19 cats. Anyone else got this many?

[Justanamechange]

I'm just seeing if anyone else has a large number of pet cats? We have 19, plus 3 dogs, a bearded dragon, about 50 hens, a couple of peacocks and some ducks. I thought a tips and idea sharing for multi pet households thread might be nice!

My tips - all hardwood floors. Robot hoovers and mops on each floor of the house to keep the house clean easily.

Buy flushable cat litter, it's a godsend!

Cats are naturally solitary animals, why would you make them live like that? I imagine a lot of them have very high stress levels.

Oh, and Zoflora is a godsend.

Roy Because its a recognised mental health issue and animal abuse?

People end up in the litter tray because this conversation appears in active conversations, like most on mumsnet. It's hardly a hidden, private board.

I currently have 15 cats, all rescues (I’m not in the uk) plus two rescue dogs

It’s not unusual to have a lot of animals here as there are lots of street dogs and cats, and huge numbers of kittens born on the streets. All of ours have literally been picked up off the street by us or someone we know, and if we can’t find good homes for them, they stay. The oldest is 16, the youngest are about 9 months. They’re all spayed/neutered, vaccinated, parasite free - some are more or less outside cats, others stay inside but they all do what they want and work out their own hierarchy. I’m also at home 90% of the time so they get plenty of attention. My Vet is also a very good friend, and I can call her day or night, if necessary

I also foster for local charities, and last year had a total of around 12 kittens to look after and socialise

It’s quite sad to see things like ‘pet hoarding’ being bandied about, if you’re not into cats then feel free to avoid the litter tray section

Are you serious Bookhelp?
You have diagnosed the op with mental health issues?
Have you read the op?

Some cats prefer solitude
Some do not
Do you have cats?

I am in awe of you being able to cope with 19, I have 2 and that's enough - also use flushable litter (burn the witch!). Good for you for giving them all a home.

Cats aren't naturally solitary animals. Feral cats live in colonies. Some cats certainly aren't keen on other cats and you have to assess them before taking them on and only take the ones that are ok with it.

And as for 'why would you do it?', well I don't know about the OP, but I do it because there simply aren't enough homes and too many are being born (because people don't neuter) and they are better off with me than being left to starve wherever they came from.

The ones I take in tend to be unhomeable because they aren't friendly, or they are old or have long term conditions.

X posted with thecatneuterer - we also have a hospital/tnr building in the garden for the fostered kittens and any recovering from surgery or needing special care - and all tiled floors in the house. It’s something that evolved when we came to live here 15 years ago, we started with one young cat who literally moved herself in, then two young kittens, one of whom had a badly infected eye which had to be removed, and as we had to keep him in for 10 days while his wound healed, he and his brother just stayed - and then people who knew us would turn up with kittens they’d found .....

I’ve bottle fed dozens, the youngest were two that were found in a bin, still with cords attached, probably a couple of hours old. Sadly one only lived another 5 days, but the other is still with us now, she’s nearly 2

Because its a recognised mental health issue and animal abuse?

Oh dear God. This thread has amazed me, there's not usually this amount of nastiness in the Litter Tray. I have no idea why people who don't usually post here (and clearly many of them don't like cats) felt the urge to post here just to have a go.

I couldn't have 19 cats, I'd need to rescue another so it's a nice round number

@costacoffeeplease you're not in the Middle East somewhere by any chance?

Not all cats are solitary animals, many crave warmth and company and will happily curl up together. Those that don't will find their own space away from the others.

Ah but that’s the problem, then another will turn up, so you’d have to go to 25

No, not the Middle East

Cats also like height, so there are lots of cat beds on top of high cupboards for the less sociable ones

Costa - this is my TNR building

Re: whether or not to flush - I found this on another site:
Jesthar said: ↑

I work for one of the biggest water companies in Europe, used to be in one of the sewer departments, too - and to be honest, even if Toxoplasma could reliably survive modern treatment processes (it's only a may survive, if memory serves) we're going to get it in the sewage works from myriad other sources than flushed cat poo anyway... Most treatment works process surface water (stuff that washes off roads, fields etc.) as well as domestic sewer feeds, so you're looking at dead animals and cat/animal poo that was done outside being washed into those on a regular basis.

