Brett Delong

If you own a cat you have a box of feces somewhere in your house.

Brett, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but humans have a feces trap in their homes for their own doo, too. It's actually preferred to, like you know, going outside in the yard, or whatever. (come on now, smile ;-)

I think there is a way to stop getting the comments if this poses a problem for you. Or just don't open the link when you see the topic "how many cats...." come up on the email. I personally LOVE dogs AND cats...not so much people!

Hahaha.

You'll find at the bottom of your comment notification a line that reads:

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There's also one right below these comments. Click on either and you will not receive any more links concerning this thread. Hope this helps!

Brett.....not if you clean the box several times daily. Geez.

To each his own, Brett. People who love animals find the affection and entertainment that pets lend is worth more than the time spent in taking care of them. But just as with kids, only those who want them should have them. Peace.

Actually I've known cats to express jealousy and displeasure by "going" where they knew they shouldn't. Years ago I went to stay with a foreign friend, and his long-time kitty didn't like that he was spending time with me and did her thing in the bathtub which she had NEVER done before.

The next day, while he was away at work, I called to her and told her, "Look here, Miss Meow, you've had him for years and I'll be gone in three weeks. You can share for three weeks, can''t you?" She gazed at me for a while and for the rest of my visit was friendly and well-behaved.

Considering she didn't speak English I was glad she not only understood but was cooperative. Animals are so funny; they are worth a bit of extra trouble.

shars55 That's great, uncanny even, that for 40 years not one single cat peed anywhere in your house. Ever. Many decent, intelligent and well-behaved humans can't even make that claim, especially if born and growing up said house, LOL. But you do realize, don't you, that you and your cats are the exception rather than the rule? Cats often spray even after being neutered, and especially sometimes, sick cats have accidents, visitors they don't approve of (as has been mentioned here) jealous or envious cats, and the list is virtually endless. Sure, "your" cats have been perfect shars55, but that is not what one would generally expect or look forward to when considering owning a pet, cat or otherwise.

My friend, have you ever been examined for paranoia? I am implying nothing. I am stating facts out, plainly, clearly and distinctly. Please go back and re-read. Not one word I have said is less than fact. No implications. Just facts. And I will say it again. Just because "your" cats have never peed in 40 years in the house does not make that the norm. It is, in fact and indeed unusual. Call any veterinarian office in the world and ask them if it is normal for a person to own cats for 40 years and not one single cat, in that entire time have an accident. Old cats especially. What do you do? Kill them before they reach a "certain age? - Geez, woman you're creepy. I compliment you and you attack me. Seriously, you might want to go in for a physical. and a mental. Just saying.

shars55

Lucy, you are implying that I am fibbing, but I assure you, I am not. I NEVER own male cats just for this reason, because as a kid, we had a couple, and they did spray even after being neutered. As an adult, I have only adopted female cats. None of them has ever peed anywhere except the littler box. No, my cats are not perfect, they have committed other kitty misdeeds, but they have not peed outside the box.

A dominant female will spray just as a male does, neutered or not. Since they can't talk, argue, debate with us they use other ways to communicate; we need to realize they're trying to tell us something. But it's great to have well-behaved ones, for sure.

Cat fight? Really? Come people, can you agree that no 2 cats are alike? (Same goes for dogs & people, etc) Everyone's experience is different and everyone's cat is different. Let's stick with cats for this: I've had both male & female. All have been neutered, some declawed (OK, set myself up for that) and some sprayed and some peed and some pooped and some were perfect. All are rescues. Some rescued at older ages, some young, some with medical issues and as it seems, some with mental issues!! NO 2 of my cats has ever been the same. Similar, yes....the same...nope. Neither have either of my 2 spouses....HAHAHAHAHA. OK?? ENOUGH. PULL BACK THE CLAWS!!!

We had a cat for 16 yrs with no accidents. Suddenly.. she was peeing behind my recliner. I took her to the vet and they checked for urinary. Nope. A week later.. we were back and I had them run a blood work up. I told them" she's trying to tell us something because she is a good kitty" She had the beginning of kidney failure. Changed her eating plan and she lived another 3 yrs. One day.. she crawled up in my lap and laid down. She seemed to have become so frail. She looked me in the eye and laid down! I kind of have a sense with animals... cat/dog whisperer. Took her to the vet and things were happening.. shutting down. So.. she made it to 19! Vet said we did a good job with her condition and that we did the right thing when quality of life went down hill. The 2nd cat made it to 16 with no peeing outside the box. She developed a mouth cancer and within a month of finding the lump.. we had to let her go as it had grown. We currently have a 16 yr old who sometimes doesn't get himself far enough into the box and over shoots! My solution.. puppy pee pad to catch it. Happens maybe 2-3 times a month so I'm ok with that with this old gent. I count my blessing to have good fur babies. I lovingly clean up after them as they keep my feet warm at night when we go to bed. It's a good relationship! haha

how lucky they are to have you. gotta go dry the eyes.

