How Many Cats/animals Do You Believe Is Too Much For Someone To Handle?

[Tommy End]

I know we all have our own comfort levels when it comes to our pets and that’s completely fine. Contrary to the popular belief of some people (non pet owners), being owned by pets is quite expensive If they’re well taken care of, shots aren’t cheap and spaying and neutering isn’t either. Then of course you can have unexpected medical problems that hit you out of nowhere. It’s all happened to us at least one time.

Right now we currently have 9 cats. I am such a cat guy, but I’ve put my foot down and I’m only keeping one kitten out of Cerulean’s litter. I also have a rabbit. My wife and I are discussing a dog, but I’m too sure about that one. Well, I should say she’s discussing a dog and I just nod my head occasionally. We both work so much, I think bonding with a dog may be tougher than with a cat. I would agree to foster cats though and I think that make her happy.

So, my question is.... how many pets is too many? How many do you have?

 

[amethyst]

There is a lot of factors to consider with that question. How many are you allow to have where you live? Most towns and cities have pet limits, and if not, most rental places do if you rent. Also how much can you spend on care? If an emergency happened and you needed to evacuate what will happen with the pets? Do you like to go away on vacation? If so do you board the pets or have a sitter? How much time per day do you have to spend with the pets?
Aside from those things, I think too many is when you have to lower the standard of care (cheaper food, can't by them new things as needed, need to do "wait and see" rather then bring straight to the vet, etc) to accommodate them, and don't have the time to spend individual time with them because there are too many.

I have 10 cats, 3 large breed dogs, and 2 chinchillas. However I'm also home all day almost every day, so taking care of the pets is pretty much my job. We'll see what happens, but I plan to not replace them as they pass away until I get to a lower number. I only wanted 2 dogs, but one got dumped here, and only got two cats when I first moved here, the rest were either dumped or the offspring of ones dumped here over the years. I also had a horse for a few years that was dumped on my front lawn (long story involving stupid in-laws), but he had to be sold a couple years ago because, well among other reasons, horses are really expensive! lol

I think one thing you can try, to see if having a dog would work for you, is foster one. You, or your wife, may think you can manage it, but it's really hard to know for sure until you have a dog. If you have never had a dog before, or haven't since you were a kid sometimes the picture in your mind doesn't translate to reality.

 

[LTS3]

Someone posted a similar thread last week: How Many Cats Are Too Many Cats...

I only have two cats because that is all I'm allowed per condo rules.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I have so many cats I feel like I'm turning into one myself ...!
That's too many ...

 

[m3rma1d]

It's kinda like shopping in a fancy store with no price tags: If you have to ask, it's too much.

 

[1 bruce 1]

We have 9 cats in the house. We have more outside, many dogs, ranch animals and I don't think there's actually a number anymore.
I've known people who get a dog or a cat, just one, and realize 7 months later that they don't have the time or resources to do right by them, and find them another home.
There's one guy I know who has I don't know how many dogs. More cats than that. Exotics of all types, and 90% of his life is spent cleaning, feeding, doing "home vet checks" (check skin, check eyes for discharge, check noses for the same, check ears for inflammation, soreness, redness, etc.) do nail trims, beak trims, basic grooming, training, vetting, spending a lot of time searching for ways to improve their lives and expand enrichment, and more cleaning, more feeding, etc. He loves it. But he's semi retired and the work he does is on his own watch from home.
There's no "number" IMO. It depends on a ton of things that need factoring in, including knowledge and research on the species. (If you've never owned a dog and have never been around them much, and have not really researched or talked to people about things like bloodlines, breed purpose, drive, energy requirements, and what the breed is hard wired for, please don't get a Border Collie, German Shepherd or a Rottweiler because they're smart, look cool, etc. )

 

[theyremine]

I have 5 cats. I own my own home and I could financially afford more, but I believe I'm at my limit. My 10 year old hates the younger four former ferals and so the house is divided into two areas. As I live alone, I also divide my time between the two areas. I'm not sure I could give enough "time" to more pets. Also I'm older and I worry about "what if" I couldn't care for them.
That said, I know other people in the rescue I volunteer for that have 12-17 cats as well as a couple of dogs. But they have other family members who also spend time with the pets.

 

[Pucks104]

I have 3 dogs and 2 kitties and some fish. This group works for us. I think you have to make sure you can properly care with money, time, space and attention for the animals you take on.

 

[kittypa]

I have seven cats now. Four indoor pets and a stray/feral crew of three.

This takes a lot of time, effort, and money. It’s a bit more than I would choose for myself, in fact I never chose a single one of them. Each and every one just happened organically you might say. Somewhere along the way something happens and after that you just do what you have to do. A good bit of effort is focused on the trying to keep local population growth at zero.

 

[Tommy End]

amethyst I own my own place and we can have as many pets as we can handle as long as no one starts calling with a lot of noise complaints which we’ve never dealt with. Financially, we are set. I have been working in the same career for almost 19 years and I’m a saver and not a spender when it comes to money. Thea has been in the business for quite a number of years too. My wife and I basically are away every weekend, but not together. I leave home for work on Thursday morning, she leaves on Friday, then I return on Monday and her on Tuesday. We have the most amazing friends, family, and sitters that come and stay at our home with our animals while we’re away. We pay them well, but all we would need to do is stock up the refrigerator for them and leave money on the counter to order pizza with and they’d be happy. We couldn’t and wouldn’t do anyone that way though. On my days off, I spend all of my time at home with my cats and wife. I’m a bit of a recluse so I’m content staying home and being alone. Sometimes it’s hard to leave them, but it’s just my job and I knew what I signed up for. And no, my animals will never, ever get less than standard care. I work in the sports entertainment industry and I make good money, but if a time comes where money is tight? I’d go without, so they’d get the best care. There is no waiting and seeing about things here in this household. My wife adopted a cat about a week ago now and flew it home to me. I immediately took her to the vet who confirmed her pregnancy and that very night she gave birth to four beautiful kittens. Any animals that needs care whatsoever, will get it from me. No, ifs, ands, or buts. As far as the cats getting individual attention? They’re all over us all the time. We take turns playing and spending time with Cerulean and her kittens in the basement, my original cats stay on the main floor and get plenty of our time, and Precious think she completely rules the upper floor. It’s rather cute actually.

It sounds like you have your hands full when it comes to your animals, but I’m sure that to you that they’re worth it, just like mine are to me.

Maybe we could foster a dog. I’ll have to talk that out with Thea. Thanks for the suggestion!


LTS3 I know and I did read it over, but I was asking about other animals too, not just cats in general. We already have our cats and my rabbit, not to mention my uncle passed away a few months ago and my niece said that she can’t handle the care for his African Grey Parrot anymore so I’m sending one of my friends to pick him up from the airport later today and bring him to my house and help set things up. He’s always been a bit of a jerk toward females, so I would like it if he would change his food and water everyday while I’m gone and I’m sure he will. He’s a good guy. This got a bit off topic, but I guess what I’m saying is everyone has different limits.


m3rma1d That may be true for most people, but the reason I brought it up wasn’t me asking because of my cat crew back home. I was asking because on the weekends during my travels I always read the local newspaper while drinking coffee and I read that animal control had taken away 47 cats because of people’s complaints. The vet said that the cats were fine, in good health, and properly taken care of besides two of them (old age issues) and 45 of them were returned to the owner. I couldn’t ever possibly imagine having that many, but I guess that shows you to not judge a book by it’s cover because you’ll miss the real story contained inside. Not every person that has many animals are hoarders and shouldn’t be threaten that way.


JamesCalifornia How many is too many?

1 bruce 1 It sounds like you have your hands full! But honestly? I think I’d to open up a rescue of my own day, but in the meantime I think maybe we’ll stick with fostering a bit. A dog with a super high strung energy wouldn’t click with me very well because of the way I respond to things mentally and emotionally.


theyremine It always makes me smile when people know that they’re at their limit instead of being like let’s go see what else we can adopt! Has your older cat always disliked the younger ones? Any clue why? I’m sending positive vibes your way that no one will have to say goodbye to anyone anytime soon. With the amount of love you give them and the way you kept all of them despite the struggles shows how good of a fur parent you really are.

Pucks104 That reminds me of something else have which I wouldn’t have mentioned otherwise. We have 11 betta fish! I was like what are we going to do with these things when my wife moved in?! She just smiled and was like I’ll find a good place in the house for all of them and she sure enough did. I used to dislike them because of their constant need for water changes, but they grown on me. A couple of them more than others.

kittypa Were your inside cats ever feral? Before I moved to the US from Amsterdam, Holland we had a huge feral population. In 4 months we caught 47, had them spayed or neutered and released and the cat (kittens) count went down a whole lot after that. Which was a relief to my Mom.

 

[catsknowme]

I am so glad to see all the positive responses! I have seen people with many inside cats whose care is excellent; I have been in homes with only 1 cat where the water is stagnant & the tall litter box almost full to the brim with solid with layer upon layer of unscooped cat litter.

 

[kittyluv387]

Definitely differs for everyone. Some of the answers really do blow me away because it does sound like too many animals. But that's because I personally wouldn't be able to handle it. I've seen other posts by people who responded here and I know they're amazing and dedicated caretakers! So I'm glad there are people like them (and you) because without them the animals wouldn't be alive or would be wasting away somewhere. We're good on 3 kitties for reasons not related to money as well. My bf and I both do office type work and I don't think it would be fair to the cats to add more. Sometimes they don't like to share and someone is left out and doesn't get a lap! Lol. Of course I try to make it up to them later. But right now they all get a good amount of attention because I get to work from home twice a week. They love it and take turns being on my lap. In the future I think we will just have 2 cats and leave one spot open for a "just can't resist, must help poor kitty" type of cat. Which is what our current 3rd cat was.

