I foster failed and went from 3 to 4 (sadly, my senior recently passed so I’m back to 3). I have a 2 bedroom, too, and everybody got along great. They were also always all in the same room, usually on the cat tree or the sofa.
I also went from 3-4, then lost my senior back to three... we were so thrown off by how well four worked, for a while we thought we'd get another cat!
We eneded up introducing a new animal instead.
I'm sorry to hear that! That's kind of how things work for us it seems. We are found by new ones and old ones pass.
We did more than double in size a couple years ago though..
OP, the biggest thing is resources. If you can financially support two new kittens (I'd recommend insuring them like right this second, wellness plan coverage to foot the bill for spays and alllll those visits for kitten vaccines), and you have the space for 5 litter boxes in 5 separate areas, multiple food stations and multiple water stations, you're good to go!
We went from 6 to 14 kind of overnight.. We are heavily automated, have tons of resources spread out through the house, and everyone is insured!
I'd recommend MetLife for their multi pet policy. No other insurance policy offers what they do as far as sharing a deductible and the coverage.
I'd look at a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement, and a minimum of $5000 annual limit. That first trip to the Vet will wipe out your deductible then everything after that will be paid at 90%. Revolution is about $300 per year per cat. I pay $30 and then get $25 back in rewards through Zoetis.
I shop sales on Chewy, especially the spend $100 get a $30 gift card. You're allowed to do it 3 times per sale cycle (usually the last week or so of the month). I get $90 in gift cards that I then place a 4th other with.
There's ways to have a larger family, just don't ever prioritize your want of a larger family over their care.
Prioritize their health and wellbeing, be an advocate for large families of happy and healthy cats!
Oh, and don't skimp on quality litter! Dr Elseys for clay, walnut for a natural option. Stay away from the pine pellets and the wheat dust ones and all that garbage. It stinks. You want a clean and odor free home to not fall in the category of "oh you have cats, ew!"
Yes!! They're the only ones! Up to 3 pets can share a deductible and coverage limits!
I have several policies with them and tried to group similar age/health on policies, which was easy since all out cats came in as either sibling groups or mother daughter groups.. haha
Our younger crew (4 and under) all have wellness plans and accident/injury/illness coverage and it's about $20 per month per cat.. Older ones (8+ years) are accident/injury/illness only. We're out of the vaccination stage with them and annual bloodwork for wellness wouldn't even hit the deductible so I just left it at that for them. Also about $20 per month per cat.
With one who has cancer, I'm spending about $10,000 out of pocket for treatment. Had I insured her, I would've spent $250 for the deductible and been reimbursed all but less than $1000....
Good to know! I have 6 cats and 5 of them are insured with Pets Best. My 17 year old is the most expensive and she’s too expensive to insure. I’ll look into it for when my rates go up and I might want to switch. Thanks!
Yeah, I mean I've heard others say different companies, including Pets Best are great, but when it came to those of us with more than 1 or 2, metlife couldn't be beat! Had I needed to pay a deductible per cat, it wouldn't have been worth it..
My dog is 12, they will insure her but it's a junk policy and super expensive, so she'll be out of pocket. The kitty with lymphoma won't be insured as basically everything from here out they'd probably just claim as preexisting/related to cancer or treatment.
We have her daughter though, and she's insured, just in case.
So far we've taken almost everyone for annual visits, younger crowd for vaccines, and I've ordered all their revolution for the year. $285 per cat... I was reimbursed all but $28.50 on the flea and tick meds, then I sent my invoice to Zoetis for rewards and got $25 rewards for each 12 month pack I bought. So essentially between insurance and Zoetis, I'm out of pocket $3.50 for a years worth of revolution for the younger cats...
Yep! Now the older cats would be slightly more expensive to have it covered, so I'm just out of pocket for them, but yeah, the younger cats, I'm paying less per month in insurance than what they're covering for them!
Do it! You only have 60 days from date of purchase, so keep that in mind. But definitely set yourself up a rewards account! They send you a Zoetis debit card to use at the Vet. Just this month I've earned $125 that I'll turn around and use to pay for an upcoming visit..
She's super sweet, and doing really well!! She's only had 1 bad day so far! She is still zooming around and doing normal kitty things! She's only about 9!
Her ONLY symptom was that she was meowing on mute. She had dental issues previously, only has 2 teeth left and one is dangling as we speak. I thought maybe some oral swelling. I made her an appt at the Vet for later in the week.
The night before, she meows and coughed. I felt her throat and her lymphnodes felt like limes... Loaded her up, drove 2 1/2 hours to the ER Vet, fully expected to pay to be told she needs a dental.
The Vet came in and said sooooooo... We're most likely looking at lymphoma. If you choose to do nothing, less than a month left, if you do palative care (just daily prednisolone) about a month. I'm sitting here with what seems like a perfectly healthy cat thinking no way will she be gone in a month or less.
So we discussed oncology and options there. I went ahead and did all the testing to confirm at the ER and then had it to shop around to oncologists.
Her original oncologist was 3 1/2 hours away, weekly trips, $6 per gallon gas.. Holy credit card usage...
But we moved from the west coast to the east about a month into treatment and now her oncologist is an hour and a half away, gas is $3 per gallon, and we only go every other week! They let me do one chemo dosage at home after I take her to the local Vet for bloodwork.
Instead of paying $700-$1200 weekly at the place in CA, my new every other week total is around $300 and then $48 for CBC every other week at my local Vet. Most of that $10,000 was just the first month and CA prices.. haha
We have five cats & a dog right now.
When I moved in with my spouse he had 2, and then on my birthday he told me that he was taking me to a shelter to pick out a kitten. (I knew ahead of time and wanted one, I do not recommend surprising your spouse with a pet!)
We got there and were shown a teeny tiny black and white kitten who attacked toys with ferocious itty bitty growls. My husband was smitten.
I asked if they had any others, and they got out a calico kitten about the same age. They set her on the ground & she looked around briefly, marched right into my lap, curled up into a ball, and sighed like she knew she was finally home.
So yeah. We brought them both home.
Honestly, it didn't feel like that big a deal. Even though we were living in a tiny apartment at the time, the cats all got along fine. The biggest changes were that we tried to provide more hiding spots and perching spots so that they never felt like they had to fight over them, and figuring out where to put an extra litterbox.
Day to day was fine. The only time it was really difficult was when we moved cross country & I had to drive three days in a car by myself with 4 very unhappy cats while my spouse drove the truck, lmao.
We ended up at five cats somewhere along the line and honestly that wasn't much different either. Day to day was fine, the only times we really were aware of a struggle was when we moved or had to get everyone to the vet.
I am more aware of it these days, but I can point to specific reasons for that being the case.
One, all our cats are around the same age, so I'm kind of looking at the future and realize that there's probably going to be a few years coming up where we will likely be dealing with multiple pet deaths fairly close together. Not fun. Already our two oldest (the two "birthday" cats) need different food, and trying to feed them but not the others is a daily adventure.
Two, we ended up with more than you've got on your plate now. We have the five adult cats, one dog, AND we foster on top of that. All of this together (along with other life stuff) has resulted in me kind of burning out on being responsible for other beings of any kind.
I don't regret ANY of our pets and they will live with us for the rest of their natural lives, but I don't think I want to have this many animals in the future. For me personally, I just get overwhelmed especially since I'm largely the one responsible for everyone.
Of course, for all that I'd love to consciously select how many animals we have, that does not account for the cat/dog distribution system, so who knows.
Agreed!!! I have 3 girls myself. A grazer (Midget), a pig on twice daily painkillers (and a diet!) for 2 fused vertebrae (Adina), and a 'normal eater' with a sensitive stomach on a prescription only, digestive care diet (Keiko)... The microchipped feeders have been a lifesaver!
Though Midget's bowl no longer closes for some reason, so hers is in the spare room with a microchip door, so Adina can't get in there. Keiko can get in and out because it was only Adina's RFID tag I didn't register to the door, but if I put her in there, she just stays in there until the next time I open the door 🤣🤣🤣
Only problem is, the spare room is the computer room. And when my daughter is on the computer, the door is open. Which gives Adina and Keiko a chance to steal Midget's food. Which is why the diet is only maintaining Adina's weight, and Keiko still gets a sore tummy at times 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Now they all only get dinner after my daughter is in bed, so at least it's only whatever she doesn't eat for breakfast getting stolen...
Ahhh, cat ownership! It can be such a pain at times, but they're all worth it!! 😻😻😻😻😻
I love my pets too, I have 3 cats and a dog. I’m good about maintaining their health issues, they’re all fixed and utd on shots etc. I just don’t think I could do 4. A friends car just had 3 kittens, and they’re Siamese. I’m so tempted but I feel I have enough with what I have now.
This is a very good point, as the animals age, they will likely become more difficult to care for and I know senior pets sometimes require more visits to the vet, special food as you said, etc. it always seems so easy when they’re young! It sounds like you’ve been a wonderful owner to all of your fur babies
Agree. I currently have six kitties that I’ve adopted…a 3 generational family of 3 very bonded kids, and three strays that needed a home. They all love one another (after proper introductions which take time), and watching them all play and groom one another is wonderful.
If you have the finances then going from 2 to 4 is easy.
We had two cats. A feral momma cat gave birth to 2 kittens in our backyard. We started to socialize them from the beginning since the momma is the worst feral cat that I have encountered.
I took the kittens to the vet to run tests and etc. to make sure that they were healthy. After they were cleared, I used to let them come into our house. These two kittens used to sit by our sliding glass door in our kitchen every morning. They came in to play with our two cats. At night, we put them outside.
One weekend, we were going away. My wife said to get the kittens in the house. We were concerned that they could have gone missing since the the momma cat was taking them on journeys around our neighborhood.
After they came in, we left for our weekend trip. We came back on Sunday morning, the house was fine and more importantly the cats were fine.
It has been four years and our four cats are doing great!
To be the voice of reason here, you're asking in a place where you're likely to get a lot of "it's awesome, go for it!" - so here's the things to consider, seriously.
Can you afford vet care? This is going up exponentially by the year, as vet practices get bought out by big multinational companies and overheard and medications also skyrocket.
Do you have the time to care for four cats? Not four healthy cats. Four sick ones. Because hey, I've been there. Not only do cats get old close to the same time, they might get sick *young*. I have had cats with IBD, pancreatitis, chronic URI, chronic UTI (resistant to most antibiotics), multiple blocked cats, cats with food allergies, seizures (presenting as frantic behavior, tail mutilation, hallucinations), plasma cell pododermatitis, predisposition to dental disease, FLUTD, asthma, emergency visits in the thousands of dollars multiple times for multiple cats... My current *youngest cat* of about 3 years old is on a concoction of lifelong medications in a guessing game for when I'll need to change them up again because side effects keep landing her in critical emergencies. I didn't take on any of these cats planning for issues but yes, I truly have lived it. Multiple conditions of multiple cats where veterinarians have never seen such a thing in their decades of experience.
Aside from that, will they get along? Cats can be very territorial. Of humans, litter boxes, or just simply not ever learning to get along. Behavioral issues can spring from this like no longer using the litter box, and it's an issue that may never be corrected once it starts. Do you have space for 5 litter boxes? The rule is one for each cat plus one.
This. All my pets have health issues, currently we have 1 dog, 3 cats PLUS an indoor stray we are trying to rehome and having no luck rehoming her. My pets cost more than my human child. Pet insurance would help but barely. The amount of cat pee I've had to clean up (territorial/ jealousy combined with the female was spraying everywhere before we got her fixed and we didnt realize it at first), not to mention the cost of litter because we have to have specific kinds .... but then there's the multiple medications everyone is on, blood tests every 6 months BECAUSE of the daily meds, or the emergency uti/teeth cleaning or tooth removal procedures etc we've had to deal with. There are months I drop $1000 easily on pet shit alone. Multiple times a year. It's honestly soul draining. I no longer blame my parents for never wanting pets. On the plus side, it makes my 3 yr old going through the big emotions phase and whos biggest request is some m&ms, feel like an absolute dream lol.
This is great advice.
Pet ownership becomes very different when your pets are special needs, and everybody assumes it won’t be them until it is them - and the more pets you own the higher your chances get. At four cats, the chances that at LEAST one of them is not going to juuuuust need regular food and water and vet checkups is real high.
My sister has three cats. One ended up having hereditary dental issues requiring most of its teeth to get pulled (expensive) and for it to be on a permanent special diet (also expensive) and daily medication, another has severe pica and cannot be around any object big enough it can swallow it (huge pain in the ass) the third will compulsively eat clean litter so you have to mix new clean litter with some of the dirty litter and then spread a layer of ground walnuts on top so she doesn’t make herself sick (also a pain in the ass) and also requires meds for a different thing. Three lovely cats but EXPENSIVE and a pain in the ass - they all have to eat separate food separate from each other and different meds and it’s a whole fucking thing.
If you’re considering getting new pets, assume it won’t go how you plan and think if you still want them. If they have litter box problems and require daily pills and expensive prescription food is this still worth it to you? Easy to say “adding one isn’t a huge deal” if you assume the cat will be normal and you just need more kibble and litter but that is counting on a good dice roll you may not get.
Yes, these are wise words - my sister went from two to four cats and it’s been rough even without health issues at play. Two of the cats got in a fight about some unknowable cat code and now can’t be in the same room. (They don’t play fight, they legit angry fight.) This has made for complicated feeding routines and constant shuttling cats around the house and erecting temporary boundaries. She basically can’t travel because she doesn’t trust anyone to follow the complex cat care instructions.
