Can You Have To Many Cats

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I had lots of cats in the house this time last year because a stray brought her kittens into our house and installed them under our bed, and our neighbour's cats came into our house to give birth (she tried to give birth in my lap but we transfered her to a big plastic tub). It worked out quite well as the stray cat had more kittens than she could nurse and the neighbour's cat had a small litter and was happy to nurse the stray's runt.

We only have two furry purry felines resident in our house at the moment (including the stray's runt). The neighbours took their cat and kittens back and dumped them off at an animal shelter (their cat's brother now lives with an entirely different neighbour and now they have a puppy.... ), we could not provide a home for all the strays, but found homes for those we could and took the rest (with the mother) to an animal shelter. Also our own elderly cat died of old age early last year (hope all those kittens did not stress her out too much).

We also feed a population of strays that all look like an earlier litter from the stray cat mentioned above.

I admire your passion, garyww. I think as long as you can provide a good home, medical attention and adequate affection & attention to your kitties you should be able to have as many as you want. I have 3 who live here and the neighbors have 2 who come visit me for kitty candy/treats every day. I will have to find a new place in a few years, however, so I am not getting any more kitties no matter how tempted I am.

Long ago I came to the conclusion that my only personal responsiblities in life were to take care of those who can't take care of themselves and to take care of animals since they don't have representatives for themselves. It has worked for me pretty well.

One cat is too many for me. Cats are way too unpredictable. I'd rather have a dozen dogs, even problem dogs, than a single cat.

We can only have 2 here as well.
Max 2 cats and 2 dogs, unfortunately you can't adjust this to 4 cats 0 dogs.

If we found a sick/injured/homeless one I'm sure we'd bend the law and bring it in
Next door's cat comes and visits a lot so effectively we're up to 3 already

I hope to always own one when the situation allows it =)

Well, there goes my goal of being a cat lady. lol

What's with the limits on how many pets you can keep? Is it landlords who set these limits according to the size of the flat or house, or do they apply to everyone.

Is this a US thing?

I grew up in a "cat house"..my parents have always sorta been the crazy cat people on the block. I have seen things get out of hand...So my opinion is that you CAN have too many cats. I am happy with two.

You can if you have more cats than you can take care of.

But this can go for any other pet, as well as kids.

I've had as many as 4. One wouldn't housetrain, wouldn't use a litter box (that's what inaccessible areas behind heavy furniture was for...

Thinking back; 2 is plenty for me. Have as many as you want, tho...

We currently have 15. I know it is probably against the law, but we take better care of them than a shelter would. Are we supposed to let them starve? We have have them because other people dropped their cats out on the road, and one of the mothers is a feral cat that we cant catch to spay. I consider us a shelter of sorts. There are two dogs that live down the street who come to our house to get food and shelter. There is a barrel full of blankets on our carport that is just for these two dogs. My dog lives inside and she is only out on a leash.

People around here do not take care of their pets. We see them limping around with the ribs showing and give them food, warmth, and love. They stick around usually, LOL. My mom and I had spayed cats, and then we started getting the strays, drop-offs, and ferals who would have babies. One mom cat died, one is wild, and the other is still half wild. We are trying to get them all spayed and neutered so this cycle will end, but at least we actually love our animals. They are not the product of hoarding like those terrible TV shows.

SO my opinion, like many, is to keep as many as you can handle. We can handle a whole lot ! We have a regular feeding schedule and when someone needs a "lap fix" there are three laps here.

After watching shows like Animal Cops and Animal Precinct, I can honestly say that yes there is such a thing as too many cats. As wonderful as they are to have around, having too many can become a health hazard for both you and the cats.

Yes you can.

One you can have more than you are able to afford food and vet care.

Two you can have too many for a given amount of space.

Animal collecting or hoarding is one of the most severe forms of animal abuse. Usually the animals who don't die from living in those conditions die because once they are rescued... they have lived a life a lot like a feral colony. Except that usually they have lived indoors or otherwise dependent on humans. And so they can't be just neutered and released, and they can't be given a home as pets. This is a problem even with the outdoor ones for various reasons.

So no. Cat collecting is one of the most abominable things a human can do to cats. The utter wrongness cannot be overstated. It's sometimes romanticized but the results are hideous, terrible, disgusting, and utterly selfish.

Yes. I wonder how people can still consider cats cute when they have to scoop all the foul-smelling poop out of their boxes every day.

Same reason you still consider a baby cute even after you change its diaper. (Well, if you thought said baby was cute to begin with, anyhow.)

Cat boxes are a two-minute task in the life of a cat owner. The other twenty-three hours and fifty-eight minutes of the day are non-cat-box-related cat ownership. And that is a ratio most people can live with.

btw--I doubt anybody here is advocating having more cats than you can care for! I think even the extreme cat-lovers with fifteen cats in a big house know that much.

I have two in a studio apartment, and at one point had three. There's only so much space to go around, and cats need their own territories. Three was a little crowded. Two is fine.

Dogs are a lot worse in this regard.