I have three males. They are fine. All have totally different personalities. I find them all laying across my bed during the day.

If you were to ask DH, one is too many;). I also have 3 dogs. I am working on the theory if one is gone, the other two will have each other, LOL.

Seriously, as long as you can afford to pay for the requisite care and don't let the hair get out of hand... I vacuum 2 times a day. I think what each petowner decides is the right number for them.

I know the feeling of "look" when asked how mant pets I have and reply, 3 cats, 3 dogs, but what's with that? It's no one's business but mine and DH (somewhat) and the head turner usually has at least 3 kids. I only have one of those:((.

I have three female indoor dogs (big, bigger, biggest) and it works out really well only because I have the luxury of working from home. I did have one person suggest that it would be difficult.

Having said that, three is my limit.

Cats, are another story. I know numerous people that have two, one person has three and they all get along really well.

Good luck!

SG

My DD has 2 indoor cats as differant personality wise as daylight and dark. They get along fine in that they ignore each other.
I think what ever you are comfortable with and can afford and is not against the law is right for you.
oakleif

A friend of mine says that's the limit if you're a single woman -- anymore and you become the crazy spinster cat lady!

Oddly enough, she has two cats -- I have two cats (now) -- another single female frind of ours has two cats --- guess we're all teetering on the brink of crazy spinster cat ladyhood!

Personally, in a 600 square foot aparmtent, two is proving more than enough!

Well, since I am married and not old and live in a 2800 square foot house not even counting the basement, I guess I haven't officially the crazy cat lady label yet altho my kids think I have. I know a lot of rescuers who have in the double digits. One, a friend of mine won't tell me how many. She works for a rescue group and she has some unadoptable ones.

Oops! I meant to say "my friend says 2 is the limit".

Multi-tasking overload!

The answer to this question is kinda "situation specific". IOW, what may be fine in one situation may be WAY too many in another.

It depends. I don't have any cats now, but when I've had them in the past, 2 is a good number, though I know people with 3 and 4 and they do a good job with managing them. With dogs, 2 is also a good number, but I extended myself to 3. My 2 oldest are wonderful, sweet pets, but my youngest is a show and performance dog and we spend a lot of time training. So when I have go to out with just him, which is most of the time, the other 2 aren't left alone. Works out well.

Hmmmm. Interesting question. I have 4, and would love to volunteer for rescue, but I do worry about what it would do to the 4 I have. I have the room, and have thought of getting 2 more. So I guess my answer is 7 is too many. ;) I don't have any other pets. Maybe 6 in total, so if I got dogs no way on more cats.

It is interesting to see so many respond that more than 2 is too many. I guess that explains some of the looks I get.

FYI...1 unspayed female cat + 1 unneutered male cat are responsible for the creation of ~470,000 cats in a 7 year period (if all subsequent generations were left intact). You don't even want to know the 12 year estimations.

I think for me 1 is plenty, but I do sometimes long for a companion for the one I do have. And, it would be fun to watch them interact. But then I would have to pay another deposit or violate the lease in the apartment. I think a 1 bedroom apartment is crowded enough with 1 cat and 1 human and 30 antique vacuums so 1 is appropriate at this time. Every time I see a cute baby though I just want to bring it home with me. If I found a stray it would be hard not to take it in, but I will have to "cross that bridge when I come to it".
Anya_101, careful what you say... you might encourage Webkat to repeat her previous behavior!

LOL, One could only hope.

Hmm, looks like some of the posts got pulled here. It says 40 responses yet I only count 19 (yes I know, too much time on my hands - slow day back at work!).

Anyhow, I have 4 cats. Once they are gone, I don't think I will get any more. They're all pretty young, so I have a long way to go most likely.

I'm turning into more of a dog person I guess the older I get and the more I work with dog rescue. We just added our 5th dog. Yikes!

My friends joke that one day I will be either a crazy cat or dog lady!

"My friends joke that one day I will be either a crazy cat or dog lady!"

Nothing wrong with that ambition!