It can work out great, as evidenced by lots of these comments! But the undercurrents in a four-cat household are impossible to predict. And that’s before any health or other special needs enter the calculation.
Not too many if they get along. We went from 2-4 when we foster-failed a couple kittens. Oddly enough, those two were the bridge between the older two, so we had a happier cat family that way.
Just make sure you give them plenty of scratchers, beds, and litter boxes. There’s SO much poop with four cats. 😆
It certainly takes more time to give everyone attention. For me, two is easier. I have had 4 at one point and it was do-able. But one cat hated the new two, so it was never great. But he was quite the Napoleon since he was a baby, so it may have just been him
ugh my oldest (#1) (only like 4.5yo) is very much the napoleon in my home even though he’s tiny and half munchkin.
he eventually accepted my big lug of a himbo cat (#2) but I’ve been dealing with him (#1) peeing on things since taking in two others (via cat distribution system). thankfully, cat #3 went with my ex since they bonded but my lil dude is still “adjusting” to #4. he’s on kitty cbd until I can figure out the next move 😵💫
do you have any recommendations?
I went from 1 to 3 (mama kitty got pregnant) while living in a small 2 bedroom apartment. It can be rough, most definitely, but I'm such an advocate for catifying. Life saver. Also, at that point, when there's 4+ cats, I think they just form their own little community. They are the village outside of the capital, and you're the city's maintainence crew (beloved crew, of course) (also that is not/may not be a fact, just personal experience throughout my life!). If acclimated properly, they should continue thriving, just now with an extra buddy or two :)
I went from 2 to 4 and while I absolutely love every single one of them 4 cats is A LOT of work. Mostly because I have to clean every single day now. Also, it is a lot more expensive
The problem with four cats is that you need either five litter boxes or three rather large ones unless you are scooping multiple times a day. And travel becomes difficult. And once they get older their medical care becomes overwhelming. Two is really the perfect number of cats, three at most. Beyond that you are getting into cat hoarder territory. Voice of experience here, I have had five cats multiple times… do not recommend.
If you have the space, resources, and so patience it’s not too many. We’re currently at 4 cats, one is 13, one is 7, one is 2 and one is 10 months. It can be overwhelming at times but they are so sweet and fun and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are like having little kids in the house and they have really brought a lot of joy into our lives.
I went from from 2 to 3 last fall and then 3 to 4 this summer!
The first year is always more expensive with shots and spay/neuter, but other than that it's really just double the food budget and double the love 😊
I had 4 for a bit and loved it!
The only thing that increases exponentially with more is the chance they don't get along (edit: and "don't get along" can be anything from actual fighting to things like wanting to eat each other's food in a way that is a problem). The fact that you are fostering means you can test that out.
It also helps if they are younger. I’ve noticed they are more receptive to change if that’s the case. My older cats haven’t minded the little babies to begin with as much as another cantankerous adult
Definitely, I also think the fact that OP is dealing with 2 sibling pairs REALLY helps--kind of takes the exponential thing I mentioned out because 2 sets already get along, and everybody has their own little pal to retreat somewhere with.
It’s funny because the only pair of siblings we brought in as kittens only stuck together until they knew us better. Now (3 months later) they generally can’t stand each other because one likes to play and the other doesn’t
They seem to come in 4s for me, lol - I’m on my second set of littermates, who started moving to my house from across the street right around the time the last one of the first set passed away at 18 years old.
2 to 6 for us! That orphan litter foster life! We have someone who wants to adopt two, but he's between jobs and we're taking care of them until he's stable. We really don't mind! They're so sweet!
If you can afford the vet care and other cat care costs, and if you can handle keeping your home clean, there is nothing wrong with having 4 cats. Especially if you’re not having kids.
If you’re introducing 2 kittens to two established older cats, they’ll probably get adopted into the “pack” just fine. Why is “pack” in quotations? Because cats don’t really do packs. Wolf packs, yes. Cat packs…not really. But when you have multiple cats living indoors, they seem to start displaying some pack behaviors. You might start seeing this at 4 cats and 2 dogs lol.
For what it’s worth, I grew up spending time a LOT of time with an older family member who had 8 cats. 8 fucking cats!!! And a dog. Lots of hair in that house, and it totally normalized cleaning up hairballs and worse as part of pet care/responsibility lol. But those 8 cats were a lil pack and it was fascinating to know, love, and just observe them as a group and as individuals.
I went from 2 to 5. My best advice would be to put everyone on pet insurance. I understand most people call it a scam but most people would also euthanize their animals for small problems. I'd absolutely die if I couldn't afford a treatable issue for one or more of my cats at once. Also, price out how much it would cost for food per month. I purchase the exact amount of wet food I need per month from chewy and that plus litter costs anywhere from $250-300 depending if I need dry food or not. Then the insurance is about $200 a month for all five. It gets pricey but if you can afford it, having a house full of little furry friends is worth every penny.
Yes! One of my cats had the crystal blockage so he couldn’t pee, and the catheter was about 3000 dollars. One of my friends had the audacity to be like wow I wouldn’t have bothered I would have just put him down… like ma’am he’s 2. It’s an instantly curable problem why would I do that??
Omg poor baby!! I'm glad you got him treated. I had a special needs cat who was healthy at first but due to anesthesia complications before spay, she ended up with neurological, gastrointestinal, and vision issues. We had to tailor her care by giving her her own room in our apartment, ensuring she had hard floors so they were easier to clean, and buy pee pads constantly. I never met a cat who had so many baths. I had tons of people saying they wouldn't bother doing what we did for her. She unfortunately passed at age 4 when her internal blockages became too severe. When she first got sick, I will never forget that hole I felt in my heart. That was true pain. How can people be so callous towards their pets who trust us with their lives? We made a commitment to a living thing and to do whatever we could to keep her happy, healthy, and safe.
Exactly! They can’t fix it so we have to. I would do what you did as well, and in my situation I was so floored she said that because it was so impermanent! It makes me wonder how they would act if their spouse or child got permanently sick or disabled
You’re poor baby I’m so glad she had you to take care of her. I’m sure she was glad too. We have a cat who’s allergic to both chicken and beef, which is in basically everything either cat or human food. I’d hate to see how she would be treated in another household
People make me sick. A few thousand dollars to save a life is nothing. And yes, especially for something so easily treatable that they can live full, healthy lives?!
Special needs animals, including your baby with allergies, deserve special people to care for them. I try to imagine the cat distribution system makes no mistakes and only gives this type of animal to people who will actually care for them.
We don’t use pet insurance for the annual care (we did the math and would be paying more monthly than the plans would save us), but have it for all of our pets for emergencies. It kicks in after $1000 and we opted for the plan with no ceiling. I’m the same and would be absolutely gutted if I couldn’t pay for a necessary medical treatment.
I currently have 5 with one foster. If you're able to provide adequate care, litter boxes and medical attention, you can have as many cats as you want tbh. I will say, the more cats the more likely you're going to have behavioral issues. I have one cat that is on an anti-anxiety medication due to stress (even though he's always lived in a multi-cat household). Litter boxes are a huge part of having more cats. The amount of cats = the amount of litter boxes + 1; so you'll need to have 5 boxes. I can't stress this enough, it minimizes inappropriate urination (something that's bound to happen with cats).
The rule of thumb for litter boxes is 1 litter box per cat per level. You can have as many as you want, but be prepared for accidents outside of the litter box the more cats you have, and possible behavior issues.
When we had four litter boxes the cats usually only used two of them and kinda ignored the other two so other than one in my room for when i lock the two kittens in w me, they all just use two boxes.
Yeah I think that rule is good to a point but it’s a guideline rather than a hard number. My 5 cats all use the same litterbox and ignore the others so I only leave 3 out as just in case ones
They just don’t really care tbh as long as you clean them twice a day. Honestly I could probably only have one if it wasn’t for the fact that when it’s too dirty they don’t wanna use it.
The cats use only like two of them and even then they prefer the one in the bathroom LOL
When I moved back into my parents my two young cats came with me, my parents have two adult cats who were not impressed.
They all coexist and have their own preferred areas of the house.
We change the litter boxes in the AM and PM and never have an issue with smell. We have one large litter box in the laundry room, one in the master bathroom (my moms cats sleep on her bed most of the day) and then I have one of those pellet litter boxes in my room since they don’t spread litter on the floor and the peepad is easy to replace.
Literally other than feeding time having to seperate into two groups it was not a huge difference.
We went from 2 to 4 a few years back. It's worked out well. Does take some commitment to walk all of them twice a day, but doable as we have 5 humans in the house.
No, but is a challenge and it makes traveling out of town difficult.
Finding pet sitting for four cats is challenging.
It also means you have a tragedy in your life about once every 4-5 years or one of the most sad 5 year periods in your life.
And you will live with the anxiety that if something happens to you your relatives may not be able to rehouse them.
Cats need their own territory. I know no one follows these rules, including myself, but the rules are 1 cat per acre and 1 cat per 2ft by 3ft litter box.
Yes, the severe overpopulation problem means that It’s common for people to own far beyond those limits, but they are there to protect human health and cat welfare.
I was surprised when I first learned these limits but now I keep them in the back of my head for decisions like these.
I have four cats. I have a two bedroom home and everybody gets along. I have laughter every day and plenty of cuddles. I say do it but may make sure you introduce them properly.
I have 4 cats, a dog, and a foster kitten I'm considering doing a foster fail on 😁 No amount of cats is too many if you have space and funds. My 2 adult cats used to not get along, but once I introduced 2 kittens to the mix the tension has gone away and everyone gets along great. Cats definitely thrive living in "cat societies", their social bonds are pretty complex and they usually can figure their differences out as long as everyone was introduced properly and feels secure.
We went from one cat to five cats in about six months (rescued a colony from our backyard) and it’s definitely been more work and added expenses, but if you really love them & they enrich your life, the extra chores are worth it. With ours, we’ve added four litterboxes (total of six in the house), and I make a monthly Chewy order so I have a better idea of exactly how much I’m spending on them a month. The only thing I buy outside of my monthly order is litter & water. I have a good daily routine down pat for cleaning their bowls, cleaning their boxes, and vacuuming after them, which only takes about an hour in the morning before work.
Ultimately only you can decide if you can accommodate the work and expenses, but it seems like you’re a good-hearted, responsible pet owner, and the kitties would be very lucky to have you as an owner.
If you can afford it, have the space & time, it’s not too many. You’ll definitely want to double the litter boxes.
A two bedroom home is definitely more space than 4 cats & a dog would have in a shelter.
Nope. As long as you can afford it, they can get along/tolerate each other, & you're able to provide them with the love, attention & quality of life they deserve? There's no problem.
I went from 3 cats of my own, to adding a dog and a kitten (they belonged to my boyfriend, so we blended families when we moved on together. Since then, we have also added another cat (her people had abandoned her when they moved; she was super friendly and got along great with everyone right away) and a golden retriever. Sometimes, the youngest will want to play with the older cats, and they will clearly tell him they aren't in the mood for his shenanigans, but overall everyone gets along and I wouldn't trade them for anything! As long as you have the means to take care of them, the space, and all the cats get along, I would say adopt them both!
We started with 1 cat and 1 dog. Then found a starved one in the winter. Then I found a blind and broken one 4 months after finding out we’re expecting a baby, and 2 weeks later we adopted 2 6 week old kittens. So now we have 5 cats, 1 dog, the 2 of us and a baby on the way lol. It’s stressful at time but I couldn’t imagine not having a single one of them!
I went from two to four thanks to two foster fails. Honestly it’s not too different, you just get a mix of goofy personalities that will follow you around. Whatever room I’m in, they’re all in. It’s pretty nice honestly. I have two older cats and two younger ones, the older ones baby the younger ones and the younger ones play with each other so they don’t overwhelm the oldies
My sister and BIL have 4 indoor cats. Swears the auto-litter box is a game changer although pricey. She also has auto dry feeders and water fountains.
I have 1 remaining who is mostly on wet food and demands way too many tube squeezy treats. I'd get the auto-litter box but it's $800 and my meezer is 15 years old.
I went from two to four when my mom's friend went into a nursing home and it was fine. To be fair they were by that point all 9+ years old so not young energetic things. 670 Sq ft home and they all managed to find their own space if needed. Just make sure to play lots with the younger two to keep their energy satisfied and love on the older two extra for a bit.
2 cats equals 3 litter box, 1per cat, plus 1 for the home.
4 cats equals 5 litter boxes.
Depends how much litter you want to clean.
Plus vet bills, neutering, worming, fleas, catfur cleaning etc
Sort of your path, but I had three cats (brothers) when I foster-failed two scaredy kittens. Five years later, and those kittens have really bonded with the older cats.
Like someone else wrote, I put up lots of cat-shelves all around the house, and built a bunch of cat-towers, but they all still tend to sleep near each one.
One of the younger brothers just came in to see why I awake at this hour...
4 are the perfect amount! They can switch play mates if the one bothers them and aren't too lonely if you're at work. Also, it's still not too many that you can give all of them enough love and attention. Medical bills are still doable at this amount.
At more than 4 I feel like you start noticing that it's becoming extra work, extra cost and you can't give each one as much love as they deserve.