 

[muffy]

I used to have 8 inside cats and about 15 feral cats at the same time. It was like have two full time jobs. My house was a lot cleaner then than it is now. All of those cats have now passed away and I just brought in a feral I have been feeding.

It is not up to me to judge how many cats other people can handle. I know now that 1 in my new limit.

 

[Elphaba09]

I think that as long as you can afford their car and have enough time/energy for them, the limit is up to you. We started with two. We now have nine (Simon, Tara, Evangeline, Astrid, Estella, Willow, Fennimore, Freya, and Silas). And one feral that has claimed our porch (we call him Linden). And a local, small colony. And we foster, although we have not done much of that in the last few months.

We are not the only ones who care for the colony, so it is less of a financial burden than what it could have been. And, as I said, it is a small colony. (We have not had any reported kittens for over two years! Yay!)

We own our small house (it will technically be paid off next September), have five adults in the house who all take turns caring for the cats, and my (soon-to-be) daughter-in-law and I are home all day. We may not be well off by anyone's standards, but we are comfortable and cozy. We also have a fantastically affordable vet who we adore.

The cats all have their favorite people, too, so they are not wanting when it comes to attention. When our children move out, they each have certain cats that they would like to take with them. That is something I am not looking forward to in the least! I will be down to six cats and zero children in the house!

We also have a tarantula Well, I have a tarantula. No one else in the house will claim her, although my son and his fiancee think she is pretty fantastic. My daughter and husband are another matter. Oona is exceptionally low maintenance. She needs a couple of crickets and clean water.

My husband and daughter-in-law would love to get a dog, but, because of how things are, the care for the dog would fall mostly on me. Since I am disabled and have a hard time outside of my house, we have decided against a dog. I like to remind my husband that our Simon hates dogs and attacks my friend's service dog when he sees her. Putting some of the blame on Simon makes me feel less guilty about denying them a dog!

Would I oppose a 10th cat? No. I just would not go out looking to get cat number 10! I would also try and find the cat a good home before deciding to make it part of our family.

 

[goingpostal]

Just depends on what you have time for, can afford and can keep properly cared for. I've got two older pit bull mixes, two wild kitties, four troublemaking ferrets, nine snakes and a saltwater fish tank at the moment. Which is down for me, I've had up to 5 fish tanks, 7 ferrets and four dogs at a time, plus an iguana for fourteen years, various rodents (pets and feeders). All raw fed, litter boxes cleaned 2-3x per day, walks, medicine, etc. My furry animal vet is 2.5 hours away and the reptile one 1.5 hours. My yearly spring checkup alone runs over 1k, the ferrets have a free roam bedroom, the reptiles have a heated/humidified professional setup. It's not what people expect when they hear my crew and then see my place. I'm careful on my numbers and responsible about adding and saying no but it is a ton of work obviously. My pets are a hobby. I won't add another dog until one or both pass, open on another cat, would like to say no to anymore ferrets in need, snakes are set and I'd like to get out of the fish tank hobby altogether, it's been 15 ish years and I've just lost interest.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Fostering a pup or an adult dog that's been cat tested might be the route to take, Tommy End .
The worst part is when you see these dogs that are 13, 14, 15 years old taken to a shelter because their elderly owner died and no one wanted to take them. We've done some senior fostering in the past. Every single one wanted food, a bed, and a "Good Dog" and that was it. They didn't need a ton of exercise, or training or house breaking or anything, were cool with the cats, and seemed so appreciative.
Depending on where you're at, Greyhound rescue might be something to consider because these dogs (mostly) are VERY intensely cat tested for safety, and only need a good bit of exercise every now and again. And they are just such lovely, loving, sweet, calm dogs with naturally good manners, are usually extremely clean in the house and are quiet (aren't crazy barkers, etc.)

 

[kittypa]

amethyst Were your inside cats ever feral? Before I moved to the US from Amsterdam, Holland we had a huge feral population. In 4 months we caught 47, had them spayed or neutered and released and the cat (kittens) count went down a whole lot after that. Which was a relief to my Mom.[/USER]

amethyst

 

[MonaLyssa33]

For me, two cats are enough. If I lived in my own house, I could also handle one dog.

 

[dustydiamond1]

All depends on the human disposition and the animals disposition

 

[dustydiamond1]

Fostering a pup or an adult dog that's been cat tested might be the route to take, Tommy End .
The worst part is when you see these dogs that are 13, 14, 15 years old taken to a shelter because their elderly owner died and no one wanted to take them. We've done some senior fostering in the past. Every single one wanted food, a bed, and a "Good Dog" and that was it. They didn't need a ton of exercise, or training or house breaking or anything, were cool with the cats, and seemed so appreciative.
Depending on where you're at, Greyhound rescue might be something to consider because these dogs (mostly) are VERY intensely cat tested for safety, and only need a good bit of exercise every now and again. And they are just such lovely, loving, sweet, calm dogs with naturally good manners, are usually extremely clean in the house and are quiet (aren't crazy barkers, etc.)