Oh oh I'm the crazy cat lady, I have six, didn't mean to but I work in a feed store where animals are dumped. I found Rubie 16 years ago as a feral under the resturant where I was working took her home. Sam just arrived 6 years ago and just stayed atfirst in the barn but moved in the house. Sheena came two yearas ago she was a sick cat that showed up at the feed store. I couldn't let her just die so I took her to the vet then home. RocKat was found under a pile of dead feral cats in the woods by the feed store. He was about one and a half weeks old, he is two and still my baby. Oreo and Kreem came this year they were found on the highway in a sealed box. Someone opened the box and there were two three week old kittens in it. They didn't want the kittens so they brought them to the feed store I meant to foster them but kept them. This is my limit! I also have two dogs, rescued, five goats, one horse(I had him 29 years s far), 6 chickens. We live on six acers so the older cats can go out.

It depends on many factors such as:
space - square feet and other inhabitants
money - for vet. care, food, etc.
level of responsibility
time available
restrictions either from community or landlord
Personality of the cat or cats

I think any cat or dog needs a lot of human attention, affection, and care. I would think that 6 cats would be more than enough cats for most cat owners. I would worry that people with more than 6 cats would not be able to spend enough time with their cats to meet the cat's needs. To escape the cat lady classification I'd say no more than 3 cats.

I think that space is the biggest factor,really.For someone in an apartment or small townhouse/trailer/house I would say only one to two.If someone has a bigger sized house,it really depends on the person who is taking care of them.So long as they ARE taken care of.
This CAT BOOK I have says that cats dont do well in small areas where there is over crowding (otherwords,too many cats)They can actually get sick and live a shorter life if such is the case.

One? OK so seriously...two is almost too many to take care of. My fiance has 2 and he has to clean the litter box at least every day if not twice just for two cats and you can still smell it sometimes even though I'm always on top of him to clean it out. I think any more than two and your will be cleaning litter all day long just to keep the house sanitary. Plus they track litter all over everything too which to me is YUCK! They shouldn't be outside if you live around others because then they will be encroaching upon others that may not share your love for cats!

I work for a vet and we try to encourage people not to get more than 5. We see more behavior and potty problems in kitties that live with lots of kitty family members. Not always the case just more common than fewer kitties.
I personally wouldn't get more than 2. I did work with a lady that had 48 (yes that is not a typo 48 cats) all indoors. She lived in a 3 bdrm double wide trailer. All of the litter pans were in 1 bdrm and it took her 2 days to clean them all. Her husband divorced her when she got around 20 cats and refused to get rid of them (can we say hoarder?). She truly is the cazy cat lady.

I knew a lady that was a hoarder as well, but if she could find people to give them away she would, they really had messed up personalities, poor kitties!
2 would be great togather, and I would not have any more then 3 in a house, mainly because of the litterbox cleanup:) and partly because I will never forget that house with all those cats in it.

I have 6 cats, all rescues. I work at a landscape nursery that backs up to an apartment complex, so there's always stray cats around. The manager, with the help of a local rescue group, traps them and gets them neutered and spayed, which has helped tremendously in stabalizing the colony, but unfortunately, the people at the complex tend to move and leave behind their cats. I've taken 5 home, plus one we recued from a convenience store parking lot, making 6. It almost seems funny to me to think of 2 or 3 being too many. As I type this, 2 of my cats are playing tag and having a good time.

I agree, though, that space and finances play a big role in the answer to the question. My DS wanted to adopt a puppy born to his friend's dog. I explained the facts of pet care to him, even though he grew up with pets, he'd never had to be responsible. I pointed out to him that he's having trouble taking care of himself and feeding himself, and paying rent and utilities, much less paying for vet care, food, vet care, food, etc. for even one dog. He saw my point. So, for some people, like my DS, even one cat or dog is too many.

Sally

Sally, I thought the same when I read some think more than two is too many cats. I know very few people who have one cat..most have multiples..three of four. While I think my eight is more than I want, they have no where else to go, but I won't keep the population at this number and will strive for about four at some future time..But I have no other pets.

I think it just depends on the individual and on knowing your own limits. For many years, I had two cats only. Now we have three and also three dogs. But I think the inn is full at that number. :) It just depends greatly on how much time, money, etc. someone is willing to put into their pets. If all the cats are well cared for, than that's the right number for that house.

Yes - does seem like some of the posts are missing - I read through that much too quickly for 51 posts.

I have three males - that number works fine for us. We have three litter boxes in our basement (finished area) - but the cats are not particular about which one they actually use. We scoop the litter boxes each morning and replace the litter once a week or so. We also have an Orek ionic room freshener in our family room as they are confined to our lower two levels at night (we are allergic to them and don't want them in our bed - we live in a tri-level which with a basement is actually a quad level). We do have to vaccuum frequently - at least twice a week. Would love to do it more but we both work so there just isn't time.

I think there are many factors - all stated above. Space, time, money, etc...... My DH keeps joking about getting a 4th cat but I keep telling him he will have to wait until another stray finds us. Although a really sweet girl named Voilet almost tempted me at PetSmart before Christmas - she looked me right in the eyes and stole my heart. I normally know to stay away from that place. Too many temptations. Also, not sure it would be good to bring a girl into a house with all boy cats. I've heard of others where they started spraying.....And my boys seem so happy. Always wonder if cat number four would do in my allergies completly.

More than 4 would be too many, more than 4 would be too many. I keep telling myself this since I want to rescue so many on the Siamese rescue site.

I don't want to create some disturbance that could caues problems with the 4 that get along so well now either. They just look so forlorn.

Wow, the last post was 4 years ago. I guess im a little behind. I came on here because I have 6 cats and I feel bad about it. I started with one and we moved out into the country and she was outside but she wasn't fixed. DUH! She got pregnant and had only 2 kittens. Thank the Lord because I couldn't have imagined any more. I wanted to get her fixed right away but she was nursing. well, she got pregant again. This time with 4 kittens. I got her fixed and she didn't have anymore. I kept the first two and I got rid of one of the second litter. I couldn't get rid of the one cat because he was TOOO CUTE but I tried to get rid of the last two and I couldn't. I don't want to take them somewhere to get killed. I don't want to leave them outside because they scratch at the door to come in and it's winter and I feel bad. So now I have 6 cats. I'm a stay at home mom and I keep the litter box cleaned and I sweep every day. It doesn't seem to be a problem. I have lots of scented candles and lots of glade room spray because I don't want my house to smell like cat. It seems to be doing okay. I keep telling myself "I don't have 8 cats. I'm not that bad." I won't get anymore and if anybody comes along and wants to take two of them THEY CAN HAVE THEM. I love them I just don't want to be a cat lady. Which, according to others on here, I am. Too late :(

I can't imagine 8 cats in the house full time. Do you have to clean the litter boxes three times a day? We have 7 cats that we allow into our guest house when it is really cold (like now) and when they are in there overnight, the litter box (a kiddie pool)in the garage has to be cleaned in the evening and again in the morning. Even when they come into the house occasionally, I have to clean the litter pool once a day. I do this because I NEVER want them to eliminate inappropriately!!!

Just the cost of food and litter is a problem for me but probably wouldn't be if we didn't also have two huge labs.

I can't wait until spring when the cats will be outdoors full-time and won't need litter or as much food.

Last year I had 4 cats and 3 dogs (1 Mastiff mix, 1 beagle, 1 teacup chihuahua). One cat died last year and the 18 year old last month. The 2 remaining cats (1 stray and 1 feral) are old females. We have doggy doors so they come and go as they please. We live on 14+ acres so they have plenty of space. We also use a Litter Maid litter pan so it is automatically scooped into a storage tray. I will never be without a cat! BTW all our animals are fixed so NO babies.

We have 4 cats and 2 dogs between 7-10 years old. In the future, we would like to decrease the numbers to 1-2 cats and 1-2 dogs. We had 3 dogs for awhile and it was too much for us and our house.

I think 2 cats and/or 2 dogs as a general rule makes sense.

The obvious answer to this is how many cats can you feed, keep safe/odor free and still be happy? I have seven cats now that are outdoor mostly but in the winter they are inside my guest house. I have a kiddie pool litter pan for them that is large and I clean it twice every day when they are inside. They never look elsewhere for places to eliminate because their place is kept clean and is large enough for all of them. We had them all 'fixed' so that is not a problem here.

Frankly, I can't imagine doing this full time!!!. I can't wait until spring when they can be outdoors to hunt, have fun and do their business. Just the cost of the litter is over-whelming and we only do it because they are here and we have to care for them. (Oh, BTW we do also enjoy them somewhat --- but enough is enough.) I think for a family, 2 cats probably is more than enough.

My husband and I have 5 cats and 1 dog, and the numbers will not increase from there! The dog we have had for almost 8 years and the cats were all rescued in the past year from a neighbor who couldn't/wouldn't take care of them. (I'm a sucker for a mewing kitty at the back door who just wants a meal and a warm dry place to sleep!) Yup, I am definitely a crazy cat lady.

