How many cats is too many for a normal household?

[Rainyrunway]

Could have put this in the cats topic but wanted to get the views of less "catty" people.
We were devastated that our cat died over the weekend after getting hit by a car. And our other cat seems distressed, keeps raoming around the house yowling. I can only assume she's calling him. She also is much clingier than normal which probably means she's lonely I guess.
So we'd like to get a kitten at the end of the summer to keep her company and to fill the hole that our other cat has sadly left.
The problem is that while our resident cat would probably love the company, I think a kitten constantly jumping on her to play might be a bit annoying for her (she's 3 and a half) So we were thinking of maybe getting 2 so they could run around and jump on each other but resident cat will still have company while we're at work etc.
Is 3 weird? Will our house be gross? We could obviously just adopt an adult cat instead otherwise but I worry that resident cat will not accept an adult in the way she would a kitten (or 2!) Thoughts please. Thank you

I have three.

If you have one older cat, ALWAYS get two kittens imo.

They will play and entertain each other without trying to play too aggressively with your older cat.

I would personally get two male kittens :)

Three is definitely not gross or too many as long as you are sure you will have adequate time and money to insure them, care for them and empty litter trays etc

I have four. I’ve tried to argue for five on the basis that Lick-e-lix treats come in boxes of five, but realistically my husband is right when he says four is enough. They do cost us a small fortune.

Is it only the OP who has to pay the tax? I think every poster (cat owners anyway. No catnapping of others just to pay the tax)

I grew up with four and if I felt we could spare more money towards pets, I'd be more than happy with four again! We have two as a compromise.

How old is your present cat? Is he/she is good health? If an older cat and starting to struggle, I'd think of holding off due to my experience. Our old girl missed her brother and used to go around looking for him for about a month. Shortly after that she started to go downhill herself - blind, dementia then loss of smell.

Has anyone else notice the Whiskas pouches have shrunk? Our boy is most disgruntled as he gets fed by pouch (half a night) and not volume of meat.

"I'm fairly sure from the amount of shit in there when I scoop it daily that they aren't using any where alse"

That's what my neighbour says despite all the evidence to the contrary. Her manky cat shits everywhere.

"Ignore the ‘keep them inside’ mob, they’re the same people who probably let their dog shit anywhere and don’t bother to pick it up anyway."

Nope. Fucking manky things also with entitled owners.

1 is too many for me. Outside. I don’t know what it’s like where you live but there are about 20 cats in my neighbourhood. At this time of year they sit and constantly stalk, waiting for the baby birds to fledge the nest. After weeks of constant hard work and feeding, those babies are killed as soon as they drop. I find it pointless and lazy having a pet you never see because it’s always sitting in someone else’s garden. Love indoor cats but am now repulsed seeing them outside.

For a normal household, 2 to 4, depending on the size of your garden. We have a large corner plot, (third of an acre in total,) and we have 7 cats. The house is an average sized detached house, but it's on a lovely big plot, next to a big woodland, so it's a very suitable plot for many cats.

If we did that we’d have 10 cats! I wouldn’t mind at all! 😀

I've got 4, all different ages, much loved and they bring so much joy to the house!!

All you need to do is get the food on subscription and get a robot litter tray to deal with the mess – the house won't smell xxx

Also, re cat shit vs dog shit. I have yet to see cat shit on any pavement, it's always dog shit. And yes I CAN tell the difference. Cats shit in soil, and bury it. Dogs just do it on the pavement, and leave it (or rather their inconsiderate and entitled owners do.)

"My god, all the 0 unless you keep them inside comments are tedious. Cats are legally entitled to roam."

I find cat owners who let them roam and shit and dig and kill all over the place tedious. We're all different.

My friend has 4 cats, she just kept rescuing and the seem to be everywhere when I visit and I can’t escape them.. although they have a tiny unit. Why don’t you adopt an older cat? To be honest sometimes kittens can bring out the fun in an older cat and I think she would be just fine. I think either an older cat where you knew the temperament was friendly and laid back or one kitten.

"Cats shit in soil, and bury it"

Or shit on lawns and don't even attempt to bury it

I understand your pain 😞 Our only cat got run over and we ended up getting 3 kittens within 6 months!

I’m happy with having 3, they all get on well and I love seeing them all together.

Two are house cats (their own choice, we have a cat flap but they don’t want to go out). So it can get a bit stinky if they both poo in the litter tray and we aren’t at home to clean it straight away.

I have to whizz the hoover round daily, but with 2 small kids and the amount of crumbs they make I would do that anyway.

I can just about imagine having one more, but that’s it I think. Food and vets bills can get expensive!

Never known a cat do that. Obviously dog shit.

You could check before you visit if you have a cat phobia.

No bother to you. You don’t speak for everyone else in your neighbourhood.

"Never known a cat do that. Obviously dog shit."

I've got a video of the scruffy little fuck if you'd like. It does it every single day, tried everything to deter it but it's not for changing. Then it sits with its fellow cat and stalks the starlings.

Who cares if people think you are crazy?

I know DH‘s family disapprove of our 3 cats. But they bring me so much joy that I really don’t care.

Plus now they don’t show up unannounced as often

Have you considered the impact so many cats will have on the local wildlife?

I have 2 indoor cats, if I had a bigger house I'd happily get another. I think 4 would be my maximum. It's mainly the expense too, I have mine both insured, get them good quality food and treats. I don't think we could afford another especially with having a young family

@Terven can't say I've really thought too much about the local wildlife. We basically only really see foxes, squirrels, magpies and parakeets round here anyway but my cats so far have only brought in earthworms or the occasional moth. Actually girl cat once chased in a massive pigeon which was bloody scary but it wasn't injured and we managed to get it back outside. I did have a cat about 20 years ago who brought in the occasional frog which was sad but as far as I'm aware we don't get many nearby where we live now.

We have 3 and one is pregnant - the limit does not exist!