So you may as well flush away (as long as you are using a biodegradable litter, not sand or clay based), I do! :)

What we'd REALLY rather you DIDN'T flush are things like cotton buds, dental floss, prescription drugs or cigarette butts (both are full of toxins we can't treat), and any kind of wet wipes - yes, even those misleadingly labelled 'flushable' when they are actually nothing of the kind.

And above all, fat. Especially at Christmas with all the roast dinner fats - even on its own it often solidifies in the sewers and blocks them, but in combination with other things that shouldn't be flushed (particularly 'flushable' wet wipes, cotton buds and floss) this can develop into giant 'fatbergs' that set like concrete and have to be dug out - often by hand...

And I'll stop there before anyone loses their lunch. ;)

P.S. and Drumlegend, living in the city rather than the countryside makes no difference :)

Very nice, a bit more organised than mine 😊 (which is currently having a new roof put on it!).

We have a lot of collapsible dog crates in all sizes so we can house several litters of kittens or adult cats at the same time

Costa - that was when it was first built. It certainly doesn't always look that organised! Yes I also have collapsible dog crates for certain situations, as well as queen pens for cats and kittens.

Hi! we have just the one cat . She’s a rescue and I had never even thought of having a cat. I didn’t get cat love at all & TBH it was a bit stressful at first as literally went out one day and came home with a cat! had to get my head around the responsibility. We’ve had her since October and ADORE her. She’s completely brilliant with DC’s & generally makes us all feel happy.

Interesting info on flushing tdm.

thecatneuterer gorgeous photographs!! I love the one sitting on a chair - and the stairs 😀

I want another one now ....

Interesting info on flushing. I usually use flushable cat litter. There's only a small amount of it actually going into the toilet, when I change the litter tray the rest goes in the bin.

I would disagree that cats are solitary animals. Some are, mainly those brought up alone or with one other cat. Those used to other cats thrive with company. As I type, four cats are bouncing around a tree outside like squirrels together having the best time, while the poultry marches around underneath getting frustrated because they can't see what's happening and they are VERY nosey.

Per square foot I am certain my cat density is way lower than the average street. About 1.2 cats per room and unlimited space outside where no cats other than these roam. We're miles from anywhere with fields and woodland and swampy areas right on our doorstep.

However, with the right combination of cats, they could easily manage in a smaller space.

The house, as I said, is spotless. Roombas and scoobas run constantly and all the floors are wooden or stone. I can wear black clothes safely (as long as I don't cuddle the deaf white cat) as the house is kept very hair free. Thanks irobot.

As thecatneuterer does, we have a two flap system so feet are cleaned on the way through.

All pets are free fed with unlimited food of the higher of the middle range quality so no-one is ever hungry. A LOT of bickering in pets is caused by anticipation of food. Waiting is very stressful. Our pets never have to wait as the food is always available. No-one is fat. They're used to free feeding and eat what they need.

The ill and geriatric get the absolute top end food.

We have a couple of trays. Only the very young and very old use them. The rest go out into the woodlands.

The cats don't bother with birds much as they live with free range poultry. They did catch rabbits, but I don't think any are left in the immediate area so none the last couple of years though the fields further away abound with rabbits. They are crap at catching mice too. We have a lot of hares around us which I suspect is due to the lack of rabbits. They have cleared out the local rats which I appreciate.

Two of our cats are prickly if other cats invade their space. We are very mindful of that and intuitively move them if they find themselves somewhere where the young cats are throwing themselves about. It's all about knowing each personality very very well.

Most of my pets are rescues. I'm no martyr or special person for taking these pets. I have the pets because I get so much out of them. They are an absolute delight, and make me smile throughout each day (with the odd bit of cursing when someone vomits in a shoe or something equally ridiculous)

I do understand that people with a lot of cats are grouped into a stereotype. With some reason. But not everyone fits into that stereotype. Ask questions fully before leaping to conclusions.

Our pets are very expensive. But probably cheaper than 20 cigarettes each and a bottle of wine a day.

And breathe! I only came on here looking for other people with multi pet households to compare notes with!