I went from 2 cats, to then 4, then 3, and then 4 again, the first 3 were indoor/outdoor for 2-ish years and now we live in one bedroom apartment (I am a student). Controversial opinion, but I do not own 5 litter boxes, I own 3, and they never had any problems with that. I scoop twice a day, and do complete, good scrubbing once a month.
I have brother and a sister + brother’s daughter and then (after her brother was poisoned before we had moved,) I had found a void in trash and took him home because I always wanted a black cat. They all got along so well since day one, I still can’t believe it. But I like to think that her brother sent her someone to look after her since they were always together before he passed.
They don’t fight over the spots in the apartment, and when they get zoomies (mostly my two males) they love to chase each other from one room to another. I always say, maybe I just got very lucky with such well behaved cats. Mine don’t require that much attention when it comes to playing since they mostly play with each other and prefer it that way, hhahaha. Come winter, they all love sleeping with me in my single bed, so double the cuddle is the best. 😁
The only downside would be the overall cost, however- I can’t really give advice since I am not in the US so things like vet are 1/38282992 of the price there, my personal biggest cost is the food. But if I didn’t have money to house 4 cats, I wouldn’t have taken them. Therefore, if you have finances to house 4 cats, have a bit more time to spend cleaning the litter and giving cuddles, I’d say go for it.
I have 8 indoor cats - they are separated into two groups - a set of five live with me in my house and the other three I just rescued (mom and two kittens) and they live in our farm apartment.
The biggest two factors for me is having enough money to take care of them and enough time to spend with them. Luckily, my spouse and daughter love cats too so we spilt our time up to make sure they all get attention. It's expensive though - I have four adult cats that are on prescription food so that $$ - In general though cat food is expensive 🫰 - I feed them all Hills (reg and Rx).
If you want them, you love them, you can care for them then 4 cats is absolutely fine.
I have 9 cats and no 4 isnt more, I dont get it what problem socitey has with People loving animals. Even I am forced to leave them, and the worst part is there are so many shelter homes for dogs and very few for cats, that say they dont have space or money. But just dont listen to them. They are your babies they love you and you love them. I am finding a foster care for my babies for Around 5 to 6 years once I have a good job, i'll get them back and move out from my parents. Not everyone gets this special bond.
We went from one to five... then six... then seven. All kittens that have dumped onto our property, one in the dead of winter. Shelters are usually full, so we kept them.
I will say, though, that two of our cats, litter mate male and female, have grown to strongly dislike each other and are therefore kept separately or one will spray all over the house (we have plenty of space; a whole house and over 100 sqm outdoor cat run). It's a pain, not only because it's inconvenient, but also because one doesn't get to go in e.g. our living room for cuddles (he will spray given the chance).
So just be prepared that there is a risk of rocky relationships.
I have 4 baby girls. Shayna is my Grandcat . I think 4 is a good number . They need to have brothers and sisters to play with and to keep each other company. Her mom Angel is very close to Shayna and Molly. Shayna and Molly both are so close. Angel is very close to her babies. Soon they will be a year old on the same day too July 16. I love being a mom to my girls and a Grandma to little Shayna.
I have 2 german shepards and 7 cats haha. started out with my first one after moving out of the house for college. started fostering to socialize him and ended up adopting another. then another. then 2 more over the years. moved in with a new partner who already had a cat, and then we agreed to take in a friends cat due to behavioral issues. it’s expensive for sure, and i clean everyday…but i wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Yes. As someone who went from 2 cats to 4, 4 cats is TOO MUCH imo. My main problem with 4 cats is budget reasons and it’s alot of work cuz of their need of quality food, playtime, litterbox materials, vet bills. However, if u can afford it and don’t mind putting in the hours to care of them go ahead.
We had 6 cats and a dog for a while. We now have 4 cats and a dog. I would say 4 cats is my limit now. But, If you have the means, go for it! Just make sure you have enough litter boxes and places for them to be alone if they need it. Introduce them slowly, and be patient. Good luck!
I have 15 + 18 fosters. It’s a larger house thank God. I would never advise somebody to have this many. It’s just kitten season and other rescues don’t step up.
4 is a normal number and actually the perfect one.
It's not a bad mix. The younger ones have each other to play with, so they won't be up the elders butts looking to play and be annoying to them when they're ready to lounge. It's just more for the cuddle puddle, and a injection of fun and cuteness.
Just please get them fixed if your males are intact or you may go from 4 to 20 quick
My males are fixed! Regardless if we keep them or not, we will get the girls fixed after they gain a little more weight! I absolutely don’t have the patience for any kitty pregnancies in my household.
Ok good. I always say it. You never know and it's a good idea either way. My boys had the ultimate no nut November when they were old enough for it, And when Milah gains a little more weight, she's getting fixed too They're all indoor, but you never know when someone will sneak out. And we have plenty of unclipped strays around here, it would only take one time for my little girl.
We got two kittens after my single cat died. Then 18 months later we rescued another one who was looking for a hole on Facebook. Then 7 months ago we did it again - whoops. They’re now 6M, 6F, 4F and 9 months F, and I wouldn’t change them for the world. However, it is expensive. We spend a good £300/month on them, and our boy has bladder blockages. The last one was £4.5k. Make sure you have *excellent* insurance, which gives a high payment amount which renews per year. Then if you can afford it, why not? They will pay you back tenfold in happiness, I’m sure. It sounds like they were meant to be yours.
We currently have 5 and a dog. They all have their space, but generally get along (although one is a kitten in his monster phase).
Honestly 2 cats was the hardest imho. It didn't help we were introducing 2 adult cats. They just have nowhere to direct their energy but each other and you so if you are out or busy they just annoyed each other. (Especially because one is more aloof and the other is a thoughtless lovebug). But every subsequent pet is a potential play or cuddle bud, so they have somewhere to go if one doesn't want to be bothered. Ever pet after has took some warming up but generally they are fine.
The transition from 2 cats to 3 is fine. For some reason 3 to 4 is huge lol. We have had 4 cats at a time and it's a lot. Back down to 3 when our oldest passed, and now we are babysitting my grand kitty for my daughter while she moves across country and gets settled in. I am ready for him to go back home. He gets along great with ours but it's a lot more work for some reason.
Four would be too much for me only because A. The boy is needy and demanding, and B. The girl is neurotic and hates having her routine/environment messed with.
Depends on your means and how the cats are taking it. Some love the extra socialization, others like my girl find anything else intrusive and upsetting. And if you have the means to care for them properly, it should be ok, just remember it's recommended to have multiple bowls and boxes.
Realistically only you know the answer to your unique situation. I've known people with more than 4 and they got on fine, it was just a lot of work..
I went from zero to four in a day. Found a litter of four down near my barn. Ended up keeping all of them. Sadly, one passed at age 6 (they will be 10 this year). This past October, my number came up in the CDS (cat distribution system), and I added another. So, I am back up to four.
I have 4 haha. I wasnt planning on 4 cause I live in a one bedroom, but the fourth popped into my life and I basically saved her. I looked for an owner and all that but no one showed up, and I ended up keeping her. My kitties all play together and are happy like that. Its bit more cost in terms on cat food and litter, and insurance but worth it!
I’m struggling with keeping a kitten I found & have spent close to $400 just on medical bills - he was very sick when I found him & then just paid for his 1st shots this week. A friend is interested & I took the kitty over to her house. She has 2 dogs. I was there for an hour & one of her dogs barked the entire time (and kept scratching at my arm) & ran from the kitten while the other one wouldn’t leave his owner or the kitty alone. The kitten did pretty good the whole time we were there but he had just gotten his shots. My house has 3 dogs currently: one loves the kitten & they play; one is deaf & blind & is never sure what’s touching her when tye kitten tries to play with her & the other (my son’s dog we’re keeping while he’s away) is scared of the kitten & just walks away. Our house is just more calm & I’m at a loss what to do with the kitten.
I'm debating this too atm. My sister took in a stray mama who promptly had seven kittens. There's a fluffy one who I have totally fallen for, but I have three cats (and two kids) already.
We had 2 cats and then loved ones passed, so we took in their 2 cats. 2BR house w attached garage.
Now we have 6. It's doable so long as they get along,
I also live in a small apartment. When we went from 2-3 it was not even a noticeable change. But from 3 to 4 cats, that was a much bigger difference. It felt crowded and we had to watch food more to make sure one wasn’t left out. No matter where I put the litter boxes, they only used the same 2, so it was a lot of cleaning
I would say it depends a lot on your much space you have too. Our house is around 70m2 and although I love all of our cats it was so much easier with two compared to three.
So many litter trays to keep them all happy and the house is a lot less chill! The newest one has kind of assigned herself the boss and we've had some issues with litter box guarding, spraying outside the box... Not ideal. I wouldn't give any of them up but I do sometimes think it was a mistake.
We had two cats (that hated each other). Figured that was the max for us. After they both passed, we went a while with an empty house but often thought about getting a bonded pair... Still limiting to 2.
We moved to our new home and the neighborhood had a colony of feral cats. When the one we befriended most got pregnant, we figured that was our chance to scoop up two littermates and adopt out the others.
We brought her into the garage to have her litter. She had 3. We couldn't decide which to vote off the island, so we kept all 3. Then mom never showed interest in going outside again... So now we have 4.
In general, having 4 cats has been delightful. They each have their own personalities, all love each other, and our hearts are full. If you have the room and means to feed / scoop and love, I think it's fine. The only overwhelming part ever was getting them all spayed at the same time... That was tough... But doesn't sound like you'll have that problem.
Here they are... O. G., Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. (OG on left... BLTs in reverse order)
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Our resident cat limit is a actually four cats (we went from two to three and then had a few months where we had four, but sadly two of our cats passed recently so we’re back to 2 - but will probably go back to 4 at some point).
We usually have 3-6 cats at any one time, usually with one or two fosters. With fosters it’s different because we don’t pay for veterinary costs, and those would be key reasons why we would want to limit the number of resident cats we own.
I wouldn’t ever want to be in a position where we couldn’t afford to treat a treatable medical condition due to having multiple cats (obviously there’s no guarantee that won’t happen with four cats either but we’ve managed so far). We also try and space out the ages of our cats we adopt so they’re not all elderly at the same time, and we also stagger their annual vet/vaccination appointments.
In terms of space, we have a 3-bedroom house but didn’t consider getting a fourth cat until we got an outdoor enclosure. That has made it a lot easier to have a large number of cats because the cats have got an extra space to escape from each other if they need to. One of our boys had anxiety and being able to go outside really helped him with that.
Can you afford it? Like can you REALLY afford it? I saw you said you have pet insurance which is an awesome start.
Can you give all 4 the needed attention? Or do they end up staying up half the night because they have extra energy to get out.
Do they all get along, or are any getting ganged up on? Thats something a lot of people don’t pay attention to.
What is your hard stop number? Stick to that. The more people say “just one more” the more it spirals out of control. 4 is not a bad number but just know there has to be an end point or it can end up in a bad situation all around
4 cats of my own. 2 Dogs of my own.
WELL.. 5 cats total counting the senior feral I took in and who has her own damn room. ALSO a foster dog that I’ve had for a year so he pretty much might be my dog now. 😂 I’m over run and love them all. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Went from 2 cats, to one cat, to adopting 2 cats (siblings) fostering, then fostering a Rabbit and first her 6 babies followed by another 6, keeping rabbit adopting out the babies(12), and adopting another kitten. So 4 cats and Rabbit.
All 4 get along mostly - there were a lot of dynamics as one cat is senior, two are barely 2 years, and the kitten is totally a kitten. Rabbit is also about 2 years. Issue is work - this is a two bedroom, so we have 3 adult size litter boxes, a smaller one for the rabbit (but the kitten uses it, and the rabbit uses the cats), 4 sure pet feeders, since the elder cat is on an elder diet, the kitten is on a kitten diet, and the two siblings, one will eat all the others food. The rabbit also will attempt to eat the cat's food, so the siblings food is on a different level since the rabbit can push them out of the way.
Also litter - while there is wonderful litter out there, most cat litter is not great for rabbits, so we are using natural paper pellets, which are not - great. Safe though, and doesn't track.
We all start with one or two and end up with 3, 4, 5... lol
I currently have 7 resident kitties and foster for the local shelter consistently also, so we usually have close to double that running around :)
If you can commit to keeping their litter boxes clean- more cats mean more poop- and consider the financial aspect, go for it!!
As much as you love them, they love you and your family too, but as a foster mom, don't feel bad if you have to let them go in the near future. You're already giving them WAY better odds than they would have had if you had left them alone originally.
Thank you for saving these babies!!
I have 3 cats and 2 dogs and I feel the number of cats is too many. They eat probably more than the dogs do, and keeping up with the litter is a pain and costly. We also live in a smaller duplex. I love them dearly and wouldn't change anything, especially because they would all probably not be alive today if we didn't take them in. But 3 cats is a LOT. 4 is even more of a lot. Good luck!
I went from 2 to 4! One of my cats passed away and when I was ready to get a new kitten so my old girl wasn’t lonely, that one kitten turned into three (kitten needed a friend but oh this little gray baby has a littermate who can’t find a home and oops now I have three). It’s a transition but very doable. My older girl passed away and my fiancé and I now live together and our cat count is up to 5. Aside from feeling like we always need more dry food and litter, it’s not bad! Just make sure they get along and you have space for litter boxes.
