# How many cats do you have? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856 "2013-09-03T02:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/41 "2013-09-04T02:20:58Z")
I’m genuinely surprised that “none” is still in the lead. (Individually, I mean. You guys have some CATS, wow.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/42 "2013-09-04T02:42:18Z")
> [@Silver\_Fire](#): > > I’m genuinely surprised that “none” is still in the lead. > > (Individually, I mean. You guys have some CATS, wow.) Some comparable [pet statistics for the United States](http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html). Note the SDMB is at ~68-69% cat ownership as of this post\* vs. ~39% for the US as a whole. It’s a pretty cat-friendly site :). ETA: \* Assuming you could conclude anything from this poll, which of course you can’t. I’m sure there are some posters that won’t even open a thread with the word “cat” in the title :p. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/43 "2013-09-04T02:55:14Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Note the SDMB is at ~68-69% cat ownership as of this post\* . . . [That](http://day.sibnet.ru/upload/attach-47315.jpg) at least [explains](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R686NJfLdN4/UeY6cZglTXI/AAAAAAAAA28/JV21N33iET4/w800-h800/C9Xnl.jpg) the recent [server problems](http://smartprogress.ru/uploadImages/000004803.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/44 "2013-09-04T03:59:09Z")
We had a high of six years ago because people kept dumping kitties at the stable where I kept my horses. Moved to a different barn and the kitty population stabilized (so to speak) until they all started dying from old-age complications. The last one was my soul mate kitty Tickle whom I lost at 19 years of age last year. ☹ We did manage to pick up two youngsters along the way so that’s where we are now, two. I’ve been thinking it might be time for a third, though. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/45 "2013-09-04T04:13:10Z")
Two now, down from four. We had my wife’s cat put down about 6 months ago due to cancer. On the same day that happened my cat Nimitz (as mentioned in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=674732) pit thread) disappeared for the second time. We’re about 99% sure our neighbour caught and killed him ☹ Now we have Dewey and Mishca, both are RSPCA rescue cats and Dewey is possibly the most affectionate cat in the known universe 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/46 "2013-09-04T04:24:45Z")
I had three up until about a month ago when my 15-year old cat died. When I lived in the country I had as many as nine. I was not allowed to have pets as a child, because they were “too much trouble.” Meh. Being alive is a lot of trouble, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/47 "2013-09-04T05:00:06Z")
Used to have cats and wish I did again. Sane cat lady ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/48 "2013-09-04T05:52:09Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > 7 cats & 1 dog now… > > First one on purpose because step daughter did not want moving neighbor to dispose of it. > > All the rest are strays or drops or one trapped feral or we rescued ( really really close to dead ) one from under a park walkway. > > We now have a 100# ½ St. Bernard ½ Pyrenees that was run over as a pup, Now about 3½. Long story but he is here now. > > We don’t like a stinky house, computers do not like pet hair, it does not make food taste better nor does licking … > > They are all very different critters, we have lost some due to accidents, going walkabout, given away ( kitties ). > > We moved with all 7 cats & got Mighty Dawg here at the new place. > > Until I was 48 or so, no animals in the house was my line in the sand. Had an Australian Shepperd for 15 years when younger but never in the house. A rescue from a relative that was moving. I took the dog or it was going to be put down. > > I am now very good at sleeping with critters, removing hair from food, opening & closing doors, I understand ‘the look’ & love to hear Missy Face’s very clear “No…” > > I have not ever hacked up a hair ball… yet. What he doesn’t say is the cats have their own house on the deck, with access to a large closed in space underneath. They have the run of the place all day, then are closed in before dark. And if he is removing hair from food, it’s his own danged fault. 🙂 Mighty Dawg sheds. SOMEbody who is not me spends alot of time brushing the dog. I am having a much harder time adjusting to a huge hairy dog that is larger than me, than all of the cats added together. But we are theirs, and we love them. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/49 "2013-09-04T06:46:44Z")
One. A female tuxedo about 8 years old. She’s laying here beside me. We just had a staring contest - I won. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/50 "2013-09-04T07:06:18Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > One. A female tuxedo about 8 years old. She’s laying here beside me. We just had a staring contest - I won. It’s **lying** not **laying** , isn’t it? That one always gets me. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/51 "2013-09-04T08:36:16Z")
> [@Silver\_Fire](#): > > We kept pets when I was a kid (my favorite ever was the Dalmatian) and I don’t remember having clothes covered in animal hair just from brushing against an upholstered surface or the house reeking like litter box. I know it’s possible. I just don’t know of anybody who actually pulls it off. 🙂 Perhaps you lived in houses with full-time home makers? Smaller houses, with generally a lot less stuff? ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/52 "2013-09-04T09:10:21Z")
Um, 2-ish. They are semi-feral. They come and go through the dog door as they please. My old roommate got them fixed and we feed them, but I’m pretty sure they have at least one other family. One of them is friendly and likes to be petted, as long as you don’t try to pick her up. The other one is senile and only occasionally comes inside for food. He also gets himself stuck in the ceiling sometimes and yowls for an hour. They are both fearless mouse killers. ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/53 "2013-09-04T09:17:23Z")
Also, even if they are hanging out in the house for a few days, they still would rather poop outside. We have a litterbox in the “basement” but they rarely use it unless it’s pouring rain. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/54 "2013-09-04T10:58:23Z")
Three. I figure that’s about six too many. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/55 "2013-09-04T11:31:33Z")
I have 4 now. I guess at some point I had six, because one of my current cats is named Six…I think a couple moved on after she arrived. So, we have Six, who is mostly composed of limpness and purr, Vivian the One-Eyed Wonder Cat, Bobbin the Apparently Immortal, and Trouble, the deaf weird cat. We also have 3 good-sized dogs. All indoor, except Six who goes in and out a hundred times a day. I’m sure my house smells like pets, but as someone said upthread, most houses smell like something. My ex-boyfriend wouldn’t let an animal within a half-mile of his house, and the place smelled like a musty basement all year round. I’m really happy with the amazing effects of Febreze, though. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/56 "2013-09-04T11:55:50Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > One. A female tuxedo about 8 years old. She’s laying here beside me. We just had a staring contest - I won. That’s what _you_ think. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/57 "2013-09-04T20:57:30Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > It’s **lying** not **laying** , isn’t it? That one always gets me. That depends. Pick her up and look for an egg :D. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/58 "2013-09-04T21:12:31Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > That depends. Pick her up and look for an egg :D. Heh! Exactly what I thought after I typed it :). English is my second language; that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! ---
**Author:** ![turtlescanfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/59 "2013-09-05T01:19:09Z")
5 cats now, if you count the 4 new kittens. As I’ve said before, we will probably only keep 1 of the kittens at most. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856/60 "2013-09-05T06:11:41Z")
I have two, and am perpetually on the verge of getting a third. One of mine is the smartest cat I’ve ever had, and the other is possibly the dumbest (it took her 5 years to learn to make eye contact). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-cats-do-you-have/667856.md?page=4)