How many cats is too many? - Page 3

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by ramama

In my own experience, I have never met a person with 3+ cats who was a good housekeeper. Not that they don't exist, just I've never met one.

Oh they exist, when I lived in a larger multicat household the cats were showcats and were bathed, litterboxes were cleaned multiple times a day and there was NO odor at all. So, it can be done, but you really have to keep on top of it!

[phatchristy]

I have a friend right now who at one point three or four years ago had 17 cats. She was single, lived with her mother and had a very high paying career. The cats were kind of 'the thing that she did' in the sense that she basically fell in love with every cat that appeared on her doorstep. And, they were all very well cared for and she was known for buying the best food/giving the best veterinary care (she would spend thousands on any individual cat if it got sick). I don't know how many she has now, I think she has maybe 9 or 10 left, haven't taked to her in a few years but I know many of them were very geriatric. She's in her late 40s now, and her sister had some sort of illness and she took her in so she never adopted any more cats. She lived kind of like a hermit in a way, though...

I know that is not the norm for people with that many animals. Usually they are more like 'collectors' or have hoarding issues. Personally, I've known quite a few 'normal' people who have 6-7. Cats are so much easier than dogs to take care of. Having lived with both, to me 6 cats = 1 dog in the amount of work.

We have three, I just took one in last year when I was pregnant. Before that we'd had two for a while. I probably will adopt one more eventually.

[Logan's mommy]

I met a very nice lady with 5 indoor cats this last weekend. Her house didn't smell, it's a bigish house. The upstairs had a bit of odor, but it wasn't overwhelming. She has a hubby and two kids, I don't know how she deals with all of that and two dogs to boot.

15 is WAY too many, I think. One is enough for me.

[oiseau]

I think 5 cats would be where I would draw the line. I'm basing that on indoor cats though. I can see having more cats outdoors (like barn cats), but indoors, 5 or so seems like a lot. As others have mentioned though, it all depends on how well the person cleans their house. 1 cat could be too many for some people.
We just have 2 cats, but we have about 30 pets in the house (2 cats, 3 rats, an iguana, 2 turtles, 2 geckos, 20-ish frogs, and some insect pets). At our old apartment, people were always surprised because my partner is so fastidious about cleaning that the apartment never smelled. We're having an issue with cats + carpet + pee in our new apartment, but if it wasn't for that, you probably wouldn't be able to smell the critters and there isn't much hair around or anything.

[rainbowmoon]

5 is too many for me. I had 5 at one time..never again.

(I have 3 currently and that is probably best for us)

My mom has 8 cats. My OCD sister lives with her so the house is always spotless.

The thing that gets me with alot of cats is the hair. blech. I have allergies though. I have to wash our beddings at least once a week.

[moaningminny]

One.

[ABrez]

I haven't read all of the replies but in my opinion it depends on the level of dedication in taking care of them. One of the executives where DH used to work had fifty or so cats. But she lived in a mansion and had a full time cat nanny that scooped litter boxes constantly as well as groomed, washed, played with kitties etc.

I still envy the cat nanny job because I love cats! The cat nanny was making almost $40,000 a year!

[GardenStream]

For me, 1 is too many. I've got enough to deal with and I refuse to deal with animal poop on a consistent basis. I don't dislike them, I just don't like them enough to want to take care of them.

I think other people can have as many cats as they want as long as they are taken care of. I do think that anyone with more than 4 or 5 cats is a little nutty. Not that nutty is a bad thing

[annekevdbroek]

We have two and that is plenty. We had as many as four at one night and it was horrible. I have never been in a house with 4+ cats that was really clean, no matter how deligent the hosuekeepers were. We certainly couldn't keep up and I am quite obsessive about cleanliness. I think with 4+ it is nearly impossible to keep up on the odor/hair/mess/dander/food/litterbox issues no matter what.

15 - yuck! I wouldn't think someone with 15 was totally nuts, but I'd think that they were a bit off.

[ivymae]

Cat nanny. That is going to make me laugh all day.

[William's Mom]

I don't know if this is a question that can be discussed "hypothetically" due to all the possible varieties in scenarios...

I've personally known homes with only one pet that were FILTHY.