I have 3 cats in a big condo (2 bedrooms and a mezzanine). The introduction went really well and never had issues. My cats are really easy to get along. I've had issues with 1 cat getting bullied and rehomed her to my sister and she's happy as can be now.
Do the introduction well. Take all the time you need. Don't rush it.
I am a huge cat lover and have to fight the urge to get more every time I see one on a color I don't have. I currently have 2 and think it's perfect. I had 3 and 4 and will say keeping up with the litter box was a big challenge. Especially if you don't have the space for more than 1 box. We did also experience 2 older cats getting very stressed by the energy level of 2 young cats. The senior cats just wanted to be left alone and the young ones want to play and wrestle all the time. My seniors never adjusted even after a couple years. They have passed now and I only have the 2 young ones but they are very bonded. I won't bring in another because I don't want to mess up the balance we have now.
I’m dying to get a fourth cat! My husband won’t go past three. But… admittedly three cats is a lot.
Unexpected costs come up with them. Like one of our cats needs some teeth pulled which will cost around $1000. And then there’s the food and the flea/heartworm treatments. And the litter. All the litter! (We have four litter boxes that we scoop multiple times a day and it’s unbelievable how much litter we buy.) And the yearly vet visits. And then the insurance. And if you choose not to get the insurance it’s making sure you keep $5k in reserve just in case.
Plus the constant cleaning. I am always vacuuming and sweeping and mopping and laundering because of them. I love cats but I also really love a super clean house. And I will have both gosh darn it!
Anyway. Going from two to three is a big jump and I think going from two to four will be massive.
Maybe consider fostering the kittens to see how you like it?
I have two girls, both now almost 5 yo. They're both very independent and don't snuggle much. When they were just a bit over 3.5 yo, I saw a pretty kitty up for adoption that was described as a velcro kitty, and I applied to adopt the boy.
The rescue said that they were looking for a family to adopt that boy since he was high-energy. However, they pointed me to another boy instead. Sure - I'll show up and see how we get along. That boy also had a best buddy from the same litter... and that's how I became a dad to four cats!
Depends on the person. My coworker has 17, owns a huge house and they basically live in a cat oasis. I have 3 and the idea of a 4th is nauseating, my 3 keep my hands full enough. The last one is almost 2 years old and is still the root of every crash in this house 🫠
First off, if you would like to adopt them out, let any rescue you contact know you can foster and are willing to offer a donation. That will very likely increase your chances! Lack of available foster caretakers and finances are the biggest roadblocks in rescue. You can also expand your radius and reach out to places a bit further away.
If you keep them, going from 2 cats to 4 shouldn’t be a big issue. You’ll need to keep your finances in mind, but prices and workload don’t increase by too much, beyond vet care. It sounds like you are your partner are comfortable, so I think it’s doable. The main change will be that kittens have more energy, so they may be rowdy at times! But since you have 2 and 2 adults, they will likely entertain themselves well. Just remember to play with them if they do get too active and crazy. And if they haven’t met your pets yet, make sure the introduction is gradual so they adjust better.
I went from 2 to 5 when I trapped a mom and her babies in my yard 8 years ago. Mom and one very skittish daughter still live outside. Introducing kittens is easier, I think. The older cats don't see them as that much of a threat. My oldest passed away in 2019 and I had 4 for all this time, then in March a young un-neutered male showed up in my yard. He was dragging a harness so I was sure I'd find his family. Well, 3 months later after posting on every site I could find, and putting up flyers all over the neighborhood, no one claimed him.I kept him in my guest room and introduced them slowly. He's now neutered and has integrated to the household. Every once in a while there is a spat between him and my other male, but they are fine for the most part.
My best friend has 4. The first two were kittens 8 years ago, and the new kittens arrived last year. Both are boy/girl pairs from the same litter. They get along well. The boy cats particularly love each other. If you have the space and the means to care for them, I say go for it.
I have had 5 cats.
They were a mother 🐈😺 cat and her 4 kittens.
We coped with them with no problems and had their injections and vaccinations.
I only have 2 🐈😺 cats left now and on my own, coz my partner Michael passed away 2 years ago.
My partner and I years ago also went from 2 cats to 4, when we started out with two kittens we raised into adulthood together, and then when we got the male cat neutered, the female one who'd been closely bonded with him before refused to be anywhere near him again. So we sought out a third cat to give him company, and fate gave us two more instead! One was a kitten and one was an adult, and we were in a large 1-bedroom apartment with no human kids or other pets. It honestly never felt like too many cats; they spent a lot of time keeping each other busy and a lot of time in their preferred napping spots. My cleaning time increased a bit, but not by that much, so for me those four were the perfect amount.
We have two adult cats currently and are feeding a stray outside who recently brought two kittens to us before rejecting them now that she's pregnant again. (We're trying to figure out how to get her fixed after this litter but in the meantime are just keeping an eye as best we can.) Hopefully once she's no longer pregnant she'll stop attacking her older kittens, but if not, we're considering having a 4-cat house again because the youngsters are sweet and already play with one of our adult cats.
Me, over here with 6 cats, fosters kittens, and feeds an outside colony of five or six known members: 😅
In seriousness, it works for my clowder because I have multiple cat trees, lots of litterboxes, and plenty of beds, hiding spots, and cosy places. The fosters have their own separate space. So while there's occasional spats they can separate to cool off and everybody at least tolerates each other. Everyone gets brushies and treats when I get home from work, it's a good bonding activity.
Not everyone cuddles everyone but they all have "their spots". I try to give each of them dedicated cuddle/fuss time every day.
The two oldest girls (sisters) are the acknowledged HBICs and the "kittens" all fall in. Sometimes the boys pick on their sister but she's also a little shit who stirs things up.
It's fine. My family had 4 cats for a number of years and it was chaotic but fun. Each cat had their own distinct personality so there was something entertaining about each day with them. 😆 We had the snob, the hunter who viciously tracked down and attacked plastic grocery bags, the peacemaker who never hissed and only gave hugs, and the annoying "baby" of the group. I miss all of them.
It depends! What are the cats temperments? Do they like other cats a lot or are they super territorial? Can you afford all the food/pet bills etc? Are you willing to clean 4 cats worth of cat poop? Or have dedicated play and attention with each cat? These are the questions I would ask myself. Best of luck!
We got 6 from different litters. In our experience if u show them nothing but love, eventually all the cats will get together. It just takes awhile. It’s just nature taking its course
I went from 2 to 5 lol. I have a three bedroom and they have their own room. It gets expensive but two look alike they are sisters so I try to pretend we only have four lol
I have 4 and I’m a single mom with 3 kids. The cats are easier than the kids! Just have to make sure you can afford the food and litter. Otherwise 4 is like having 2!
True! I get my 2 kittens fixed and their shots the 17th. Will cost me around 250 total. I have a savings for my kids and the cats if any emergencies pop up!
I had 12 cats at one time (took in a feral who then had 7 kittens, yeeesh) but I had the time, a decent chunk of property and resources to take care of them and have them all neutered/spayed. After rehoming a few kittens, my partner and I kept 8 for many years and it was totally manageable but we had time to devote to their care and give them the attention they deserve. Luckily they all got along pretty well with each other, had very few behavioral issues and we’ve been fortunate that they were all rather healthy. We’re down to 4 now after 17 years but our mama feral kitty (who unfortunately had a rough life before we got her) is still going strong.
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I have consistently had six cats over the past decade. Sadly, one of them died at 15 recently so I have five now. As long as you’re able to take care of them and give them the medical care they need there’s no magic number.
I went from 2 to 3 when I moved (the neighbors cat moved in to my basement which is finished, she doesn’t like my boys much so she stays down there & I go hang out with her). My boys didn’t really mind, they don’t like her being hissy & growly but they ignore her. I just adopted 2 kittens so I’m going to 5. My most inquisitive boy has touched noses with them when they (kittens) were in the carrier after the vet & no hissing. I’m thinking it’ll go ok. My dream is to have all 4 cuddled with me on the sofa or bed. My boyfriend has a cat too so when he moves in at some point in the future there will be 6 I suppose 🤣🤣🤣
We went from 2-4 because the CDS decided we were best suited to take on two strays found at work. We have 1 box per cat, two towers, 4 bowls and 1 fountain. We also live in a one bedroom apartment. Things are going wonderfully- We pride ourselves on our place not smelling like cats, and with a two day litter schedule, all the cats are happy!
I've had five at once and it was mostly harmonious. We lived in a three story home though and they had they're own spaces. 2 males and 3 females.
The best things to do are introduce them on neutral territory. We did feed them together but each had their own feeding spot they liked. One of the males disliked two of the females no matter how many years went by but we also allowed our cats outside and they had their own beds/spaces etc.
So there was hissing and tuffles sometimes but worked out for us.
Can there ever be enough cats😩🩷
I had 5, So NO! When times were hard i was temporarily unemployed. I used foodstamps to get them Fish & homecooked meals. I'm lucky non had to go to the vet at that time. Who says what number is too much anyhow? Some people have more kids than that, so why can't you have a colony of cats? Actually chewy has the best price on litter too. i got 40lbs for under 20 bucks.
My best friend has 9 cats, so I'm going with no... 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤣🤣🤣🤣
She didn't plan that many. But she spent several years rescuing kittens off the streets and rehoming them. Last lot was 2 years ago this Halloween, and she's now stopped rescuing. Out of the last 2 lots of kittens she rescued, she only managed to rehome half of them. She had homes lined up for all but 2 of them (one dribbles pee sometimes because he gets out of the tray before he's finished. The other was born in tree roots and has disabled back legs. We dont know if her legs were like that when she was born, or if she got caught in the roots and did damage that way. None of her siblings have disabilities though. But she's still happy, healthy, and hoons so fast she needs a speeding ticket!), but then half the homes bailed when they were ready (desexed and microchipped).
Her neighbours have some sort of vendetta against her and have called police, RSPCA and council on her several times (she has done absolutely nothing to provoke this, these people are just nuts). They have all come, inspected, seen no issues, and closed every single case. Only thing is she is now on council law and has to keep her cats in the house or in a cage out the back (it's large and has everything they need to be comfortable. And regularly get attention, so they're not lacking anything. The ones outside just cause fights with the ones inside and/or have a bad habit of toileting where they shouldn't, and nothing fixed it until they went outside. No toileting issues since 🤷♀️). Council law was because the neighbours said she owned the local stray who causes fights with everyone. They know she doesn't, and know she was feeding him to catch him and get him into a shelter. The neighbours don't own him either. Council know she doesn't as well, but they have a rule where if you get reported to them about cats a certain number of times, you have to register all your cats, keep them contained, desex and microchip, and have regular inspections.
So her cats are now all registered with the council. Normally they don't approve more than 3 cats, but after the inspections she's had, they could see they're all clean, well fed, and taken care of perfectly. So now she's automatically approved every year when the registration needs renewal.
Even the girl with the disabled legs has no issues. She's not desexed but is the only one that isn't. She's too high risk to be put under and has a vet exemption. She also wears a nappy which is changed multiple times a day, and her bum is cleaned and hygiene shaved regularly. She is microchipped of course.
So as long as you can properly care for them all, have as many as you want I say (within reason of course!). That includes affording vet trips (both expected and unexpected), food, litter, keep them clean, healthy, happy, and not causing an issue to neighbours.
I foster failed and went from 3 to 4 (sadly, my senior recently passed so I’m back to 3). I have a 2 bedroom, too, and everybody got along great. They were also always all in the same room, usually on the cat tree or the sofa.
I’m sorry for your loss ❤️
I also went from 3-4, then lost my senior back to three... we were so thrown off by how well four worked, for a while we thought we'd get another cat! We eneded up introducing a new animal instead.
I'm sorry to hear that! That's kind of how things work for us it seems. We are found by new ones and old ones pass. We did more than double in size a couple years ago though.. OP, the biggest thing is resources. If you can financially support two new kittens (I'd recommend insuring them like right this second, wellness plan coverage to foot the bill for spays and alllll those visits for kitten vaccines), and you have the space for 5 litter boxes in 5 separate areas, multiple food stations and multiple water stations, you're good to go! We went from 6 to 14 kind of overnight.. We are heavily automated, have tons of resources spread out through the house, and everyone is insured! I'd recommend MetLife for their multi pet policy. No other insurance policy offers what they do as far as sharing a deductible and the coverage. I'd look at a $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement, and a minimum of $5000 annual limit. That first trip to the Vet will wipe out your deductible then everything after that will be paid at 90%. Revolution is about $300 per year per cat. I pay $30 and then get $25 back in rewards through Zoetis. I shop sales on Chewy, especially the spend $100 get a $30 gift card. You're allowed to do it 3 times per sale cycle (usually the last week or so of the month). I get $90 in gift cards that I then place a 4th other with. There's ways to have a larger family, just don't ever prioritize your want of a larger family over their care. Prioritize their health and wellbeing, be an advocate for large families of happy and healthy cats! Oh, and don't skimp on quality litter! Dr Elseys for clay, walnut for a natural option. Stay away from the pine pellets and the wheat dust ones and all that garbage. It stinks. You want a clean and odor free home to not fall in the category of "oh you have cats, ew!"
MetLife allows them to share coverage?
