How Many Is Too Many?
We’ve all heard the hurtful and throwaway remarks of the ‘crazy cat lady’ who has too many cats and never leaves the house, but does this widespread stereotype have any truth behind it? Just how many cats is too many???
Obviously, when w
e are making this decision, we consider size of the living situation, time commitment, money and a host of other factors; too many cats for one person may not be too many for another. But, as I have seen with friends of mine, one cat can easily turn into two and the next thing you know, you have a whole family of feline friends who all need your love and attention. My friend is now the proud mother of 5 cats and I wouldn’t be surprised if another one was on the way within a year or so!
So now the question is how many is too many? I decided to ask some friends, some family, and some people I met out and about; and here are the results.
Most of the respondents said one cat is plenty, but a few brave souls thought four cats was the cut off. The rest tended to pick a number in the middle. One of my surveyors said, “four is already pushing it, but five cats means you may be a little crazy.”
After conducting my own research and survey, I looked online to see if this debate exists and like everything else on the net, it is not hard to find. Many of the online users say two cats is a nice cut-off and most agree that anything more than 4 was moving into ‘crazy cat lady’ territory. There was also a group that I found empowering; the Crazy Cat Ladies Society & Gentleman’s Auxiliary that uses humour to counteract the stereotype of cat lovers who own a lot of cats.
Some experts say that this question is not about how many will make you seem crazy, but how many cats can physically live in one home without clawing at each other and finding their well being sacrificed because of their living situation. Before deciding if you can take on another cat, look at your current situation. Is your cat sociable? Does it get along with others? If you answered yes, then your current cat may be happy to welcome a brother or sister into your home, provided that you make proper introductions between them.
In the end, it really depends on the person, the type of cats, living arrangements and other factors that may come into play. There is no magic number to how many cats becomes too many, as long as one is able to care for them adequately, and as long as hoarding is not taking place. If you think hoarding is occurring, report it to the local RSPCA!!!
So I want to know, is there a magic number? Personally, I think there is no such thing as a crazy cat lady or man….just a person with a lot of love to give. What do you think – is there a such thing as too many cats, and how many would you say that is?
Image by: Zemlinki!
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8 Responses to “How Many Is Too Many? ”
Kelly Wilson says:
I guess you might class me in the “crazy cat lady” category. I have 5 cats. I have a 3 year old male and I have 4 – 7 week old kittens, 3 females and 1 male, which I have decided to keep. Actually a lot of my friends joke about me that way because I feed a lot of the feral cats that come into my yard. Better that then picking up garbage after they dump the cans.
Initially we had 6 kittens but lost the runt. I hand fed her and the Queen nursed her individually, she didn’t reject her, it was almost like she looked to me for help. Then it became apparent that the Queen wasn’t able to produce enough milk for the rest of the litter. With advice from my vet I supplemented the kittens by syringe until they were able to eat wet food. About 3 weeks ago
my Queen abruptly rejected the litter became very ill and died 48 hours later with complications from an unknown illness.
If I hadn’t lost her I would have had my Queen spade, she was one of the strays I fed and I rescued her when I found out she was pregnant. I was going to keep one of her kittens and with my male cat, who loves all the kittens, I’d have had 3.
Both my husband and I agreed that we would only give the kittens to people that we knew or were familiar with. I told the people who wanted the other kittens that I was undertaking the expense of having the litter examined and de-wormed and then taking them for their first shots before going to their new homes. My vet offers a litter discount and although I’m not asking anyone for money for the kittens themselves I did say I expected to be reimbursed for the cost of the vet. Time wise it is appropriate and by then they will be old enough to go to the new owners.
One of the kittens went to her new owner shortly after we lost the Queen. She had helped with the kittens from the beginning and so I decided to let her go early. Not only did the kittens new owner reimburse me the expenses so far, she is also taking advantage of my discount and bringing her kitten for its shots with mine. She even contributed with expensive kitten food and toys.
Everyone else thinks that they should get their kitten for free and leave it up to them to go to the vet. Guess what, no, if you can’t pay for a discounted visit to vet now how are you going to pay the full shot later? Or, are you just not going to bother? It’s not about the money its about the animals welfare.
Maybe I wouldn’t be quite so cynical if I hadn’t lost the Queen. I can’t change circumstances but I can take appropriate measures to safeguard her offspring’s welfare. So if I can’t find someone to care for them the way I am caring for them then I will take care of them myself!
Crazy…right?
dianne downie says:
a response to Kelly Wilsons comment above. Well don Kelly! If only there were more people in the world like you, we would not have the tragic plight that we do with so many unloved, unwante cats. Bless you!
Gen33 says:
I agree, we need more people like you. Ive taken in two strays froms neightbours that have moved house and just left them. One was pregnant and I kept one kitten and gave the other two to loving families. Way too many irresponsible people arround that makes me sick. Your a Gem Kelly, Well done…..
dianne downie says:
Gen33 – reading your comments (I had recently left a comment praising Kelly Wilson) Like you I have taken in strays and also abandoned cats/kittens in the past. In fact, I was well known in my neighbourhood!! – sometimes as the crazy cat lady of where ever I lived at the time. a title which i wore with pride! Also, when my cat quota was full I searched around friends, neighbours, work collleques and successfully found loving homes for all of them. people would seek me out to find homes for these cats (and dogs also). It sounds like i am blowing my own trumpet. However, I am sharing these comments because I want to encourage others to do the same. As a person who subscibes to the teachings of Buddah, All life is precious; observe kindness and tolerance and respect for all living creatures.
kaz says:
i have 8 cats 5 were unwanted ones that found there way to our door and 3 others are pedigreed we love them all equally and they have the run of my 4 bedroom home and also a purpose built cat cage so they dont roam and they have all been desexed.
Jenna says:
I agree, you deserve congratulations on all levels. I have a beautiful purebreed ragdoll who came down with Cat Flu shortly before she was due to travel to her new home with me. I chose to still take her as I had watched her grow & she was already my little baby. It pains me to think what may have happened to her had she been born to a less responsible breeder. The breeder I purchased through required prospective owners to go through an approval process and I think this is the way all animals should be sold. Thanks to this process Aziah was assured she was going to a good home & with some special attention she is now over the flu and growing into a beautiful little angel. All prospective animal owners, cat, dog, fish, bird or otherwise, should have to be approved as responsible pet owners. Maybe this sounds a bit big-brother-ish but I’m sick of seeing the horror stories the poor RSPCA people have to deal with in confiscating abused and neglected pets. Our pets rely on us to provide them with love & all the necessities of life & no animal should have to suffer at the hands of a lowlife who can’t or won’t properly provide for them.
Lys says:
Are there any laws in regards to how many cats can live in the one house?
Krendee says:
I think the councils are trying to bring in laws to limit the number of cats you can have in one house but I don’t know how far they’ve gotten. I volunteer for the Animal Welfare League in our state and while I applaud anyone who takes in animals and cares for them, I’m also a big fan of either desexing the animals (if they go outside) or keeping the animals inside, to reduce the number of unwanted kittens appearing at our doorstep. I find Spring and Summer to be the most heart breaking time of year at the AWL, followed closely by Easter when the kittens and puppies given as Christmas presents are suddenly not so cute any more. Sorry to be a downer, again, i congratulate you all for taking them in as your own.