How many cats is the tipping point from cat lover to crazy cat collector?

:rolleyes: There is such a thing as scoopable litter. There is also the concept of scooping the litterbox every day, at least once a day. We have 2 litterboxes right now, which get scooped every day at least once. Do you believe a house can be kept “clean” with 3 toddlers? They produce more mess than cats. (I have no problem with anyone who has either 3 or more cats or more than 3 toddlers, just drawing an analogy.) Cat dander can be dealt with also, get the kitty young enough and you can usually bathe it regularly. For that matter, I’ve seen some adult human males who produce more stench than the catbox after eating beans, (or cheese) so I’d say it’s subjective. You obviously don’t want that many pets, but don’t go saying that people who do aren’t cleanly.

I think the people who believe that X number of cats means the person is a collector or on the road to being a collector actually have no real knowledge of what a “cat collector” is. They just think that “collector” means someone with over X number of cats. It doesn’t.

No, it certainly doesn’t. Some people treat 1 cat worse than some others treat 4.

I’m also not going to take anyone’s word for it in this thread that they have X cats and keep a clean house and all the cats have their medical needs and nutrional needs adequately provided.

The whole point of a disorder is that the person is delusional.

Any think someone that has 13 cats sleeping on a bed doesn’t have some bits of fecal matter and urine also on the bed? If so, you might be delusional.

nutrional = nutritional

Need I remind you Trunk that if you have a lover, you let a human mouth kiss you. That’s “unclean” too. People who work in the medical profession, or who have one or diaper wearing children to care for also choose to expose themselves to germy envirnments for the sake of nurturing. To each their own.

First of all the sentence in the above post should read “People who work in the medical profession, or who have one or (more) diaper wearing children to care for also choose to expose themselves to germy envirnments for the sake of nurturing.” The bolded word is what I left out by mistake. Secondly, germophobia is also a mental illness.

I agree. But the act of having X number of cats does not mean the person is suffering from any mental disorder. For some people, yes. But not for all.

I sometimes feel the same way about people who have 4 or 5 kids! For some people, all it takes is one kid to overwhelm them so much that their child is living in a messy house and not eating all the right foods. Wow. We think more alike than I would have realized.

Sheesh! The proper formula is Crazy Cat Collector = (# of cats I own) + 1.

More reasons to love pinkfreud.

I was going to say more than 10, since I am just shy of that number, but I think I will adjust that to say that more than one can care for is too much. I’ve known of people who have more than a dozen cats and they and the home are well cared for.

I have several right now but I tend to be exposed to kittens a lot and that’s how one usually catches cat fever. I have a house with several rooms, currently it is a mess but that’s not all the cats doing since I am trying to renovate one of the rooms and have stuff that would have a home in that room all over the place.
My question: How many more posts until gatopescado comes into the thread to make some comment relating to killing and/or eating cats? :rolleyes:

I don’t think it’s the number as much as the attitude. We have 3. My parents buy 15-25 count shrimp for one of their cats. I won’t bore you with other stories but they are buying extremely expensive seafood for a CAT. In another thread I read that someone wouldn’t buy their child seafood and my parents are spending it on a CAT.

Of course, they showered us with expensive seafood as well so I shouldn’t complain.

That’s a good rule of thumb, though maybe a bit generous.

My rule of thumb would be that if you have more than two cats per adult human in the household you have stepped over an invisible line. Beware!

Yep, that’s totally what I was gonna say. Two is the upper limit in the dating world. Unless you happen to meet a fellow cat enthusiast. But for most guys, two cats is already on the road to spinsterhood…

Not a cat owner, but a cat liker.
Cats like children, anymore than three and you’re crazy :wink:

We have three. We originally had one, but when we moved to our house, we discovered that the previous tenants left their cat behind when they skipped out on the rent. So we took him in, got him fixed and vaccinated, etc. A couple of years later, someone who had just had a baby was giving away a kitten, so we acquired her, too. My wife says we have achieved “kitty zen.” We don’t want or need any more. We love the ones we have as much as possible, and we keep them clean and fed and they have regular trips to the vet. It’s odd, we never heard our first cat meow until he was around other cats. Maybe he thought he was a people.

More than three was also my initial response to this. But I believe the line is truly crossed when you begin throwing them at people and start resembling ‘crazy cat lady’ from the Simpsons.

I guess I’m more intolerant than the other posters. I was going to say, if the number of cats exceeds the number of humans-in-house times two (for example, my roommate and I could have 4 cats, but my mother-in-law can only have 2), you’re a collector. But many of you seem happy and sane with large numbers of cats.
But I think, as I meet people with cats (or any other animal) it really depends on their attitude towards their pet. Some people are scary on one poodle (making it wear bonnets, letting it sit at the table for meals), where others seem sane even with a whole menagerie of fish, lizards, parrots, dogs and cats.

It doesn’t much matter to me whether or not you take my word for it that my cats’ needs are met. Regarding “bits of fecal matter and urine” on the bed, there are undoubtedly such “bits,” as is the case with a bed occupied by any living creatures. I try to be reasonably tidy, but I am not obsessed with living my life in a sanitized fashion that is totally free of contaminants.

I am a volunteer with an animal adoption organization. I have provided a loving home for some unadoptable animals that would probably have been euthanized if I had not taken them in. If that makes me delusional, bring on the delusions.

I don’t own cats, but I like cats.

So, maybe I can provide a relatively unbiased opinion.

:smiley:

2 is ok, 3 is pushing the line…4 has crossed it.

:wink:

It is all a simple equation. I think I saw this on the hit CBS show Numb3rs… :wink:

1-Assume that X adult has one cat prior to relationship.
Cat Total = 1 (x)

2-Y adult must then get their “own cat” upon consumation of relationship.
Cat Total = 2 (x+y)

3a-X and Y buy first home and need a friend for Y’s cat since X’s cat is totally X’s and is ignoring Y’s.
Cat Total = 3 (x+y+z) (UNLESS 3b occurs)

3b-X and Y decide to adopt kittens and could not choose between the two cute wittle boys so they adopt them both and name them Lenny and Carl)
Cat Total = 4 (x+y+Lenny and Carl)

3a-X’s cat has befriended little z and now y has decided to stalk x and z and keep them from litter pan. X, being the good cat parent, sets up a seperate litter pan for y. All works fine until Y notices that it would be no less work to clean up for another cat using a second litter pan. X and Y decide to adopt an adult companion for y.
Cat Total = 4 (x+y+z+The Outsider)

X + Y decide to have a child (lil’ XY). lil’ XY gets kitten for 6th birthday.
Cat Total = 5 (x+y+Lenny and Carl + Sprinkles) or x+y+z+The Outsider + Sprinkles)

lil XY goes to college. x and y and z have passed on, but have been replaced by Xx. Yy and Zz along the way. Y notices X is having a hard time dealing with lil’ XY’s departure and is clinging to Sprinkles. Y secretly surprises X with a new kitty (The Dude). Pictures displayed around the house are now 65% cat family and 35% human child.
Cat Total = 6 (x+y+Lenny and Carl + Sprinkles + The Dude) or x+y+z+The Outsider + Sprinkles + The Dude)

So, 6? I think that’s right. But I is a English Major…and a dog person (Dog Total = 2)

Consider me and my 8 cats to be line crossers. They are all well taken care of and incredibly spoiled. My house is no messier than it was before I got cats; it is just a little dustier and more fur-filled. That does not bother my fiance or me and if someone doesn’t like it then they don’t have to come to my house.