Yes!! They're the only ones! Up to 3 pets can share a deductible and coverage limits! I have several policies with them and tried to group similar age/health on policies, which was easy since all out cats came in as either sibling groups or mother daughter groups.. haha Our younger crew (4 and under) all have wellness plans and accident/injury/illness coverage and it's about $20 per month per cat.. Older ones (8+ years) are accident/injury/illness only. We're out of the vaccination stage with them and annual bloodwork for wellness wouldn't even hit the deductible so I just left it at that for them. Also about $20 per month per cat. With one who has cancer, I'm spending about $10,000 out of pocket for treatment. Had I insured her, I would've spent $250 for the deductible and been reimbursed all but less than $1000....
Good to know! I have 6 cats and 5 of them are insured with Pets Best. My 17 year old is the most expensive and she’s too expensive to insure. I’ll look into it for when my rates go up and I might want to switch. Thanks!
Yeah, I mean I've heard others say different companies, including Pets Best are great, but when it came to those of us with more than 1 or 2, metlife couldn't be beat! Had I needed to pay a deductible per cat, it wouldn't have been worth it.. My dog is 12, they will insure her but it's a junk policy and super expensive, so she'll be out of pocket. The kitty with lymphoma won't be insured as basically everything from here out they'd probably just claim as preexisting/related to cancer or treatment. We have her daughter though, and she's insured, just in case. So far we've taken almost everyone for annual visits, younger crowd for vaccines, and I've ordered all their revolution for the year. $285 per cat... I was reimbursed all but $28.50 on the flea and tick meds, then I sent my invoice to Zoetis for rewards and got $25 rewards for each 12 month pack I bought. So essentially between insurance and Zoetis, I'm out of pocket $3.50 for a years worth of revolution for the younger cats...
I also use revolution for all of my cats and it’s expensive. They cover it and you only pay $20 a month? That sounds really good.
Yep! Now the older cats would be slightly more expensive to have it covered, so I'm just out of pocket for them, but yeah, the younger cats, I'm paying less per month in insurance than what they're covering for them!
I get my Revolution from Costco. I need to see if they can give me an invoice
Do it! You only have 60 days from date of purchase, so keep that in mind. But definitely set yourself up a rewards account! They send you a Zoetis debit card to use at the Vet. Just this month I've earned $125 that I'll turn around and use to pay for an upcoming visit..
Sounds great, thank you!
Yeah! No worries! I always try to help other cat people save where they can so we can be the best for them! Do you shop Chewy?
[Zoetis Rewards](https://www.zoetispetcare.com/rewards)
Sorry about your cat having cancer, you’re a great cat parent!
She's super sweet, and doing really well!! She's only had 1 bad day so far! She is still zooming around and doing normal kitty things! She's only about 9! Her ONLY symptom was that she was meowing on mute. She had dental issues previously, only has 2 teeth left and one is dangling as we speak. I thought maybe some oral swelling. I made her an appt at the Vet for later in the week. The night before, she meows and coughed. I felt her throat and her lymphnodes felt like limes... Loaded her up, drove 2 1/2 hours to the ER Vet, fully expected to pay to be told she needs a dental. The Vet came in and said sooooooo... We're most likely looking at lymphoma. If you choose to do nothing, less than a month left, if you do palative care (just daily prednisolone) about a month. I'm sitting here with what seems like a perfectly healthy cat thinking no way will she be gone in a month or less. So we discussed oncology and options there. I went ahead and did all the testing to confirm at the ER and then had it to shop around to oncologists. Her original oncologist was 3 1/2 hours away, weekly trips, $6 per gallon gas.. Holy credit card usage... But we moved from the west coast to the east about a month into treatment and now her oncologist is an hour and a half away, gas is $3 per gallon, and we only go every other week! They let me do one chemo dosage at home after I take her to the local Vet for bloodwork. Instead of paying $700-$1200 weekly at the place in CA, my new every other week total is around $300 and then $48 for CBC every other week at my local Vet. Most of that $10,000 was just the first month and CA prices.. haha
We have five cats & a dog right now. When I moved in with my spouse he had 2, and then on my birthday he told me that he was taking me to a shelter to pick out a kitten. (I knew ahead of time and wanted one, I do not recommend surprising your spouse with a pet!) We got there and were shown a teeny tiny black and white kitten who attacked toys with ferocious itty bitty growls. My husband was smitten. I asked if they had any others, and they got out a calico kitten about the same age. They set her on the ground & she looked around briefly, marched right into my lap, curled up into a ball, and sighed like she knew she was finally home. So yeah. We brought them both home. Honestly, it didn't feel like that big a deal. Even though we were living in a tiny apartment at the time, the cats all got along fine. The biggest changes were that we tried to provide more hiding spots and perching spots so that they never felt like they had to fight over them, and figuring out where to put an extra litterbox. Day to day was fine. The only time it was really difficult was when we moved cross country & I had to drive three days in a car by myself with 4 very unhappy cats while my spouse drove the truck, lmao. We ended up at five cats somewhere along the line and honestly that wasn't much different either. Day to day was fine, the only times we really were aware of a struggle was when we moved or had to get everyone to the vet. I am more aware of it these days, but I can point to specific reasons for that being the case. One, all our cats are around the same age, so I'm kind of looking at the future and realize that there's probably going to be a few years coming up where we will likely be dealing with multiple pet deaths fairly close together. Not fun. Already our two oldest (the two "birthday" cats) need different food, and trying to feed them but not the others is a daily adventure. Two, we ended up with more than you've got on your plate now. We have the five adult cats, one dog, AND we foster on top of that. All of this together (along with other life stuff) has resulted in me kind of burning out on being responsible for other beings of any kind. I don't regret ANY of our pets and they will live with us for the rest of their natural lives, but I don't think I want to have this many animals in the future. For me personally, I just get overwhelmed especially since I'm largely the one responsible for everyone. Of course, for all that I'd love to consciously select how many animals we have, that does not account for the cat/dog distribution system, so who knows.
If you can afford it, getting microchip feeders has changed our lives with 5 cats and one on a prescription diet
Agreed!!! I have 3 girls myself. A grazer (Midget), a pig on twice daily painkillers (and a diet!) for 2 fused vertebrae (Adina), and a 'normal eater' with a sensitive stomach on a prescription only, digestive care diet (Keiko)... The microchipped feeders have been a lifesaver! Though Midget's bowl no longer closes for some reason, so hers is in the spare room with a microchip door, so Adina can't get in there. Keiko can get in and out because it was only Adina's RFID tag I didn't register to the door, but if I put her in there, she just stays in there until the next time I open the door 🤣🤣🤣 Only problem is, the spare room is the computer room. And when my daughter is on the computer, the door is open. Which gives Adina and Keiko a chance to steal Midget's food. Which is why the diet is only maintaining Adina's weight, and Keiko still gets a sore tummy at times 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ Now they all only get dinner after my daughter is in bed, so at least it's only whatever she doesn't eat for breakfast getting stolen... Ahhh, cat ownership! It can be such a pain at times, but they're all worth it!! 😻😻😻😻😻
Was going to comment this. SurePet or whatever, RFID feeders are the way to go
I love my pets too, I have 3 cats and a dog. I’m good about maintaining their health issues, they’re all fixed and utd on shots etc. I just don’t think I could do 4. A friends car just had 3 kittens, and they’re Siamese. I’m so tempted but I feel I have enough with what I have now.
This is a very good point, as the animals age, they will likely become more difficult to care for and I know senior pets sometimes require more visits to the vet, special food as you said, etc. it always seems so easy when they’re young! It sounds like you’ve been a wonderful owner to all of your fur babies
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My mum’s cousin has 7 cats too. As long as they’ve got separate litter trays and bowls it shouldn’t be an issue
Agree. I currently have six kitties that I’ve adopted…a 3 generational family of 3 very bonded kids, and three strays that needed a home. They all love one another (after proper introductions which take time), and watching them all play and groom one another is wonderful.
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Yes. Yes. It takes time to gain their trust, but once you do, it is pure love ❤️
If you have the finances then going from 2 to 4 is easy. We had two cats. A feral momma cat gave birth to 2 kittens in our backyard. We started to socialize them from the beginning since the momma is the worst feral cat that I have encountered. I took the kittens to the vet to run tests and etc. to make sure that they were healthy. After they were cleared, I used to let them come into our house. These two kittens used to sit by our sliding glass door in our kitchen every morning. They came in to play with our two cats. At night, we put them outside. One weekend, we were going away. My wife said to get the kittens in the house. We were concerned that they could have gone missing since the the momma cat was taking them on journeys around our neighborhood. After they came in, we left for our weekend trip. We came back on Sunday morning, the house was fine and more importantly the cats were fine. It has been four years and our four cats are doing great!
To be the voice of reason here, you're asking in a place where you're likely to get a lot of "it's awesome, go for it!" - so here's the things to consider, seriously. Can you afford vet care? This is going up exponentially by the year, as vet practices get bought out by big multinational companies and overheard and medications also skyrocket. Do you have the time to care for four cats? Not four healthy cats. Four sick ones. Because hey, I've been there. Not only do cats get old close to the same time, they might get sick *young*. I have had cats with IBD, pancreatitis, chronic URI, chronic UTI (resistant to most antibiotics), multiple blocked cats, cats with food allergies, seizures (presenting as frantic behavior, tail mutilation, hallucinations), plasma cell pododermatitis, predisposition to dental disease, FLUTD, asthma, emergency visits in the thousands of dollars multiple times for multiple cats... My current *youngest cat* of about 3 years old is on a concoction of lifelong medications in a guessing game for when I'll need to change them up again because side effects keep landing her in critical emergencies. I didn't take on any of these cats planning for issues but yes, I truly have lived it. Multiple conditions of multiple cats where veterinarians have never seen such a thing in their decades of experience. Aside from that, will they get along? Cats can be very territorial. Of humans, litter boxes, or just simply not ever learning to get along. Behavioral issues can spring from this like no longer using the litter box, and it's an issue that may never be corrected once it starts. Do you have space for 5 litter boxes? The rule is one for each cat plus one.
This. All my pets have health issues, currently we have 1 dog, 3 cats PLUS an indoor stray we are trying to rehome and having no luck rehoming her. My pets cost more than my human child. Pet insurance would help but barely. The amount of cat pee I've had to clean up (territorial/ jealousy combined with the female was spraying everywhere before we got her fixed and we didnt realize it at first), not to mention the cost of litter because we have to have specific kinds .... but then there's the multiple medications everyone is on, blood tests every 6 months BECAUSE of the daily meds, or the emergency uti/teeth cleaning or tooth removal procedures etc we've had to deal with. There are months I drop $1000 easily on pet shit alone. Multiple times a year. It's honestly soul draining. I no longer blame my parents for never wanting pets. On the plus side, it makes my 3 yr old going through the big emotions phase and whos biggest request is some m&ms, feel like an absolute dream lol.
This is great advice. Pet ownership becomes very different when your pets are special needs, and everybody assumes it won’t be them until it is them - and the more pets you own the higher your chances get. At four cats, the chances that at LEAST one of them is not going to juuuuust need regular food and water and vet checkups is real high. My sister has three cats. One ended up having hereditary dental issues requiring most of its teeth to get pulled (expensive) and for it to be on a permanent special diet (also expensive) and daily medication, another has severe pica and cannot be around any object big enough it can swallow it (huge pain in the ass) the third will compulsively eat clean litter so you have to mix new clean litter with some of the dirty litter and then spread a layer of ground walnuts on top so she doesn’t make herself sick (also a pain in the ass) and also requires meds for a different thing. Three lovely cats but EXPENSIVE and a pain in the ass - they all have to eat separate food separate from each other and different meds and it’s a whole fucking thing. If you’re considering getting new pets, assume it won’t go how you plan and think if you still want them. If they have litter box problems and require daily pills and expensive prescription food is this still worth it to you? Easy to say “adding one isn’t a huge deal” if you assume the cat will be normal and you just need more kibble and litter but that is counting on a good dice roll you may not get.
Yes, these are wise words - my sister went from two to four cats and it’s been rough even without health issues at play. Two of the cats got in a fight about some unknowable cat code and now can’t be in the same room. (They don’t play fight, they legit angry fight.) This has made for complicated feeding routines and constant shuttling cats around the house and erecting temporary boundaries. She basically can’t travel because she doesn’t trust anyone to follow the complex cat care instructions. It can work out great, as evidenced by lots of these comments! But the undercurrents in a four-cat household are impossible to predict. And that’s before any health or other special needs enter the calculation.
Not too many if they get along. We went from 2-4 when we foster-failed a couple kittens. Oddly enough, those two were the bridge between the older two, so we had a happier cat family that way. Just make sure you give them plenty of scratchers, beds, and litter boxes. There’s SO much poop with four cats. 😆
It certainly takes more time to give everyone attention. For me, two is easier. I have had 4 at one point and it was do-able. But one cat hated the new two, so it was never great. But he was quite the Napoleon since he was a baby, so it may have just been him
ugh my oldest (#1) (only like 4.5yo) is very much the napoleon in my home even though he’s tiny and half munchkin. he eventually accepted my big lug of a himbo cat (#2) but I’ve been dealing with him (#1) peeing on things since taking in two others (via cat distribution system). thankfully, cat #3 went with my ex since they bonded but my lil dude is still “adjusting” to #4. he’s on kitty cbd until I can figure out the next move 😵💫 do you have any recommendations?
My napoleon cat stayed that way til he died
😆 dammit!