Oh, Sally Hess Keys, how sad. At least they had you there for them.

Sally, your story of your 19 year old is similar to my family's experience losing our 19-year old angelic girl. I am sorry for all losses of pets. They are truly family members. Re: other topics, My cats only void in the litter box. As I stated previously, the large rubber containers found at home warehouse stores (usually used for mixing cement) make fantastic litter boxes. They are large and extremely durable. I also used a piece of ventilation metal underneath. It protects the wall (it is at a right angle) and floor at the same time (just be sure to crimp the metal edge). They have routines: my 5 sibling cats greet me each morning when I wake. They have their own sound when padding into a room, each has their own detectable vocalization, (some say "Out" when something catches their eye outside, or "Mom" when they want treats!). They have favorite places to sleep/play/eat/escape (from each other in-house). Each recognizes their own & siblings' names and all play well together. We currently have 8 indoor cats (kids moved home with theirs). People often say they have no idea there are cats living here as we use plug-ins & baking soda and make sure litter is tended to 2x/day - multiple litter boxes. By the time people complete their visit they often inform me that they will take one or more of my cats (even "cat haters") if I want to get rid of them because they are loving. Tell any of them "kiss-kiss-kiss" and they give kisses generously (hugs, too).

Recently, this happened during my early morning walks.......I always see the cats around this home that i walk by in early morning - more than 7 of them sitting around the outside of home, scattered around the property. They all looked harmless and small. Some of them tend to sit outside the fence and some inside their fence. And then, on the fence i see this BIG rat (as big as the cats or bigger), white in color and clinging to the fence, scared for life and not moving at all. Because on both side of the fence he sees cats.... The fence is a wooden board fence with barely 1/4 inch of thickness. So, the rat was not able to balance and would wobble every once in a while, because god knows how long since the dawn of morning he has been standing there. I felt he was caught between a rock and hard place, and it was only a matter of time before he would fall down due to stress, tired of standing for hours. And i wondered what the cats would do when they face something as big as them - could not stand there and watch his distress for too long, and i walked on. It was around 7am, and the sun was coming out.

a story with no end? i am on pins and needles!

sam N ~~Oh, my goodness! Not the kind of story one expects on houzz.com - But thanks for posting!

Cats need homes. Many are left to die in shelters unnecessarily. Cats are wonderful companions; people who own pets in general live longer. Its the right thing to do - save homeless animals. How many is too many? well that entirely depends on how much space you have.. in your home and more importantly, in your HEART.

unfortunately one must look also at one's ability to care for. I do not mean all perfect own silk pillow, always indoors with 2 litter boxes. i mean ability to feed and give basic shots.

or in my case concerns about length of life.

Have fun Yes, all of a sudden, one day.....we're hit with that. One of my last pets lived 17 years and I'm afraid if I got another today that lived 17 years, best case scenario, I would have an extremely difficult time consistently giving it the care that it deserved.

whups, have fun, I didn't mean to do that, but hey...kinda cute anyway.

tis alright clouds, maybe someone will help me figure out if i am the backwards pup or the one losing the spots?

I voted 5+ but I'm happy with three! We have 3 adults living in this house and that means that if each cat wanted attention at the same time, there are three of us to show them attention. Anymore than that would be too much!

nah... you each have 2 hands?

Have fun You look fine from here! Great, in fact.

thanks, you don't look so bad your self, so you wanna ride in my car? lol

you know i am thinking that if i am still capable i will foster old fuzzies. i remember one when i was younger-its owner had died, noone would go near it at the shelter, only problem is it was missing some teeth and just old so kinda grizzled. fortunately it was just waiting on a relative to come get it.

Have Fun, I like your car very stylish. I said two, because although I can't have cats. Severe allergies. I don't think any pet should be without a partner. You should never have to be alone the only one of your kind.

you know rolling i would say yes, but i have seen these forced adoptions not work. my mom spent half her life screaming. heck my little family does not always get a long. same was true often with my dogs. and that little bird i had on the bird thread, being with others was horrible for him. he truly seemed happy living with me. so in principal i totally agree, but observation has taught me, not so fast! lol

I have owned one cat in my life and she was an exceptionally great cat. I trained her to sleep in her own box, and off counters, furniture, etc. She was only allowed in non-bedroom areas and knew her "rules." She was allowed in the day and spent most of her time sleeping under the flowers or rhubarb leaves in the garden, or chasing spiders and bugs. She was super playful.

She was taken from her mom too early, and I got her as a kitten. I had to teach her kitty-habits and to dig.