I've also personally known homes with pets in the double digits that were so clean that they looked like "show homes." They were spotless with no smell, visible animal hair, etc.

So I think the answer is: "It depends."

[eepster]

When I was a kid my parents had 4 cats. Do to some failing in understanding of cat anatomy they thought they were boys.

Then one day they all got pregnant at the same time! We then had 20+ cats.

You should have heard my mom tell the story of the day the vacuum cleaner sales man showed up.

Originally Posted by loraxc

The yard is apparently cat-fenced.

Considering a cat's jumping and climbing skills, does that mean their backyard is actually a giant cage?

[Birdie B.]

Originally Posted by ABrez

I haven't read all of the replies but in my opinion it depends on the level of dedication in taking care of them. One of the executives where DH used to work had fifty or so cats. But she lived in a mansion and had a full time cat nanny that scooped litter boxes constantly as well as groomed, washed, played with kitties etc.

I still envy the cat nanny job because I love cats! The cat nanny was making almost $40,000 a year!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by EFmom

Personally, I think that any more than two is a sign something's a little off. I've had five at one time...

I have 7 right now. 2 totally feral but live here, 4 young cats that are outside and then my 15 yo neurotic cat inside I also feed any and all cats that come around and that could be as many as 15-20 not counting my own depending on the time of year and the number of dogs running loose. The more dogs running loose = less cats

I dont think there is such a thing as to many as long as they are cared for.

[eepster]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

I have 7 right now. 2 totally feral but live here, 4 young cats that are outside and then my 15 yo neurotic cat inside I also feed any and all cats that come around and that could be as many as 15-20 not counting my own depending on the time of year and the number of dogs running loose. The more dogs running loose = less cats

I dont think there is such a thing as to many as long as they are cared for.

Well I'm shocked!!!

Of all people you, MCatLvr, I never would have guessed it.

JK

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I had three for a while and that felt like way too many. I definitely started to feel like a crazy cat lady. Once one died, I didn't replace her, and I am actually down to one now. I would sort of like to get another, as my one guy is getting up there in years, but I may end up waiting until he passes to get another. Definitely will never have three again all at once.

[anne1140]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

Cats are so much easier than dogs to take care of. Having lived with both, to me 6 cats = 1 dog in the amount of work.

Totally.

Our neighbors have 15 cats. Some are indoor/outdoor cats, and some are just indoor. We don't know the neighbors that well, apart from the occasional chit chat, but as far as we've been told, they are taken to the vet, fixed, and even micro chipped. We've never been inside the house, though, but I am guessing it's not the cleanest place on earth.

We have two cats and one dog. We've debated getting a third cat, but decided it would be too much for us. If we hadn't gotten the dog, we would have gotten a third cat. I agree with the opinion that dogs are way more work than cats. But I just may be more of a cat person than a dog person. Or maybe our dog is just rotten.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by eepster

Well I'm shocked!!!

Of all people you, MCatLvr, I never would have guessed it.

JK

[Pinoikoi]

15 cats!

You guys must have big ovens. I can only fit about 3 or 4 cats in mine at a time..

If you use the clay pot roasters, just be sure to set the oven low at first and then slowly move it up in small increments over 10 minutes. Teriyaki should do the trick for flavoring.




j/k. I love my cats. They are really tasty. mmmmm... here kitty kitty.

[2happymamas]

Originally Posted by GearGirl

I would say two is still normal, and three or four could happen if you are involved with rescue or something. With 5 plus I think there are some issues going on unless you are actively trying to create a shelter type situation in the country or somewhere with land.

No issues here and we used to have five. I had two cats and DW had two cats. We get together and, volia, there's four cats. We found a little kitten in the road that had just been hit and brought it home. That made five. Unfortunately, we had to put our 15 year old cat to sleep last month because of cancer. We do not have any plans to replace her. We actually want a dog, but have agreed not to get one until we are down to two cats. And that might be awhile because they are only 10, 8, 7 and 4. They are all strictly indoor cats.

When we moved into our current home, we noticed a lot of feral cats running around. Come to find out, it is a registered feral cat colony. We work with a local feral rescue group to catch, spay/neuter, vaccinate, and eartip the cats. We have approximately 12-15 feral cats outside that we have helped and feed daily.