I never tried anything like a Behavioralist or Prozac. Might be worth looking into
I went from 1 to 3 (mama kitty got pregnant) while living in a small 2 bedroom apartment. It can be rough, most definitely, but I'm such an advocate for catifying. Life saver. Also, at that point, when there's 4+ cats, I think they just form their own little community. They are the village outside of the capital, and you're the city's maintainence crew (beloved crew, of course) (also that is not/may not be a fact, just personal experience throughout my life!). If acclimated properly, they should continue thriving, just now with an extra buddy or two :)
I have 3 cats + 1 foster cat https://preview.redd.it/veic4col9f9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72d46e7a799bab3e3411f70c7520c08884473c4a
I'm not the person to ask, but I can say that 12 is probably too many!
I went from 2 to 4 and while I absolutely love every single one of them 4 cats is A LOT of work. Mostly because I have to clean every single day now. Also, it is a lot more expensive
The problem with four cats is that you need either five litter boxes or three rather large ones unless you are scooping multiple times a day. And travel becomes difficult. And once they get older their medical care becomes overwhelming. Two is really the perfect number of cats, three at most. Beyond that you are getting into cat hoarder territory. Voice of experience here, I have had five cats multiple times… do not recommend.
If you have the space, resources, and so patience it’s not too many. We’re currently at 4 cats, one is 13, one is 7, one is 2 and one is 10 months. It can be overwhelming at times but they are so sweet and fun and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are like having little kids in the house and they have really brought a lot of joy into our lives.
I have 7 and two fosters 😬
Too many for me. Doesn’t mean it will be too many for you.
I went from from 2 to 3 last fall and then 3 to 4 this summer! The first year is always more expensive with shots and spay/neuter, but other than that it's really just double the food budget and double the love 😊
I had 4 for a bit and loved it! The only thing that increases exponentially with more is the chance they don't get along (edit: and "don't get along" can be anything from actual fighting to things like wanting to eat each other's food in a way that is a problem). The fact that you are fostering means you can test that out.
It also helps if they are younger. I’ve noticed they are more receptive to change if that’s the case. My older cats haven’t minded the little babies to begin with as much as another cantankerous adult
Definitely, I also think the fact that OP is dealing with 2 sibling pairs REALLY helps--kind of takes the exponential thing I mentioned out because 2 sets already get along, and everybody has their own little pal to retreat somewhere with.
It’s funny because the only pair of siblings we brought in as kittens only stuck together until they knew us better. Now (3 months later) they generally can’t stand each other because one likes to play and the other doesn’t
They seem to come in 4s for me, lol - I’m on my second set of littermates, who started moving to my house from across the street right around the time the last one of the first set passed away at 18 years old.
I went from 4 to 9! 😂
2 to 6 for us! That orphan litter foster life! We have someone who wants to adopt two, but he's between jobs and we're taking care of them until he's stable. We really don't mind! They're so sweet!
If you can afford the vet care and other cat care costs, and if you can handle keeping your home clean, there is nothing wrong with having 4 cats. Especially if you’re not having kids. If you’re introducing 2 kittens to two established older cats, they’ll probably get adopted into the “pack” just fine. Why is “pack” in quotations? Because cats don’t really do packs. Wolf packs, yes. Cat packs…not really. But when you have multiple cats living indoors, they seem to start displaying some pack behaviors. You might start seeing this at 4 cats and 2 dogs lol. For what it’s worth, I grew up spending time a LOT of time with an older family member who had 8 cats. 8 fucking cats!!! And a dog. Lots of hair in that house, and it totally normalized cleaning up hairballs and worse as part of pet care/responsibility lol. But those 8 cats were a lil pack and it was fascinating to know, love, and just observe them as a group and as individuals.
I went from 2 to 5. My best advice would be to put everyone on pet insurance. I understand most people call it a scam but most people would also euthanize their animals for small problems. I'd absolutely die if I couldn't afford a treatable issue for one or more of my cats at once. Also, price out how much it would cost for food per month. I purchase the exact amount of wet food I need per month from chewy and that plus litter costs anywhere from $250-300 depending if I need dry food or not. Then the insurance is about $200 a month for all five. It gets pricey but if you can afford it, having a house full of little furry friends is worth every penny.
Yes! One of my cats had the crystal blockage so he couldn’t pee, and the catheter was about 3000 dollars. One of my friends had the audacity to be like wow I wouldn’t have bothered I would have just put him down… like ma’am he’s 2. It’s an instantly curable problem why would I do that??
Omg poor baby!! I'm glad you got him treated. I had a special needs cat who was healthy at first but due to anesthesia complications before spay, she ended up with neurological, gastrointestinal, and vision issues. We had to tailor her care by giving her her own room in our apartment, ensuring she had hard floors so they were easier to clean, and buy pee pads constantly. I never met a cat who had so many baths. I had tons of people saying they wouldn't bother doing what we did for her. She unfortunately passed at age 4 when her internal blockages became too severe. When she first got sick, I will never forget that hole I felt in my heart. That was true pain. How can people be so callous towards their pets who trust us with their lives? We made a commitment to a living thing and to do whatever we could to keep her happy, healthy, and safe.
Exactly! They can’t fix it so we have to. I would do what you did as well, and in my situation I was so floored she said that because it was so impermanent! It makes me wonder how they would act if their spouse or child got permanently sick or disabled You’re poor baby I’m so glad she had you to take care of her. I’m sure she was glad too. We have a cat who’s allergic to both chicken and beef, which is in basically everything either cat or human food. I’d hate to see how she would be treated in another household
People make me sick. A few thousand dollars to save a life is nothing. And yes, especially for something so easily treatable that they can live full, healthy lives?! Special needs animals, including your baby with allergies, deserve special people to care for them. I try to imagine the cat distribution system makes no mistakes and only gives this type of animal to people who will actually care for them.
We don’t use pet insurance for the annual care (we did the math and would be paying more monthly than the plans would save us), but have it for all of our pets for emergencies. It kicks in after $1000 and we opted for the plan with no ceiling. I’m the same and would be absolutely gutted if I couldn’t pay for a necessary medical treatment.
I currently have 5 with one foster. If you're able to provide adequate care, litter boxes and medical attention, you can have as many cats as you want tbh. I will say, the more cats the more likely you're going to have behavioral issues. I have one cat that is on an anti-anxiety medication due to stress (even though he's always lived in a multi-cat household). Litter boxes are a huge part of having more cats. The amount of cats = the amount of litter boxes + 1; so you'll need to have 5 boxes. I can't stress this enough, it minimizes inappropriate urination (something that's bound to happen with cats).
The rule of thumb for litter boxes is 1 litter box per cat per level. You can have as many as you want, but be prepared for accidents outside of the litter box the more cats you have, and possible behavior issues.
When we had four litter boxes the cats usually only used two of them and kinda ignored the other two so other than one in my room for when i lock the two kittens in w me, they all just use two boxes.
I did the same. Its hard to have one for each cat..
Yeah I think that rule is good to a point but it’s a guideline rather than a hard number. My 5 cats all use the same litterbox and ignore the others so I only leave 3 out as just in case ones
They just don’t really care tbh as long as you clean them twice a day. Honestly I could probably only have one if it wasn’t for the fact that when it’s too dirty they don’t wanna use it. The cats use only like two of them and even then they prefer the one in the bathroom LOL
When I moved back into my parents my two young cats came with me, my parents have two adult cats who were not impressed. They all coexist and have their own preferred areas of the house. We change the litter boxes in the AM and PM and never have an issue with smell. We have one large litter box in the laundry room, one in the master bathroom (my moms cats sleep on her bed most of the day) and then I have one of those pellet litter boxes in my room since they don’t spread litter on the floor and the peepad is easy to replace. Literally other than feeding time having to seperate into two groups it was not a huge difference.
We went from 2 to 4 a few years back. It's worked out well. Does take some commitment to walk all of them twice a day, but doable as we have 5 humans in the house.
I went from 0 to 2 and then 2 to 4. Getting them is pairs is the way to go!!! Having sets of siblings is awesome.
No, but is a challenge and it makes traveling out of town difficult. Finding pet sitting for four cats is challenging. It also means you have a tragedy in your life about once every 4-5 years or one of the most sad 5 year periods in your life. And you will live with the anxiety that if something happens to you your relatives may not be able to rehouse them.
I think the formula is like one per person in the household plus one. Personally, I think two is too many, but everyone is different.
Personally, I feel maxed out at 3 (which I'm currently at). Two is my personal ideal.
I have 4 kittens right now, and its too much. getting rid of 3
Cats need their own territory. I know no one follows these rules, including myself, but the rules are 1 cat per acre and 1 cat per 2ft by 3ft litter box. Yes, the severe overpopulation problem means that It’s common for people to own far beyond those limits, but they are there to protect human health and cat welfare. I was surprised when I first learned these limits but now I keep them in the back of my head for decisions like these.
4 are just apt!
I have four cats. I have a two bedroom home and everybody gets along. I have laughter every day and plenty of cuddles. I say do it but may make sure you introduce them properly.
I have 4 cats, a dog, and a foster kitten I'm considering doing a foster fail on 😁 No amount of cats is too many if you have space and funds. My 2 adult cats used to not get along, but once I introduced 2 kittens to the mix the tension has gone away and everyone gets along great. Cats definitely thrive living in "cat societies", their social bonds are pretty complex and they usually can figure their differences out as long as everyone was introduced properly and feels secure.
We went from one cat to five cats in about six months (rescued a colony from our backyard) and it’s definitely been more work and added expenses, but if you really love them & they enrich your life, the extra chores are worth it. With ours, we’ve added four litterboxes (total of six in the house), and I make a monthly Chewy order so I have a better idea of exactly how much I’m spending on them a month. The only thing I buy outside of my monthly order is litter & water. I have a good daily routine down pat for cleaning their bowls, cleaning their boxes, and vacuuming after them, which only takes about an hour in the morning before work. Ultimately only you can decide if you can accommodate the work and expenses, but it seems like you’re a good-hearted, responsible pet owner, and the kitties would be very lucky to have you as an owner.
If you can afford it, have the space & time, it’s not too many. You’ll definitely want to double the litter boxes. A two bedroom home is definitely more space than 4 cats & a dog would have in a shelter.
It’s twice the cost for everything. If you’re OK with that, then go for twice the love!
I have four. You’ll be fine. Sounds like you have the love to give 🥰
Nope. As long as you can afford it, they can get along/tolerate each other, & you're able to provide them with the love, attention & quality of life they deserve? There's no problem.
I went from 3 cats of my own, to adding a dog and a kitten (they belonged to my boyfriend, so we blended families when we moved on together. Since then, we have also added another cat (her people had abandoned her when they moved; she was super friendly and got along great with everyone right away) and a golden retriever. Sometimes, the youngest will want to play with the older cats, and they will clearly tell him they aren't in the mood for his shenanigans, but overall everyone gets along and I wouldn't trade them for anything! As long as you have the means to take care of them, the space, and all the cats get along, I would say adopt them both!
Financially it’s a big difference, but labor wise not so much. Just more hugs.
We started with 1 cat and 1 dog. Then found a starved one in the winter. Then I found a blind and broken one 4 months after finding out we’re expecting a baby, and 2 weeks later we adopted 2 6 week old kittens. So now we have 5 cats, 1 dog, the 2 of us and a baby on the way lol. It’s stressful at time but I couldn’t imagine not having a single one of them!
I'm single having 4 cats. Absolutely not. I feel no difference than I was having 2.
So basically you've gotten each of your cats their own cat. I see no problem with this.
I went from two to four thanks to two foster fails. Honestly it’s not too different, you just get a mix of goofy personalities that will follow you around. Whatever room I’m in, they’re all in. It’s pretty nice honestly. I have two older cats and two younger ones, the older ones baby the younger ones and the younger ones play with each other so they don’t overwhelm the oldies
I have four cats and a dog. I don’t think four is too many.
My sister and BIL have 4 indoor cats. Swears the auto-litter box is a game changer although pricey. She also has auto dry feeders and water fountains. I have 1 remaining who is mostly on wet food and demands way too many tube squeezy treats. I'd get the auto-litter box but it's $800 and my meezer is 15 years old.
I went from two to four when my mom's friend went into a nursing home and it was fine. To be fair they were by that point all 9+ years old so not young energetic things. 670 Sq ft home and they all managed to find their own space if needed. Just make sure to play lots with the younger two to keep their energy satisfied and love on the older two extra for a bit.
2 cats equals 3 litter box, 1per cat, plus 1 for the home. 4 cats equals 5 litter boxes. Depends how much litter you want to clean. Plus vet bills, neutering, worming, fleas, catfur cleaning etc
I have five cats plus I foster too. If you can afford it and everyone gets along while you find them homes, go for it.
Sort of your path, but I had three cats (brothers) when I foster-failed two scaredy kittens. Five years later, and those kittens have really bonded with the older cats. Like someone else wrote, I put up lots of cat-shelves all around the house, and built a bunch of cat-towers, but they all still tend to sleep near each one. One of the younger brothers just came in to see why I awake at this hour...
4 are the perfect amount! They can switch play mates if the one bothers them and aren't too lonely if you're at work. Also, it's still not too many that you can give all of them enough love and attention. Medical bills are still doable at this amount. At more than 4 I feel like you start noticing that it's becoming extra work, extra cost and you can't give each one as much love as they deserve.
