How Many is Too Many (Cats in General)

Member Name: Mad_Wicca

Product:	Cats in General
Date:	28/08/01 (200 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: *

Disadvantages: *

I have become quiet used to looking into astounded faces whenever the topic of pets is brought up in a conversation. Why? Do I breed rare bees? Keep Siberian tigers? Own a grizzly bear? No. The reply that seems to stun people is; 'I have a dog and four cats.'

That's it. That's all. One medium dog. Four average sized cats. (You were rooting for the bees, right?) The dog they can handle, this seems to go in one ear, get registered and out the other. But then the words 'four' and 'cats' click in their head and I am either presented with wide eyed looks of shock, or furrowed brows. Then come the comments.

'Four!?'
'Did you say four cats!?'
'You have how many!?'
'Why do you want four cats?'
'You have too many cats.'

The last comment is the one that caught my attention the most (I've heard all the rest so many times). 'You have too many cats.' What does that mean? I found myself pondering this glib comment, turning it over and over in my mind (it was raining and there was nothing on TV). How many is too many? How few is not enough? And who decides whether a person has too many at all!?

Every responsible owner knows that it's not just love, affection and companionship that keeps your pet going; money also comes into the equation. A lot. There's vets bills (neutering/shots/unexpected accidents), food, toys, beds, flea treatments, more food, grooming utensils, bowls, scratching posts, cattery boarding fees, even more food, snazzy jumpers with matching bobble hats... err, please say that's not just me? It makes sense to anyone that by adding to your cat clowder (the collective noun for a group of cats, I'm nothing if not educational) you are going to multiply the cost of all this.

So can I afford four cats? Well, yes. My cats have never gone hungry, are all neutered/spayed, have comfy beds, even if they do prefer t
he battered old box I've just brought the shopping home in; they have toys galore, first sign of little black grits and it's a swift dose with the flea treatment and they get whisked straight to the vets if anything seems to be ailing. So on that score I think I can afford four cats.

As to enough space for four cats. I live in a four-bedroomed, three-storey terraced town house, on some days you would never think that it was home to four cats; they're all off in their favourite nooks and crannies having 40,000 winks, only to re-emerge when my hand accidentally brushes against a tin of cat food. I have a large garden (which contains their own, private cat toilet; but perhaps more on that in a future opinion) that only two of them like to venture out of, although they don't seem to go very far. I don't live on a busy road and they never go out the front anyway.

It has often been put to me that having four cats I can't possibly give enough attention to each of them, for them to be well adjusted and feel loved. If you have more than one cat then you'll know that about the only thing they all do at the same time is eat and possibly sleep. They don't all want to sit on my lap at once, they don't all want to play with Mr. Mouse at the same time, they don't all feel the need to sit on my head as a group when I am trying to sleep - thank the Gods!

Everyday I play with, stroke, groom, cuddle, tickle, head rub, slow blink, chirrup, and talk to each of my cats one to one. I have never adopted a cat on a whim. My husband and I have always talked it over and thought long and carefully about introducing another cat into our house before we actually started looking. Each of our cats has a different and unique personality, and they all bring joy to us in very different ways.
So, do I have too many cats? I don't think so. If you can afford four cats, or more, not just monetarily but also emotionally, then howe
ver many cats you have is never too many for you. Bottom line, I love my cats and they love being with me.

Summary: