

If your two older dogs aren't interested in playing with her a kitten would be a great addition to the family. How old are your friend's kittens? They need to be around 12 weeks old before they can leave their mother. You could look for a young cat from a shelter if you don't want to wait that long. Always plenty of needy kitties looking for a home.  

Kittens are easier to introduce to the family as they just want to play and make friends, whereas older cats are more reserved. Has Butters been spayed? If not you need to do that soon, cats have an amazing ability to get out and come home pregnant if you're not careful.

If you do decide to get her a friend here's an article that can help make the introductions go smoothly.

 [article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

 

[detroitcatlady]

It really is difficult to answer. As you say, the main concern is cost especially as they get older and need more professional helpto remain healthy. The alternative is taking out pet insurance which fully covers the life of the cat.

Another thing to consider is the devastation when you lose them but you could argue this is offset by knowing you are giving a homeless cat a home.

I have 2 Maine Coons, there were 3 but one passed away in August and like you I am very tempted to get another but I'm thinking this may not be fair introducing another cat into an already established hierarchy (me being at the bottom of the pile) so I am going to sponsor some shelter cats until they find new homes.

Not a divinitive answer I know

Honestly I agree, I can't really say what my "limit" would be. I have 3 cats, one who is still a kitten and the other two are under 2 years and even though I am not planning on getting another cat anytime soon I don't think I would be reluctant to take another in if I found one in need. I ended up with 2 of my cats this way, finding them orphaned or abandoned and I have a real soft spot for cats this way. I would have ended up with a 4th but she didn't get along with my cats and was so anxious from being around them that she would not eat anything, so I gave her to a friend who didn't have any other pets knowing this would be best for her. Where I live it's common for me to find cats and kittens outside my house, in my backyard, etc. Right now I actually have a cat outside that I found eating out of my garbage that I am trying to feed. It is feral so it's afraid of humans, so I am not sure if it will ever come close to me. It runs away the moment it sees me.

I don't think it would necessarily be a bad idea for you to introduce a 3rd cat. How old are they? If they are used to being around other cats and are ok having some shelter cats in the mix they might be ok. There were cats that I brought into my house that I never thought would get along and they ended up loving each other. Honestly, sometimes it's hard to know, but definitely not impossible.

 

[mservant]

I used to have 2 cats but when I got Mouse my decision was to get one because of the stress one of my cats experienced as a result of the other bullying her for years.  

Mouse is definitely an only cat and as much as I hanker after another kitty and would love to watch cats play together I don't think he would cope at all - he has never socialized with any cat other than his mother (not even siblings).    He is secure in his territory and very confident and I don't want to shake that up.  

Also, since getting Mouse my work situation changed drastically and my income is a lot less now - funding food, litter and vet bills for one cat is hard enough and if I had adopted 2 when I got Mouse then maybe I would have had to surrender one of them and I really don't know how / if I would have coped with that.  

If I had the money and the space, and no cat to get stressed out by sharing their home then I think CinqChat's theory in post #2 is a very wise one.  

 

[margd]

I had four cats for several years and that was really more than I could handle at the time because of other circumstances - job, divorce, sick child, my own health issues etc.

Now I have two and that is working out well. If my landlord permitted, I would like to foster as I don't think I could afford vet bills for another cat but would still like to give more cats a home.

 

[NewYork1303]

I would agree with others who have stated that how many is too many depends on your resources (not only money, but also time and space). For me three would be too many right now, both monetarily and time based. We take good care of the two that we have pampering them with toys and healthy food. No real vet bills yet since they are both young cats, but we have to be prepared for that of course.

If you have more resources, having more cats is fine.

 

[bonepicker]

I would agree with others who have stated that how many is too many depends on your resources (not only money, but also time and space). For me three would be too many right now, both monetarily and time based. We take good care of the two that we have pampering them with toys and healthy food. No real vet bills yet since they are both young cats, but we have to be prepared for that of course.

If you have more resources, having more cats is fine.

I agree 100%

 

[donutte]

I think five is a good number. Of course the boys have grown quite a bit since they were 8 weeks old, so it feels a bit more crowded. But I'm ok with that, I love being surrounded by my babies. There are plenty of spots of all of them to hang out alone if they so choose. My three younger ones all discovered the top of the cabinets recently (oy). Oscar naps up there often. Sara has her own little places, as does Maple.