I trained her to use one spot outside. She had a litter-box for night-time, but she seldom needed it. She preferred her garden patch outside.

She did not go after birds, and would be cheeky and talk-back to you if she didn't want to do something, lol. She came in at supper-time for the night.

She would always greet the mail-man, and would walk up the street to escort people getting off the bus, lol. She was like the neighbourhood Walmart greeter. She was never mean or aloof.

She only lived 5 years. She was sick and had to be euthanized.

She was a great cat, but I prefer dogs. They are a lot more fun. My husband doesn't like cats, much. Cats are too fickle and aloof. And I'd never own a male cat!! Cat spray and even male cat urine are gross.

As to the number of cats? Inside a home, after 2 or 3 pets of any kind I start to go hmmm...but more than 3 cats? Well...it's too much.

Here are photos of my feline furbabies!

Tigger, our Maine Coon in one of his favorite lounging positions (what a ham):

3 inherented cats from our daughter is a lot.

However, with multiple cats having a LitterRobot has been amazing. Easy to use and keeps mess and odors down. Not cheap but worth having. Rotating drum screener not a raker/clogger type.

Remote Control (Odin)

Cat Control (Lola)

Tropical Getaway Cat Spa (Coti)

Heat mat, plant lights and vegetable seedlings for humans this time. The automatic Parkseed Biodome plant protection system.

Caution: cat removed lid when I started catnip plants this way.

Spa Too

Ridden but not driven

AND a horrible visual ... but an effective way to name one's Tabby Coat Pattern.

Coti is a Classic!

PS cats win one over .. wouldn't be without any of them now.

Shars55 - If you will read my comment the ONLY THING I said wast that even though your great cats have never peed outside the box in 40 years that is not the norm. I did not imply or insinuate or ANYTHING about YOUR cats, what I did say was what the NORMAL was. Please. Before you go accusing people, get YOUR facts straight. It only makes you look incompetent.

shars55

Lucy, you are implying that I am fibbing, but I assure you, I am not.

I have to share this on the thread. My girlfriend's vet recently told her to start adding a capsule of fish oil to her cat food as it helps the skin/coat. Her cats are mature...9-10. Mine are geriactric @ 12-18 yrs so I thought.. worth a try. Oh gosh.. been 3 weeks and I see much less shedding going on with them. Even the oldest one who can't reach his hind quarters to groom is much better. I was combing knots out of his fur once a week. Not now. he's silky smooth. They share 1/2 can of fancy feast in the morning (3 of them) and eat the other 1/2 in the evening. Have crunchy food during the day to snack .I slice 1 capsule and mix it in the full can. Anyone else ever hear of this?! I've had cats for 36 yrs and am amazed. Mine go for vet appts in March and April so we'll also see if there is any changes on the blood panels. Have a Purrrfect day folks!

Good tip and makes TOTAL sense. The Omega 3 oils on there hugely helpful to us too.

The Tabby coat for instance comes from (main design) African Wildcat and (adds bolder markings) Asian Fishing Cat.

Dogs 4 life

Depends on how big the house and yard is. Apartment: 2 max. Castle: 6 max. Cats like some company, but also like their space!

Maria: ONLY IF THE YARD IS COMPLETELY CAT PROOF. Cats shouldn't go outside (certainly not in the city) & the country poses its own issues - wild life, etc. And some apartments are bigger then my house so generalizing 2 cats max for an apartment isn't really true. Make vertical space. We have lots of high shelves for them to climb onto.

so lets see if i do not have a castle or cannot reach above my head for high shelves,or they are the type to refuse to stay indoors, i should let stay at the high kill shelter?

One more than what you are physically and financially able to appropriately care for. As long as they are healthy, loved, and properly vetted, it is nobody else's business.

I don't have any animals due to sensitivities. However, I think it is similar to how many kids should you have. With all animals (4 legged, 2 legged, etc.) I think it should be based on a combination of how many do you want and how many can you take care of in terms of time, money, space and so on. You might want to have lots of cats, but if you live in a studio apartment, that won't work. Maybe you'd like to have a dozen children, but you can't afford more than 2 or 3 or the kids and the dog will be eating kibbles and bits out of the same bowls.

I'm a big believer in rescuing animals, but some people who start out as rescuers end up as hoarders. We all need to know our limits in terms of time and money and space.

Because I can't have animals, I donate to my local no kill shelter as well as to various animal welfare groups.

I saw this and had to post it:)

their food does not smell really if you get with no fish. i found that it was better for my boys if they tend towards the urinary problem. the only time they get tuna, is human grade as a treat. oh, and you have to read, cause even chicken flavors often have tuna in them.

I don't have a cat but i like them

It's only too many when you are unable to properly care for them. That might be 2 or 15.