Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

19 cats. Anyone else got this many?

182 replies

Justanamechange · 12/03/2018 03:30

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!

OP posts:

Thread gallery

exWifebeginsat40 · 12/03/2018 14:05

we have 4. four cats is a lot. latest addition is Jacky, who came from the RSPCA last September.

we’re semi-rural and it’s cat heaven. fields at the bottom of the garden and my little tortie goes miles to find shrews for us.

none of ours are related. my old girl is 12 this year and was a solo indoor cat til she was 10. there are occasional skirmishes but all 4 really do get along well. as long as there is enough food and a spare lap, all is calm.

wouldn’t be without them.

exWifebeginsat40 · 12/03/2018 14:06

and last but not least..

DearMrDilkington · 12/03/2018 14:11

I really want to come and stay at your house for a weekend, I love cats and your farm house sounds beautiful!

Please can we get a photo of the cats?

Original poster

Justanamechange · 12/03/2018 14:40

If anyone wants pics, pm me.

I'll pop one I've taken just this minute on, just to show how much cats detest each other ;) I'm sitting with these as I'm typing on my phone.

OP posts:

metalmum15 · 12/03/2018 14:44

What a great picture! I can't even figure out how many are in there!

Original poster

Justanamechange · 12/03/2018 14:51

Both these two were neutered a few days ago, hence the shaved area and stitches in the photo.

OP posts:

RickOShay · 12/03/2018 14:57

I just want to dive in with them!
Jacky is rather magnificent

RickOShay · 12/03/2018 15:06

3 of mine

Original poster

Justanamechange · 12/03/2018 15:08

Wow Rick. They are absolutely stunning cats!

OP posts:

TheDinosaurRoars · 12/03/2018 15:08

I once volunteered at a rescue centre and swiftly ended up with seven cats. Then I married someone with two cats. Mine aren’t related but really enjoy the other cats’ company.

Hoppinggreen · 12/03/2018 15:10

I would love to visit you OP but I wouldn’t want to live with you ( not that you would probably have me anyway)
I peaked at 4 cats, there seemed to be one everywhere
Now have 2 cats and 1 dog and it’s plenty

AuntLydia · 12/03/2018 15:10

As a cat lover I honestly can't work out if your number of cats sounds like heaven or hell! I'd probably like to visit but would struggle with the associated work load. I only have 2 and they hate each other unfortunately. I'd love them to curl up like your last picture!

Original poster

Justanamechange · 12/03/2018 15:15

Most people visit and say it's paradise, they'd love to live here like this. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pets.

We know full well that in real life...they so wouldn't! It's OUR paradise. But not many people would enjoy the reality of it for more than a short break from the world. And that's absolutely fine and as it should be. Different horses for different courses. I wouldn't thrive in their world either.

OP posts:

RickOShay · 12/03/2018 15:19

Thanks just
It’s not a great pic.
Two of them are sisters, burmese, a present from my cousin. I think they have quite a few animals, dogs, sheep, horses, they are in the middle of nowhere in France. The sisters have french passports, dh calls them the french fancies rather disparagingly. I ignore him.

StripySocksAndDocs · 12/03/2018 15:22

I love cats, not sure I could cope with heaps of them. Though can't deny I do daydream about it.

Mind you I do have the world's most antisocial cat. Docile as lamb, but hates all other cats. Don't know why; possible because he was separated from his mother and litter mates at a very young age. He came to me as a tiny 5 week old: having been found dumped, starving and infested almost two weeks before. 😔.

Mindhunter · 12/03/2018 15:25

The most cats I've had is 9 but that was because I took on two pregnant cats. As cute as the kittens were I was glad to see them go off to their new homes and the two adults drive me nuts enough without anymore.

Costacoffeeplease · 12/03/2018 15:32

Great photos. One of mine after one too many sherries at Christmas

Vinorosso74 · 12/03/2018 16:49

I've only ever had one cat at a time-both space and cost constraints. We live in a 2 bed flat-2 adults, 1 child and cat. I'm not saying I would never have more but not sure I could handle double figures!!

Horses4 · 13/03/2018 03:06

Here’s my one that wants me dead (although she’s as cuddly as they come, just looks at me funny). And the dopey, whinging boy.

lljkk · 13/03/2018 05:09

"in all the time (20 years or so) that I've had a lot of cats, there have probably only been a dozen or so mouse deaths that I'm aware of. "

HOW? Just how? Coz Catneuterer doesn't describe having an escape proof garden too.

We must get > 20 rodent bodies a month. >20 per week in late spring/summer. Those are the bodies, I don't know how many they eat completely. Mine are belled & kept indoors overnight & only 2 actually hunt.

--awake now due to D-Cat.

Costacoffeeplease · 13/03/2018 09:01

We don’t get any ‘presents’ now, I think the outside cats are getting too old to go hunting, and the younger ones are mostly inside. We never had many, just one or two rats from the woodland opposite, but the last one was years ago now

chemenger · 13/03/2018 13:15

We used to get at least one present a day from three cats, one of whom didn't go outside. Mostly they were alive and had to be caught and put back outside or dispatched, depending on whether they were damaged. Baby rabbits were the best presents, they always seemed perfectly fine and were released back in the field. The adult magpie (very much alive) in the kitchen and the large dead rat were probably my least favourites. That and the live mouse tucked under the duvet with me when I was in bed with flu.

thecatneuterer · 13/03/2018 15:21

How do you mass cat slaves eat a meal unmolested? @AlonsoTigerHeart For me it's not a problem as I'm a veggie/trying to be vegan. So cats barely consider what I eat to be food.

My boyfriend on the other hand is utterly besieged by cats at every meal in my house, particularly when trying to eat takeaways. Here he is trying to defend a kebab. He gives in in the end

(the eagle-eyed/nosey among you may notice this isn't the same kitchen as in the photo above - these were taken before I had it redone).

thecatneuterer · 13/03/2018 15:22

@lljkk I don't understand the lack of dead mice/rats either. I can only assume there aren't many in my block of gardens (or else I have exceptionally lazy cats).

IntoTheFloodAgain · 13/03/2018 15:43

Op, I’d love to live yours and @thecatneuterer‘s lives! If only I had the space.

My nan, my DH and I love them and between us we have rescued about 7 strays (we have kept some and rehomed others with family). My nan looks after a couple of ferals nearby too and some very skittish strays.
My DH jokes that all the cats know where ‘nana’s’ is.

DH and I have 3 living with us and our lives really do revolve around them.

If we had the space, there’s no doubt that there would not be as many strays where we live, as they’d all live with us.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8