Three of the kitties live upstairs (mom and her 2 kittens) and the other 2 live downstairs while the dog has the whole house and fenced yard to roam. Yes, it's a lot of work to keep up with the litter pans, vacuuming, etc...but well worth it because they are all so sweet and such loving companions. The dog (who does not get along with other dogs) does surprisingly well with her 5 new feline friends :)

Well we have four little furry children;) Two male two female. All rescued:) they are all great we have a nice sized house with hardwood floors and nice furniture:) all the cats are fixed and declawed (front ones). We have 0 problems no accidents no nothing:) the brothers fight sometimes but that's what kitties do:) we invest in plug ins so our house is always fresh smelling you get some extra litter boxes and you are set I believe thereis no number for how many just as long as u show them love and take care of them! It's funny our babies are so good we had a little pesky outside cat pee on my front door. And our babies didn't pee or anything I am a firm believer if they are fixed they won't mark:)

I have 11 cats .I may be a crazy cat lady but they are all outdoor-indoor cats so they do their business outside(no litter boxes).The only reason why i have so many cats is because there is a stray in my neighborhood and she brings me her kittens when they get old enough.She has brought me kittens 2 times there were 3 in each litter.Then 3 days ago one of my first kittens had her first litter.One we got from Mombasa(city in Kenya).Here are the names.The first litter:Jenny(From Forrest Gump)grey cat female with amber eyes,Ringo(Star)long haired ginger cat female with amber eyes ,Tiger A mix of stripes spots and all different colors male with amber eyes.We have had the first litter since December and second litter for a couple of weeks.
Second litter: Beauty white with blue green eyes,Promise white grey cat male, Miracle just like tiger but with blue eyes.
Third litter:We dont know anything about this litter because they were born 3 days ago.

i have 12 indoor cats 1 husband and 3 daughters and we all get along fine

Always have at least two cats. There are some that prefer to be an only child, but they are social animals who naturally enjoy the company of another, especially if you are out at work.

I've had some kitties that were so glad to see each other and became best buds. What a blast they had romping and wrestling. Even when they aren't close, they like to hang together. I have more than two, five has been my max. I like a big family, they needed homes and they've gotten along just fine or well enough.

People who count your animals and pass judgment need to get a life and mind their own business. Two is perfectly normal, very common and not anywhere near a lot of pets.

Besides, cats are like potato chips. They're so great, you can't have just one!

A person often has many cats because the poor things show up in one's yard or at one's door. God bless the folks who take them in. I have had as many as eight. Now have six and one dog. The latest showed up last fall--wild and only tamed down for the person who coaxed him with wet food (me). You bet he has a home here.

Bless your heart, Rose.

The amount of cats you can have is only limited by how many you can take care of. If you don't have room for 3 or 4 litter boxes, stick to two cats.

ONE

We currently have 7 cats -- outdoor/indoor for lap-time only. They are all neutered and any that come to us will be also. I don't want the stink of intact male cats spraying around my house. The only time they stay inside (in the guest house) overnight is when it is below zero. We will have several days of that and I realize I could NEVER live with them indoors all the time.

Just cleaning the litter pans (baby pools) is unbelievable with 7 cats -- has to be done twice a day when they are indoors. As soon as the weather clears and warms, they can't wait for the freedom of outdoors again! In the spring/summer they rarely use the litter boxes when they are in for their lap-time --- they go out to the great outdoor bathroom!

And, BTW ---- Cats have an odor about them (sort of zoo-like) that can be noticed when 7 of them are inside over night.

I think to many cats is when you can't co-op with them anymore :D

You are my kind of human.

2 or 3 cats is plenty. Unfortunately right now I have five because I was kind-hearted enough to take in two more that were going to be put to sleep otherwise. The two do not get along with the original three.

I am now waiting for attrition.

Since my last post here, we have moved from northern IL to Tennessee. In Jan. we moved ---- towed our camper with 5 cats each in separate carriers. Couldn't leave them in IL since they were outdoor cats and nobody wanted them (and we would have missed them.) Once here in a new home with 13 acres they became indoor cats. sigh. Finally, 6 mos. later they are again mostly outdoors and little by little we are trying to coax them to stay outside more. (They are all neutered, of course)

Last week a calico kitten was dropped off here so we had to go through the whole neutering/vet checkup again. Why do people do that? We will absolutely not let her in the house though - if we have to collect cats they will be outdoor only. With the 5 indoors, I was cleaning the kitty litter baby pools three times a day!!!!!! What sane person puts up with that?

