Cats

» ThatCrazyCatLady - How many cats are too many?

I was writing a blog for tomorrow and wanted to stop in here and get your opinions on this question... How many cats do you consider too many? How many cats can YOU comfortably afford to have? Do you know people who hoard cats?

I like to call myself a Crazy Cat Lady, but I am a breeder, so I expect to spend many hours a day (and a bit of cash) to care for my cats. But I would imagine that for the average family, the number of cats I have would be nearly impossible to properly care for. I have 9, but 3 are outdoor kitties.

On the other hand, I think that every cat should have a companion, so I think there should be a minimum of 2 cats in a home, and in my opinion, 3 should be the cut-off for most families. I'd imagine that families with larger houses and higher incomes could comfortably keep up to 5 or 6 kitties without the kitties feeling overcrowded or stressed.

Then you have to ask... if you have 5 or 6 kitties and the kids are in school during the day, and mom and dad are at work... do the cats get enough attention??

What other things would y'all ask if you were determining how many cats a family should have?

I should start a poll

-- posted by ThatCrazyCatLady

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» ThatCrazyCatLady - Poll...

Please drop by and take the poll on this discussion and the blog

http://cats.suite101.com/polls.cfm

-- posted by ThatCrazyCatLady

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» lindyflood - How many cats are too many?

In response to How many cats are too many? posted by ThatCrazyCatLady:

Here is just one gals opinion....Keep in mind I am a cat person and have been deprived of cats due to hubby and son's alleriges until recently...they finally gave in Polly when we found her stray...lol

How many cats do you consider too many? About 15

How many cats can YOU comfortably afford to have? Me with family as it is...2-3 cats. Me as a single person...6

Do you know people who hoard cats? No

Then you have to ask... if you have 5 or 6 kitties and the kids are in school during the day, and mom and dad are at work... do the cats get enough attention??

They probably keep each other company until the humans get home and feed them...lol

What other things would y'all ask if you were determining how many cats a family should have?

I think affordability or the ability to afford food, litter. etc... and vet care and shots can get expensive..

The allergy thing is always a factor too. I had a persian that used to drive my boyfriend carzy with allergies and once sent him to the hospital when the cat sneezed in his face. If it was widely known the things yuo can do to minimaze this then maybe more people who delve into the wonderful world of being owned by a feline....lol

I should start a poll

-- posted by lindyflood

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» ThatCrazyCatLady - How many cats are too many?

In response to How many cats are too many? posted by lindyflood:

Thank you so much for stopping by to share your opinion on this! A lot depends on the circumstances, I reckon! When we start thinking in broad generalizations, it's easy to get what seems to be "cut & dry" answers.

Good that you mentioned vet bills, too - you never know when they will come up, and if you aren't prepared, you may have to have a kitty you love put down. I've even been looking into pet insurance and seriously considering it lately. That's gotten lots better than when it first started out.

I will have to do a couple of articles on allergies and how to help them out.

(I don't personally know people who hoard kitties either, but it seems to be an increasing problem.)

Thanks again for sharing!

-- posted by ThatCrazyCatLady

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» lindyflood - How many cats are too many?

In response to How many cats are too many? posted by ThatCrazyCatLady:

Hi again...

I read one of your articles about self righteousness and I LOVE IT! I felt so guilty for not getting Polly spayed in time before she got pregnant. I was afraid to tell anyone for fear they would give me that self righteous....ohhh you should have been more responsible. Well they are probably right but it doesnt make me a bad person or bad cat owner. I love my cat. My decision was that I made the mistake and I will keep every last kitty if I have to before I would send them off to any shelter. Thankfully I have homes for three of them and I want to keep one myself so depending on how many she has I should be ok.

You are correct on the expenses. It really doesnt take too much money for regular maintainance and I would rather see a kitty in a home who misses a vet appt. then one in a shelter who sees them all the time! I just got so mad when I took Polly's sister Matteo to the emergency vet at 11 pm and they wanted 600.00 up front or they were going to turn me away. I had to go home and get my husbands credit card because I did not have the money. How horrible would I have felt if I couldnt help her. She was seizing very badly and what would I have done? I just couldnt believe they would turn me away. I will never go there again...hopefully.

-- posted by lindyflood

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» ThatCrazyCatLady - How many cats are too many?

In response to How many cats are too many? posted by lindyflood:

Oh thank you! I almost took that blog down because it is just SO unlike me to have a rant LOL But I had been on Yahoo Answers reading questions and seeing if there was anything I could help out with, and I'm always amazed to see people taking time out of their day just to blast somebody for asking a question.

I'm also always amazed at vets (and human doctors for that matter) who will let an animal die if you don't have money right that minute. How can their conscience let them do that? What do they think after an animal leaves that they KNOW is going to DIE.

I called a vet one night when I was having my first litter of puppies, of course it was an emergency all-hour vet, but she said, "Oh yes, you should bring her in or she might die. We charge a minimum of $1200 for an emergency c-section, but it could be as much as $2500. We only accept cash or credit card, and you must pay in full before you leave." Now my vet charges right at $250 for a scheduled c-section... why was the same procedure suddenly $2500???

I got on the internet, and within a couple of minutes found a technique that would cause contractions in my girl called "feathering," and within 10 minutes of doing that, she had the next puppy and went on fine after that. (Unfortunately, you can't do that same procedure with kitties.)

But where is the compassion?? You never even get a kind word from a vet tech once the words, "I'm low on cash, but I need help" come out. Surely another one of the things in life I just don't understand

I think every home can afford a couple of kitties, and 99% of the time, they'll probably never have to worry about an emergency vet visit. And I agree with you - I'd rather see someone adopt a kitty, worm them themselves, give their own shots, ask a few questions on the internet when they need to... than see that kitty in a shelter wondering if the next time the vet comes in, if they'll be getting put down.

-- posted by ThatCrazyCatLady

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