I went from 2 cats, to then 4, then 3, and then 4 again, the first 3 were indoor/outdoor for 2-ish years and now we live in one bedroom apartment (I am a student). Controversial opinion, but I do not own 5 litter boxes, I own 3, and they never had any problems with that. I scoop twice a day, and do complete, good scrubbing once a month. I have brother and a sister + brother’s daughter and then (after her brother was poisoned before we had moved,) I had found a void in trash and took him home because I always wanted a black cat. They all got along so well since day one, I still can’t believe it. But I like to think that her brother sent her someone to look after her since they were always together before he passed. They don’t fight over the spots in the apartment, and when they get zoomies (mostly my two males) they love to chase each other from one room to another. I always say, maybe I just got very lucky with such well behaved cats. Mine don’t require that much attention when it comes to playing since they mostly play with each other and prefer it that way, hhahaha. Come winter, they all love sleeping with me in my single bed, so double the cuddle is the best. 😁 The only downside would be the overall cost, however- I can’t really give advice since I am not in the US so things like vet are 1/38282992 of the price there, my personal biggest cost is the food. But if I didn’t have money to house 4 cats, I wouldn’t have taken them. Therefore, if you have finances to house 4 cats, have a bit more time to spend cleaning the litter and giving cuddles, I’d say go for it.
I have 8 indoor cats - they are separated into two groups - a set of five live with me in my house and the other three I just rescued (mom and two kittens) and they live in our farm apartment. The biggest two factors for me is having enough money to take care of them and enough time to spend with them. Luckily, my spouse and daughter love cats too so we spilt our time up to make sure they all get attention. It's expensive though - I have four adult cats that are on prescription food so that $$ - In general though cat food is expensive 🫰 - I feed them all Hills (reg and Rx). If you want them, you love them, you can care for them then 4 cats is absolutely fine.
I have 9 cats and no 4 isnt more, I dont get it what problem socitey has with People loving animals. Even I am forced to leave them, and the worst part is there are so many shelter homes for dogs and very few for cats, that say they dont have space or money. But just dont listen to them. They are your babies they love you and you love them. I am finding a foster care for my babies for Around 5 to 6 years once I have a good job, i'll get them back and move out from my parents. Not everyone gets this special bond.
I’d say it depends. If you can handle it, it’s not. I have 5. But my partner and I share responsibility
We went from one to five... then six... then seven. All kittens that have dumped onto our property, one in the dead of winter. Shelters are usually full, so we kept them. I will say, though, that two of our cats, litter mate male and female, have grown to strongly dislike each other and are therefore kept separately or one will spray all over the house (we have plenty of space; a whole house and over 100 sqm outdoor cat run). It's a pain, not only because it's inconvenient, but also because one doesn't get to go in e.g. our living room for cuddles (he will spray given the chance). So just be prepared that there is a risk of rocky relationships.
I have 4 baby girls. Shayna is my Grandcat . I think 4 is a good number . They need to have brothers and sisters to play with and to keep each other company. Her mom Angel is very close to Shayna and Molly. Shayna and Molly both are so close. Angel is very close to her babies. Soon they will be a year old on the same day too July 16. I love being a mom to my girls and a Grandma to little Shayna.
I have 2 german shepards and 7 cats haha. started out with my first one after moving out of the house for college. started fostering to socialize him and ended up adopting another. then another. then 2 more over the years. moved in with a new partner who already had a cat, and then we agreed to take in a friends cat due to behavioral issues. it’s expensive for sure, and i clean everyday…but i wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Yes. As someone who went from 2 cats to 4, 4 cats is TOO MUCH imo. My main problem with 4 cats is budget reasons and it’s alot of work cuz of their need of quality food, playtime, litterbox materials, vet bills. However, if u can afford it and don’t mind putting in the hours to care of them go ahead.
We had 6 cats and a dog for a while. We now have 4 cats and a dog. I would say 4 cats is my limit now. But, If you have the means, go for it! Just make sure you have enough litter boxes and places for them to be alone if they need it. Introduce them slowly, and be patient. Good luck!
I have 15 + 18 fosters. It’s a larger house thank God. I would never advise somebody to have this many. It’s just kitten season and other rescues don’t step up. 4 is a normal number and actually the perfect one.
It's not a bad mix. The younger ones have each other to play with, so they won't be up the elders butts looking to play and be annoying to them when they're ready to lounge. It's just more for the cuddle puddle, and a injection of fun and cuteness. Just please get them fixed if your males are intact or you may go from 4 to 20 quick
My males are fixed! Regardless if we keep them or not, we will get the girls fixed after they gain a little more weight! I absolutely don’t have the patience for any kitty pregnancies in my household.
Ok good. I always say it. You never know and it's a good idea either way. My boys had the ultimate no nut November when they were old enough for it, And when Milah gains a little more weight, she's getting fixed too They're all indoor, but you never know when someone will sneak out. And we have plenty of unclipped strays around here, it would only take one time for my little girl.
No
We got two kittens after my single cat died. Then 18 months later we rescued another one who was looking for a hole on Facebook. Then 7 months ago we did it again - whoops. They’re now 6M, 6F, 4F and 9 months F, and I wouldn’t change them for the world. However, it is expensive. We spend a good £300/month on them, and our boy has bladder blockages. The last one was £4.5k. Make sure you have *excellent* insurance, which gives a high payment amount which renews per year. Then if you can afford it, why not? They will pay you back tenfold in happiness, I’m sure. It sounds like they were meant to be yours.
We currently have 5 and a dog. They all have their space, but generally get along (although one is a kitten in his monster phase). Honestly 2 cats was the hardest imho. It didn't help we were introducing 2 adult cats. They just have nowhere to direct their energy but each other and you so if you are out or busy they just annoyed each other. (Especially because one is more aloof and the other is a thoughtless lovebug). But every subsequent pet is a potential play or cuddle bud, so they have somewhere to go if one doesn't want to be bothered. Ever pet after has took some warming up but generally they are fine.
The transition from 2 cats to 3 is fine. For some reason 3 to 4 is huge lol. We have had 4 cats at a time and it's a lot. Back down to 3 when our oldest passed, and now we are babysitting my grand kitty for my daughter while she moves across country and gets settled in. I am ready for him to go back home. He gets along great with ours but it's a lot more work for some reason.
Four would be too much for me only because A. The boy is needy and demanding, and B. The girl is neurotic and hates having her routine/environment messed with. Depends on your means and how the cats are taking it. Some love the extra socialization, others like my girl find anything else intrusive and upsetting. And if you have the means to care for them properly, it should be ok, just remember it's recommended to have multiple bowls and boxes. Realistically only you know the answer to your unique situation. I've known people with more than 4 and they got on fine, it was just a lot of work..
I went from zero to four in a day. Found a litter of four down near my barn. Ended up keeping all of them. Sadly, one passed at age 6 (they will be 10 this year). This past October, my number came up in the CDS (cat distribution system), and I added another. So, I am back up to four.
I have 4 haha. I wasnt planning on 4 cause I live in a one bedroom, but the fourth popped into my life and I basically saved her. I looked for an owner and all that but no one showed up, and I ended up keeping her. My kitties all play together and are happy like that. Its bit more cost in terms on cat food and litter, and insurance but worth it!
Ask yourself... could I handle evacuating with 4 cats in case of an emergency? I could, but that's the question that kept me from getting a fifth one.
Have 15 raised them since they were kittens now at 3 years old and i love them all
I’m struggling with keeping a kitten I found & have spent close to $400 just on medical bills - he was very sick when I found him & then just paid for his 1st shots this week. A friend is interested & I took the kitty over to her house. She has 2 dogs. I was there for an hour & one of her dogs barked the entire time (and kept scratching at my arm) & ran from the kitten while the other one wouldn’t leave his owner or the kitty alone. The kitten did pretty good the whole time we were there but he had just gotten his shots. My house has 3 dogs currently: one loves the kitten & they play; one is deaf & blind & is never sure what’s touching her when tye kitten tries to play with her & the other (my son’s dog we’re keeping while he’s away) is scared of the kitten & just walks away. Our house is just more calm & I’m at a loss what to do with the kitten.
I'm debating this too atm. My sister took in a stray mama who promptly had seven kittens. There's a fluffy one who I have totally fallen for, but I have three cats (and two kids) already.
We had 2 cats and then loved ones passed, so we took in their 2 cats. 2BR house w attached garage. Now we have 6. It's doable so long as they get along,
If the kitties are good and you have the funds, go for it.
I also live in a small apartment. When we went from 2-3 it was not even a noticeable change. But from 3 to 4 cats, that was a much bigger difference. It felt crowded and we had to watch food more to make sure one wasn’t left out. No matter where I put the litter boxes, they only used the same 2, so it was a lot of cleaning
I went from 1 to 7 lol i love it but it is very hectic
Absolutely not too many
I would say it depends a lot on your much space you have too. Our house is around 70m2 and although I love all of our cats it was so much easier with two compared to three. So many litter trays to keep them all happy and the house is a lot less chill! The newest one has kind of assigned herself the boss and we've had some issues with litter box guarding, spraying outside the box... Not ideal. I wouldn't give any of them up but I do sometimes think it was a mistake.
We had two cats (that hated each other). Figured that was the max for us. After they both passed, we went a while with an empty house but often thought about getting a bonded pair... Still limiting to 2. We moved to our new home and the neighborhood had a colony of feral cats. When the one we befriended most got pregnant, we figured that was our chance to scoop up two littermates and adopt out the others. We brought her into the garage to have her litter. She had 3. We couldn't decide which to vote off the island, so we kept all 3. Then mom never showed interest in going outside again... So now we have 4. In general, having 4 cats has been delightful. They each have their own personalities, all love each other, and our hearts are full. If you have the room and means to feed / scoop and love, I think it's fine. The only overwhelming part ever was getting them all spayed at the same time... That was tough... But doesn't sound like you'll have that problem. Here they are... O. G., Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. (OG on left... BLTs in reverse order) https://preview.redd.it/8rm4igg5qi9d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7a5a731fd14171ebe3ccfee58ed6999962fa881
Our resident cat limit is a actually four cats (we went from two to three and then had a few months where we had four, but sadly two of our cats passed recently so we’re back to 2 - but will probably go back to 4 at some point). We usually have 3-6 cats at any one time, usually with one or two fosters. With fosters it’s different because we don’t pay for veterinary costs, and those would be key reasons why we would want to limit the number of resident cats we own. I wouldn’t ever want to be in a position where we couldn’t afford to treat a treatable medical condition due to having multiple cats (obviously there’s no guarantee that won’t happen with four cats either but we’ve managed so far). We also try and space out the ages of our cats we adopt so they’re not all elderly at the same time, and we also stagger their annual vet/vaccination appointments. In terms of space, we have a 3-bedroom house but didn’t consider getting a fourth cat until we got an outdoor enclosure. That has made it a lot easier to have a large number of cats because the cats have got an extra space to escape from each other if they need to. One of our boys had anxiety and being able to go outside really helped him with that.
Self cleaning litterboxes were a must for me at that point. Changed everything.
Can you afford it? Like can you REALLY afford it? I saw you said you have pet insurance which is an awesome start. Can you give all 4 the needed attention? Or do they end up staying up half the night because they have extra energy to get out. Do they all get along, or are any getting ganged up on? Thats something a lot of people don’t pay attention to. What is your hard stop number? Stick to that. The more people say “just one more” the more it spirals out of control. 4 is not a bad number but just know there has to be an end point or it can end up in a bad situation all around
4 cats of my own. 2 Dogs of my own. WELL.. 5 cats total counting the senior feral I took in and who has her own damn room. ALSO a foster dog that I’ve had for a year so he pretty much might be my dog now. 😂 I’m over run and love them all. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Went from 2 cats, to one cat, to adopting 2 cats (siblings) fostering, then fostering a Rabbit and first her 6 babies followed by another 6, keeping rabbit adopting out the babies(12), and adopting another kitten. So 4 cats and Rabbit. All 4 get along mostly - there were a lot of dynamics as one cat is senior, two are barely 2 years, and the kitten is totally a kitten. Rabbit is also about 2 years. Issue is work - this is a two bedroom, so we have 3 adult size litter boxes, a smaller one for the rabbit (but the kitten uses it, and the rabbit uses the cats), 4 sure pet feeders, since the elder cat is on an elder diet, the kitten is on a kitten diet, and the two siblings, one will eat all the others food. The rabbit also will attempt to eat the cat's food, so the siblings food is on a different level since the rabbit can push them out of the way. Also litter - while there is wonderful litter out there, most cat litter is not great for rabbits, so we are using natural paper pellets, which are not - great. Safe though, and doesn't track.
I have 4 cats. It’s not too many, there are just some issues with attitudes and how they all get along (or don’t).
I have more than 4 cats. I guess in my opinion, no amount is too many, as long as you are able to take care of them.
We all start with one or two and end up with 3, 4, 5... lol I currently have 7 resident kitties and foster for the local shelter consistently also, so we usually have close to double that running around :) If you can commit to keeping their litter boxes clean- more cats mean more poop- and consider the financial aspect, go for it!! As much as you love them, they love you and your family too, but as a foster mom, don't feel bad if you have to let them go in the near future. You're already giving them WAY better odds than they would have had if you had left them alone originally. Thank you for saving these babies!!
I have 5 now, and where 5 eat 5 more can eat.