As far as how many is too many? I agree that indoors, probably two would work. Right now, we have too many but what can we do?

I think two or three are enough to have. I think if you take care of them, only then you should take them to home.

There are many factors that will determine how many cats become "too many." For some people, the answer is 1 - because they do not have the space or time or resources to dedicate to the wellbeing of their furry friend.

I started with one cat (an adult rescue) and felt he would benefit from having a buddy. I got a kitten and they became inseperable. Only down side is the adult is a mellow, low-energy cat and the kitten was a hyper-active ball of energy. After much discussion, I got another kitten to balance things off... This sounded crazy to me but once cat #3 settled in, a perfect harmony existed between all three cats.

Fast forward to today, I now have an additional rescue who is estimated to be about 15 years old. This was meant to be a temporary arrangement but it turns out that nobody wants to adopt a 15-year old toothless cat with all kinds of health issues (go figure!)... The addition of cat #4 has been a painful one and has thrown everything out of whack. This old cat is the nicest little ball of purrs when it comes to humans, but she terrorises the crap out of my other cats.

Fights have broken out between my other cats as they are on edge and stressed. My youngest male (neutered) has begun to use the bathtub/shower/sinks to pee in despite having 5 litterboxes to choose from throughout the house.

The old cat has brought with her fleas, which were a nightmare to treat and het rid of. Her vet bills have been enormous and she has made 1 of my other cats sick as well... She is on a special meat/pate diet that is a whole lot of fun because the other cats have an automatic food-dispenser that she cannot use (so going on holidays is never going to be as easy as it once was). I could go on.

After a long, hard struggle of about 18 months, the last cat has finally mellowed out and now tolerates my 3 other cats. However I doubt that the average pet owner would have had the patience and understanding to allow this to happen.

Moral of the story? Most people would have brought the first cat back to the shelter and not kept going (because he started off as a "problem cat"). You can have 1 or 2 or 3 or 7 cats... It all depends on how prepared you are to deal with inevitable problems that come with multiple pet ownership. In my case, there was an excellent balance with the first 3. A different 4th addition might have gone more smoothly, but then again the second cat could have been a disaster!

I and my wife, along with three kids, are life long pet slaves (they actually own us). I'd put forward that "too many" is subjective number. Some can't stand cats (though for the life of me I can't wrap my head around why). For those who have mastered the proper care and responsibilities of owning multiples of any animal... again, it goes hand in hand with experience and willingness.

I'd like to highlight a problem most people do not realize. Cats are 300% less likely to be adopted. Even though more dogs are captured on the streets, almost 70% will find a home (thank God), but only 30% of cats will be adopted. I think this is because there is a false stigma which surrounds cats. Many people actually fear them, which again is something I can't wrap my head around.

With that said... we've always had at least two cats. We've learned to never let them outside. For those who believe this is bad, horrible, or even torture to a cat... you couldn't be more wrong. Until last year we had three cats, two in the mid-teens, and a street save which we estimate to be about 5. Then, we had a new save which took nearly two years to get into the house, and she is an absolute doll.

Back in mid June I heard a kitten crying outside at about 2 am. I managed to catch her because we later found she had a broken leg and hip, which to the doctors amazement healed without needing pins or amputation. She is now the 6 month old terrorist of the house, and all the older cats love chasing as well as being chased by her.

So, long story short... we now have 5 cats living in a house with 4 humans, and it has worked out quite well. There are 3 less cats on the street, facing certain death, and each brings her own unique joy to the humans and the other felines.

BTW.... we use two very large cement mixing tubs as litter boxes, and they have strict feeding times twice a day. From chaos, order. :)

Back when we were still farming, my new wife made the mistake of mentioning to the neighbors that we had a rodent problem in our rabbit and chicken barns. In the short span of just a few months, we had several pregnant cats dumped. After all the kittens were born, we ended up with a total of 23 cats. We kept them all, but every single one was vetted and spayed or neutered. We now only have one cat that travels with us. My opinion of how many cats ?? As many as you can afford to properly care for and love!! Every one of the cats lived to be 15 years or better.

I have three cats. 2 year old 1 year old and a 3 month old plus 2 month old kitten that just showed up I am keeping him away from my cats bc idk what diseases he may have if any. I also have an 11 month old pit bull/Catahoula pupp and a beta fish lol