We have three cats in a 3-bedroom house; frankly, 3 is a lot. I’m shocked anyone would want ten or more; the effort you’d have to put into to scooping their shit and piss would be tremendous, and that gets to the point where they wouldn’t be getting much individual attention. But hey, it’s your house. I think we could probably have a fourth, but that would be the absolute upper limit.
A couple in my hometown were finally charged when animal control officers showed up and found their house had approximately six HUNDRED cats. There were the usual denials; they’re all fine, they’re clean, blah blah blah. The reason animal control was summoned to the house was that the stench of the cats and their waste was unbearable in the adjacent homes, and could be clearly smelled across the street. It was a nightmare. So, it’s a real psychological condition, apparently.
My mother raised five children on her own, not by choice, in a house a lot smaller than the one I live in now and she did it very well indeed. All of us with a college education and self-supporting. Some of us with children and some not, but that’s the way life is. We’ve always loved animals, Mom grew up on a farm, and we had scads of them around us growing up. I have just cats because my work hours can be uncertain-cats are more easily left to their own devices than dogs I think. (Oh, I work in a hospital pathology lab-I know germs.) My four like each other well enough (they fight less than I and my siblings did!) and my vet has no complaints about their state of health. That’s absolutely all that matters.
I didn’t realize she was the one who had posted that she had 13 cats, so yeah, I can see why she would feel defensive.
I didn’t recommend that link to her because I thought she was a cat collector but to clarify that there is a significant difference between a person who loves cats and a “crazy cat collector.” It’s not a joke. Collectors are seriously ill.
Well, Dorkness, you need to work on reading the content of posts more accurately, instead of reading your opinions into them.
What I said was that if she thought sleeping in bedding that contains urine and fecal matter was normal, then something was wrong. NO WHERE did I suggest even remotely that she is either crazy or an animal abuser.
What’s wrong with you?
Please read my postings carefully before you make such inappropriate remarks.
Not to put too fine a point on it: yes, they are talking about microscopic conditions, and most of the surfaces in your house are, in fact, nicely blanketed with all manner of human and animal waste, in microscopic (but widespread) quantities.
I certainly agree that the problem of “cat collectors” exists. The animal rescue organization to which my husband and I belong has encountered some horror houses filled with pitiful creatures that some demented individual was trying to save.
But the animal hoarding sickness is not something that can be assumed just by knowing the number of animals that are in a home. The conditions in which the animals are kept and the attitude of the owner are the key, not just a head count.
In case anyone wonders, my 13 cats were not acquired by breeding on the premises. Everyone is neutered. Our oldest is nearly 20 years old, a huge, hunchbacked bull’s-eye tabby with inoperable cancer. Our youngest is about 9 months, a tiny Russian blue with microphthalmia (an eye deformity).
Oh, and about the feces and urine on the bed, I didn’t mean to imply that visible chunks and puddles are acceptable. But microscopic bits of critters are going to be all over the place, whether the critters are feline or human. I put a fresh quilt on the bed every day and wash the bed linens with Clorox. I’ll bet my bed is at least as sanitary as the bed of someone who has a toddler in the house. A bit hairier, though.
I hope there will be no hard feelings, Marge. If I sounded snarky in my earlier posts, I am sorry. Here, have a cat as a peace offering.
Granted. When I was speaking (posting), I was referring to visible, smellable (is that a word?) urine and feces. I didn’t see the word “microscopic” anywhere.
No offense taken. I happen to be an animal lover. You sound the same. For the record, I never made an assumption that you (or anyone) were a cat hoarder. The OP asked for our opinion on how many cats were the “tipping point” from cat lover to crazy cat collector. While I stand by my opinion that I will wonder why in gawd’s name a person would have more than three cats, no one is in a position to judge until they’ve seen the actual condition of the home and cats.
I didn’t realize this thread would turn so ugly, frankly.
Ya’ll two are making up very nicely. I’ll just go and clean up those huge hairballs from the runner in the hallway, and I just picked up the new finewire curry brush because the last one finally ran out of wire. So far I’ve got Dobby, Cocoa, Bumper, Lightning, Thunder, Bogart, Aragorn, Lucia, Scooter, Sasha and Muggs to brush down. Did I miss anyone on the list?
I’ve been thinking about this, and have to ask: Does the weight of each cat factor into the calculation? Considering that our four probably total out to about 65 or 70 pounds, maybe we are borderline!
I don’t own any cats, and sure, there’s a shitlog or two in my bed. SO WHAT?!
Back on topic, The answer is 4. 5 or more and you’re a crazy cat person. “Only” having 4 does not issue you a free pass, either. 4 cats falls under the “Hmmm…” category.
I have one and have a hard time keeping the apartment odor-free. I don’t care how often someone scoops, if you have 13 cats, your house is stanky. You might not smell it, but trust me, other people do.
Regarding the odor problem, I think this is related not only to the number of cats, but to the number of cubic feet in the dwelling. We live in an old twelve-room house. 13 cats in 12 rooms isn’t that much different from one cat in one room, is it? Some of these rooms are quite large, incidentally, and all of 'em are drafty.
I have personally been in houses with more than 4 cats, and the house didn’t stink. One of my friends has had 3 cats, and she’s the most anal-retentive, clean-freak there is. So her house certainly doesn’t stink. I cannot imagine her house stinking if she had more than 3 cats. She’d make damn sure.
I have observed that having a lot of dirt boxes and scooping them out a few times a day (if there are a lot of cats) really does make a big difference.
I have five permanent cats and two temporaries, and sometimes more temporaries. I have a 3-story 11 room condo, 1900 sq. ft. I have asked many, many people to PLEASE tell me the honest truth - can they smell cat when they walk in. Can they smell poop, urine, cat smell, or anything else. These are people who would tell me the truth, especially when I am insisting on it. Nobody has ever smelled anything.
I can’t believe these people I ask are all lying to me.
No offense taken. I happen to be an animal lover. You sound the same. For the record, I never made an assumption that you (or anyone) were a cat hoarder. The OP asked for our opinion on how many cats were the “tipping point” from cat lover to crazy cat collector. While I stand by my opinion that I will wonder why in gawd’s name a person would have more than three cats, no one is in a position to judge until they’ve seen the actual condition of the home and cats.
