How many cats is TOO many cats?

[Johelian]

Hello all!
We have just added cat number three to the house (after my boyfriend declared four years ago when we moved in together that we would never have a cat in the house as they were "boring and lazy!"), and - I cant help it! - I'm already contemplating our eventual cat number four. Im just wondering - how many cats is enough for a household? Or perhaps a better way of asking - how do you know when you have reached your limit, aside from financial constraint? I imagine it depends a lot on the individuals; my boy Frazier seems to be more and more welcoming to the newbies that have joined after him (I think because he feels he now has more subordinates more than anything else), but Reese is shy and takes a while to get used to new people. I remember reading on the PDSA site that cats are solitary and living with others can cause stress. Am I wrong to think of adding any more cats? We live in a medium sized detached house, and I would like to think that the cats have plenty of room in the house and garden to get away from one another if they wanted to, but Im worried I might just be trying to justify myself. Any words of wisdom from you other cat lovers?

[angieh]

Hi Johelian - I have never had more than two cats at a time, although at one point we did have three, but one was a frequent visitor rather than a permanent resident. There are members here however who do have more than that and they would be able to give better advise than I.

I do like your three btw - they look happy and tolerant of each other. When I was looking for my second cat I did phone Battersea and was told that they would consider rehoming to me only when my Kizzy had been with me for at least six months and had established routines. I did actually wait slightly less than that.

[Moli]

I have 4, 2 Siamese who are joined at the hip, and 2 Exotics who tolerate each other, but are very much lone cats...They all get on well together...
I foster for the CP, and when I have kittens, one of my boys does get a bit stressed, so think 4 is ideal for me...

They do have their own area's of the house though...

[smudgley]

4 here, maybe 3 or 4 is right for us, def 4 max.

My mate has 11 all indoor cats & loves each & every one of them...... I guess it depends on your individual circumstances

[dandysmom]

I've never had more than three at one time. But quite a few members have happy multi-cat households and would know more than I do. A lot would depend if you thought you had enough time to devote to them individually, and of course the financial aspects. And the OH's tolerance!!

[kado]

Mine is a multi cat house hold. I have 12. Four of them are 7 months today. My OH said only one well that didnt happen. I would never turn a cat away i just couldnt but i would have to find it a home now. There fine most of the time we do get a few squabbles but it works out ok. We do have a boss of the house which is Maisey. If any one of the cats is sitting near where she wants to sit she swipes them so the usualy take a wide birth.

[dandysmom]

From what my friends, who were breeders in a small way, and also took in strays till homes could be found, used to say, there is a sort of tipping point. After a while, when another cat came, the current cats would sort of shrug as if to say, "oh, another one..." and go about their business. I think they had 10 at one time; all happy and well cared for.

[yola]

We had 2 for a long time and I had to fight for no.3, first an old battered stray and then two CP rescue Persians in turn.

My OH thinks 2 is enough . . . I have always fought for 3. But with 2 small boys and a very busy working life I don't think I could cope with more than 3. Folk here know how I agonised (and finally capitulated) to kitty number 3 (Myshka)

Ulitmately it's each to their own and it depends in time, money and circumstances,

[farthing]

Originally Posted by dandysmom

From what my friends, who were breeders in a small way, and also took in strays till homes could be found, used to say, there is a sort of tipping point. After a while, when another cat came, the current cats would sort of shrug as if to say, "oh, another one..." and go about their business. I think they had 10 at one time; all happy and well cared for.

We have 10 cats at the moment, and I'd say they are very like this. The new cat usually has enough sense not to start a fight when it is so outnumbered. It may be different for us though because lots of ours are old and can't be bothered.
I do always keep a cat seperate for a couple of weeks, but that is as much a quarantine procedure as more of mine have arrived as adults with an unknown history. I also always use a feliway- I swear by them.

[Johelian]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I definitely would not think about adding another cat for another year or so even if I did decide to go down that route - my youngest kitty is only 8 weeks old, and I left just under a year between him and Reese. I think its been a good length of time to spend bringing Reese up from kittenhood and bonding with him, and I personally wouldnt want to compromise that by having two very young kittens at the same time (Im sure people do do it successfully though!). In my mind I cant imagine personally having more than four cats total; I think once it gets past that it would start to be awkward to manage as far as time and money goes, not to mention my boyfriend would probably start to go insane! I think it will be Reese that determines whether we ever add another, as he is the shy one and I dont want to upset him by filling his home with too many others!