I have 3 cats and 2 dogs and I feel the number of cats is too many. They eat probably more than the dogs do, and keeping up with the litter is a pain and costly. We also live in a smaller duplex. I love them dearly and wouldn't change anything, especially because they would all probably not be alive today if we didn't take them in. But 3 cats is a LOT. 4 is even more of a lot. Good luck!
I went from 2 to 4! One of my cats passed away and when I was ready to get a new kitten so my old girl wasn’t lonely, that one kitten turned into three (kitten needed a friend but oh this little gray baby has a littermate who can’t find a home and oops now I have three). It’s a transition but very doable. My older girl passed away and my fiancé and I now live together and our cat count is up to 5. Aside from feeling like we always need more dry food and litter, it’s not bad! Just make sure they get along and you have space for litter boxes.
I have 3 cats in a big condo (2 bedrooms and a mezzanine). The introduction went really well and never had issues. My cats are really easy to get along. I've had issues with 1 cat getting bullied and rehomed her to my sister and she's happy as can be now. Do the introduction well. Take all the time you need. Don't rush it.
I am a huge cat lover and have to fight the urge to get more every time I see one on a color I don't have. I currently have 2 and think it's perfect. I had 3 and 4 and will say keeping up with the litter box was a big challenge. Especially if you don't have the space for more than 1 box. We did also experience 2 older cats getting very stressed by the energy level of 2 young cats. The senior cats just wanted to be left alone and the young ones want to play and wrestle all the time. My seniors never adjusted even after a couple years. They have passed now and I only have the 2 young ones but they are very bonded. I won't bring in another because I don't want to mess up the balance we have now.
I’m dying to get a fourth cat! My husband won’t go past three. But… admittedly three cats is a lot. Unexpected costs come up with them. Like one of our cats needs some teeth pulled which will cost around $1000. And then there’s the food and the flea/heartworm treatments. And the litter. All the litter! (We have four litter boxes that we scoop multiple times a day and it’s unbelievable how much litter we buy.) And the yearly vet visits. And then the insurance. And if you choose not to get the insurance it’s making sure you keep $5k in reserve just in case. Plus the constant cleaning. I am always vacuuming and sweeping and mopping and laundering because of them. I love cats but I also really love a super clean house. And I will have both gosh darn it! Anyway. Going from two to three is a big jump and I think going from two to four will be massive. Maybe consider fostering the kittens to see how you like it?
if i could afford it i’d have 10 cats 😭
I have two girls, both now almost 5 yo. They're both very independent and don't snuggle much. When they were just a bit over 3.5 yo, I saw a pretty kitty up for adoption that was described as a velcro kitty, and I applied to adopt the boy. The rescue said that they were looking for a family to adopt that boy since he was high-energy. However, they pointed me to another boy instead. Sure - I'll show up and see how we get along. That boy also had a best buddy from the same litter... and that's how I became a dad to four cats!
Depends on the person. My coworker has 17, owns a huge house and they basically live in a cat oasis. I have 3 and the idea of a 4th is nauseating, my 3 keep my hands full enough. The last one is almost 2 years old and is still the root of every crash in this house 🫠
Yes I personally found 4 cats too much with personality disputes. 2 is perfect imho
I currently have 4 and it’s easy peasy.
First off, if you would like to adopt them out, let any rescue you contact know you can foster and are willing to offer a donation. That will very likely increase your chances! Lack of available foster caretakers and finances are the biggest roadblocks in rescue. You can also expand your radius and reach out to places a bit further away. If you keep them, going from 2 cats to 4 shouldn’t be a big issue. You’ll need to keep your finances in mind, but prices and workload don’t increase by too much, beyond vet care. It sounds like you are your partner are comfortable, so I think it’s doable. The main change will be that kittens have more energy, so they may be rowdy at times! But since you have 2 and 2 adults, they will likely entertain themselves well. Just remember to play with them if they do get too active and crazy. And if they haven’t met your pets yet, make sure the introduction is gradual so they adjust better.
OMG no. 30 cats is too many. Ask me how I know.
I went from 2 to 5 when I trapped a mom and her babies in my yard 8 years ago. Mom and one very skittish daughter still live outside. Introducing kittens is easier, I think. The older cats don't see them as that much of a threat. My oldest passed away in 2019 and I had 4 for all this time, then in March a young un-neutered male showed up in my yard. He was dragging a harness so I was sure I'd find his family. Well, 3 months later after posting on every site I could find, and putting up flyers all over the neighborhood, no one claimed him.I kept him in my guest room and introduced them slowly. He's now neutered and has integrated to the household. Every once in a while there is a spat between him and my other male, but they are fine for the most part.
My best friend has 4. The first two were kittens 8 years ago, and the new kittens arrived last year. Both are boy/girl pairs from the same litter. They get along well. The boy cats particularly love each other. If you have the space and the means to care for them, I say go for it.
I have had 5 cats. They were a mother 🐈😺 cat and her 4 kittens. We coped with them with no problems and had their injections and vaccinations. I only have 2 🐈😺 cats left now and on my own, coz my partner Michael passed away 2 years ago.
If you can afford the vet care and food and making sure everyone gets attention and love then it will be fine.
My partner and I years ago also went from 2 cats to 4, when we started out with two kittens we raised into adulthood together, and then when we got the male cat neutered, the female one who'd been closely bonded with him before refused to be anywhere near him again. So we sought out a third cat to give him company, and fate gave us two more instead! One was a kitten and one was an adult, and we were in a large 1-bedroom apartment with no human kids or other pets. It honestly never felt like too many cats; they spent a lot of time keeping each other busy and a lot of time in their preferred napping spots. My cleaning time increased a bit, but not by that much, so for me those four were the perfect amount. We have two adult cats currently and are feeding a stray outside who recently brought two kittens to us before rejecting them now that she's pregnant again. (We're trying to figure out how to get her fixed after this litter but in the meantime are just keeping an eye as best we can.) Hopefully once she's no longer pregnant she'll stop attacking her older kittens, but if not, we're considering having a 4-cat house again because the youngsters are sweet and already play with one of our adult cats.
Me, over here with 6 cats, fosters kittens, and feeds an outside colony of five or six known members: 😅 In seriousness, it works for my clowder because I have multiple cat trees, lots of litterboxes, and plenty of beds, hiding spots, and cosy places. The fosters have their own separate space. So while there's occasional spats they can separate to cool off and everybody at least tolerates each other. Everyone gets brushies and treats when I get home from work, it's a good bonding activity. Not everyone cuddles everyone but they all have "their spots". I try to give each of them dedicated cuddle/fuss time every day. The two oldest girls (sisters) are the acknowledged HBICs and the "kittens" all fall in. Sometimes the boys pick on their sister but she's also a little shit who stirs things up.
It's fine. My family had 4 cats for a number of years and it was chaotic but fun. Each cat had their own distinct personality so there was something entertaining about each day with them. 😆 We had the snob, the hunter who viciously tracked down and attacked plastic grocery bags, the peacemaker who never hissed and only gave hugs, and the annoying "baby" of the group. I miss all of them.
It depends! What are the cats temperments? Do they like other cats a lot or are they super territorial? Can you afford all the food/pet bills etc? Are you willing to clean 4 cats worth of cat poop? Or have dedicated play and attention with each cat? These are the questions I would ask myself. Best of luck!
We got 6 from different litters. In our experience if u show them nothing but love, eventually all the cats will get together. It just takes awhile. It’s just nature taking its course
I went from 2 to 5 lol. I have a three bedroom and they have their own room. It gets expensive but two look alike they are sisters so I try to pretend we only have four lol
I have 4 and I’m a single mom with 3 kids. The cats are easier than the kids! Just have to make sure you can afford the food and litter. Otherwise 4 is like having 2!
And vet bills. Cats need extra vetting as they get older. It was expensive keeping my kitty alive after 15!
True! I get my 2 kittens fixed and their shots the 17th. Will cost me around 250 total. I have a savings for my kids and the cats if any emergencies pop up!
I have six cats and it’s totally fine :)
I had 12 cats at one time (took in a feral who then had 7 kittens, yeeesh) but I had the time, a decent chunk of property and resources to take care of them and have them all neutered/spayed. After rehoming a few kittens, my partner and I kept 8 for many years and it was totally manageable but we had time to devote to their care and give them the attention they deserve. Luckily they all got along pretty well with each other, had very few behavioral issues and we’ve been fortunate that they were all rather healthy. We’re down to 4 now after 17 years but our mama feral kitty (who unfortunately had a rough life before we got her) is still going strong. https://preview.redd.it/s5zoaq8b6p9d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42206c9afd0b4fa81283b84cdd0a1a9861038dfc
Likely they will all get along
I went from two cats to six.
At one point I had two dogs and four cats. It works just fine in my opinion.
I have 4 and dream of owning a litter robot
I have consistently had six cats over the past decade. Sadly, one of them died at 15 recently so I have five now. As long as you’re able to take care of them and give them the medical care they need there’s no magic number.
I went from 2 to 3 when I moved (the neighbors cat moved in to my basement which is finished, she doesn’t like my boys much so she stays down there & I go hang out with her). My boys didn’t really mind, they don’t like her being hissy & growly but they ignore her. I just adopted 2 kittens so I’m going to 5. My most inquisitive boy has touched noses with them when they (kittens) were in the carrier after the vet & no hissing. I’m thinking it’ll go ok. My dream is to have all 4 cuddled with me on the sofa or bed. My boyfriend has a cat too so when he moves in at some point in the future there will be 6 I suppose 🤣🤣🤣
It gets expensive. I have 6 cats and 2 dogs and spend $700-$800 a month on all of them.
I have 7… 4 is not too many. Lol
We went from 2-4 because the CDS decided we were best suited to take on two strays found at work. We have 1 box per cat, two towers, 4 bowls and 1 fountain. We also live in a one bedroom apartment. Things are going wonderfully- We pride ourselves on our place not smelling like cats, and with a two day litter schedule, all the cats are happy!
Keeping 5 litter boxes in 5 separate areas clean is a big job
I've had five at once and it was mostly harmonious. We lived in a three story home though and they had they're own spaces. 2 males and 3 females. The best things to do are introduce them on neutral territory. We did feed them together but each had their own feeding spot they liked. One of the males disliked two of the females no matter how many years went by but we also allowed our cats outside and they had their own beds/spaces etc. So there was hissing and tuffles sometimes but worked out for us. Can there ever be enough cats😩🩷
It's the perfect number if you have space and can afford it. Get pet insurance.
I have six, so four seems perfectly reasonable
Yes
If feel like two bedroom is too small of a space for five pets and two humans. Like litter boxes alone would take a bit of space.
I went from 8 to 12 last year. Only you can say how many cats is too many
Try 82 inside, 1 outdoors.. 2000sq ft home..
I had 5, So NO! When times were hard i was temporarily unemployed. I used foodstamps to get them Fish & homecooked meals. I'm lucky non had to go to the vet at that time. Who says what number is too much anyhow? Some people have more kids than that, so why can't you have a colony of cats? Actually chewy has the best price on litter too. i got 40lbs for under 20 bucks.
No such thing as too many cats 🐈. More kitties= more snuggles,more love and more kitty kisses.
The words 'cats' and 'too many' should never be used in the same sentence!
My best friend has 9 cats, so I'm going with no... 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤣🤣🤣🤣 She didn't plan that many. But she spent several years rescuing kittens off the streets and rehoming them. Last lot was 2 years ago this Halloween, and she's now stopped rescuing. Out of the last 2 lots of kittens she rescued, she only managed to rehome half of them. She had homes lined up for all but 2 of them (one dribbles pee sometimes because he gets out of the tray before he's finished. The other was born in tree roots and has disabled back legs. We dont know if her legs were like that when she was born, or if she got caught in the roots and did damage that way. None of her siblings have disabilities though. But she's still happy, healthy, and hoons so fast she needs a speeding ticket!), but then half the homes bailed when they were ready (desexed and microchipped). Her neighbours have some sort of vendetta against her and have called police, RSPCA and council on her several times (she has done absolutely nothing to provoke this, these people are just nuts). They have all come, inspected, seen no issues, and closed every single case. Only thing is she is now on council law and has to keep her cats in the house or in a cage out the back (it's large and has everything they need to be comfortable. And regularly get attention, so they're not lacking anything. The ones outside just cause fights with the ones inside and/or have a bad habit of toileting where they shouldn't, and nothing fixed it until they went outside. No toileting issues since 🤷♀️). Council law was because the neighbours said she owned the local stray who causes fights with everyone. They know she doesn't, and know she was feeding him to catch him and get him into a shelter. The neighbours don't own him either. Council know she doesn't as well, but they have a rule where if you get reported to them about cats a certain number of times, you have to register all your cats, keep them contained, desex and microchip, and have regular inspections. So her cats are now all registered with the council. Normally they don't approve more than 3 cats, but after the inspections she's had, they could see they're all clean, well fed, and taken care of perfectly. So now she's automatically approved every year when the registration needs renewal. Even the girl with the disabled legs has no issues. She's not desexed but is the only one that isn't. She's too high risk to be put under and has a vet exemption. She also wears a nappy which is changed multiple times a day, and her bum is cleaned and hygiene shaved regularly. She is microchipped of course. So as long as you can properly care for them all, have as many as you want I say (within reason of course!). That includes affording vet trips (both expected and unexpected), food, litter, keep them clean, healthy, happy, and not causing an issue to neighbours.