Topic: When is enough, enough? (Read 4511 times)

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #34 on:** October 26, 2007, 23:18:56 PM »

No point asking me - I Was going to stay at 4 cos I have an overnight stay in a couple of weeks, then I was going to stay at 5, as that is my comfortable limit. So why am I up to 6???? The only bonus is that 4 of the 6 are up for rehoming!!

puddypaws · « **Reply #33 on:** October 26, 2007, 14:31:51 PM »

I'm not letting my 2 see this thread - yhey're picky enough as it is

Hippykitty · « **Reply #32 on:** October 26, 2007, 14:25:13 PM »

I've always thought I could only stretch to two moggies, but I'm thinking of adding a third. I wouldn't have gone out looking for another cat, but since the beginning of summer when last year's students left, there have been a number of stray cats in my local area and one has particularly caught my eye and got me thinking......could I squeeze ONE more cat into my family? Would my oldies like it? Mmmmmmm........

On the other hand, I could do with someone to hoover up all the food my old ladies are leaving for the flies to lay eggs on (I keep feeding the bin!).

Oh dear, one more to the chaos

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #31 on:** October 25, 2007, 19:52:25 PM »

Ummmmmmmmmm will have to check

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #30 on:** October 25, 2007, 19:51:38 PM »

You sure your not a bengal Gill ????

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #29 on:** October 25, 2007, 11:01:03 AM »

Yes I adore salmon and macrel and prawns too

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #28 on:** October 25, 2007, 00:04:59 AM »

Typically we feed them white fillets skinless and boneless, but they adore a little bit of salmon, mackeral and prawns too

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #27 on:** October 24, 2007, 23:25:50 PM »

Quote from: Linda (Bengalbabe) on October 21, 2007, 19:06:32 PM

Interestingly in addition to dry and wet cat food I also get through one roast chicken and a kilo of fish EVERY day My bengals are very good eaters although we have to watch what we feed them as we do our very best not to have any upset tums!

What sort of fish do you give them Linda? Mine don't get that excited over fish - they're lukewarm about cooked white fish, but some of them get a bit bit more interested if I get the whitebait out - Honey and Harry love them little fishies!

Ela · « **Reply #26 on:** October 23, 2007, 10:23:19 AM »

Quote

agree space and more so money.

I too would agree that money, space and time to give the little ones the attention they deserve are the most important.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #25 on:** October 22, 2007, 20:19:11 PM »

I agree space and more so money.

I have 3 cats and 2 dogs and wouldnt really like to pay out for any more pets at the mo.

Also ontop of that is time and priorities i suppose, My time has just got an awful lot busier as the kids are of an age where they not only go to school and playgroups etc they are now old enough to go to out of school activites and need chaufered all over the place and i am guessing from what folk tell me they need more time as they get older not less. Of course also kids homework etc takes up atleast 25-30 mins per day and this will obviously double when anya starts school, all sounds like little trivial things but when you count it all up it inevitably leaves less time and energy to play and or prepare food etc for pets plus ontop of that if one was ill and needed runs back and forth to vets etc i would have to try and find time from somewhere to fit it all in.

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #24 on:** October 22, 2007, 20:04:01 PM »

Well as you know i have got 11 cats.
Number 11 wasnt planned, he turned up as a stray a year ago and has moved in.

I wouldnt go looking to add number 12 but i wouldnt turn away a cat that needs a home!!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #23 on:** October 22, 2007, 19:03:42 PM »

OK be right there

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #22 on:** October 22, 2007, 19:02:45 PM »

Hey Gill if you paint some spots on yourself its a deal

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #21 on:** October 22, 2007, 18:49:21 PM »

A roast chicken and a kilo of fish every day!...................please can I move in

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #20 on:** October 22, 2007, 18:45:03 PM »

You definitely have your eye on my Nova, dont you Ellie

Ellie · « **Reply #19 on:** October 21, 2007, 19:32:58 PM »

Quote from: Linda (Bengalbabe) on October 21, 2007, 00:15:42 AM

Well I am not going to even comment on this one

Awww Linda why not

Quote from: Linda (Bengalbabe) on October 21, 2007, 18:45:05 PM

My biggest problem is little Miss Diva Nova As you know she has always got along famously with the boys but I have discovered shes not a huge fan of the other girls sooooo we tend not to force the issue

Well in that case maybe the gorgeous Nova can come and ~~stay~~ visit Auntie Ellie

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #18 on:** October 21, 2007, 19:06:32 PM »

Yes there are the financial implications, fortunately I am able to have all my babies and be able to take care of them as I want to. Interestingly in addition to dry and wet cat food I also get through one roast chicken and a kilo of fish EVERY day

My bengals are very good eaters although we have to watch what we feed them as we do our very best not to have any upset tums!

Millys Mum · « **Reply #17 on:** October 21, 2007, 19:02:27 PM »

Ooo id love a cat garage! Could sneak another slim black one in that way and my dad wouldnt notice

Having 6 stretches my financial limit because of the way i like to feed them all and insurance too

If i used tesco pouches i could double the cats

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2007, 18:45:05 PM »

Hi CC, well as I am sat here typing I have 8 mad bengals running around playing together....Lubo, Lenny, Loki, Dynamite, Gaia, Rainbow, Roxy, Minerva so I guess its fair to say yes these guys all get on just fine. Kaiser also gets on with everyone, he adores the other cats but at this point in time he is companion to Velvet. Velvet being entire means the other boys are a bit wary of him but not in any major scrapping way or anything, can just be a little growly so we tend to watch them a little more. Does not seem to bother Kaiser at all though.

My biggest problem is little Miss Diva Nova

As you know she has always got along famously with the boys but I have discovered shes not a huge fan of the other girls sooooo we tend not to force the issue

I would say I have 2 main groups - Nova and the neuter boys being one and the girls being the other. But as per my opening line I can mix them around a fair bit with the exception of Nova and Velvet. Not an issue as I have my enclosures outside as well as my spare room and the recently converted garage which is now a fab bengal room with lighting, heating and lots of exciting things to climb and do (as well as all the other rooms in the house which are fully open to the benglys!!!!).

Stitchy bless her is an outdoor cat (always has been since we got her from our CPL). She gets on fine with the benglys so long as no more than 3 or 4 in the room at one time!)

ccmacey · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2007, 00:30:28 AM »

Do all of your cats get along Linda?

Linda (Bengalbabe) · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2007, 00:15:42 AM »

Well I am not going to even comment on this one

Ellie · « **Reply #13 on:** October 20, 2007, 22:07:35 PM »

Quote from: hOrZa on October 20, 2007, 21:45:02 PM

I think 3 will be enough everyone on standby stop me if I get daft thankyou

That's what I said and now I have four

If I had more space I would love another one (or two

) However as my four are indoor cats that is my limit

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #12 on:** October 20, 2007, 22:02:04 PM »

Like the others have said, its down to what you can afford, the space you have and that the current residents remain happy.

I have four, enough space, the two pairs tollerate each other most of the time but more is out of the question cos they would not like any more and also I cant afford any more now.

Yvonne · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2007, 21:58:48 PM »

you had me going there - I thought you were going to ask us all when was the time that you should have your next baby! Now that would get the forum thinking

Liz · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2007, 21:56:03 PM »

We currently have 35 cats and 2 dogs but have a large house and garden, paddock and woods and all get along much better now since we introduced our baby BC Sky and he has changed the doggie dynamic as he is growing and still being trained although he shares his crate with about 4 ferals eating his Dinner!

We give up a lot for our mob we don't take holidays together, one of us is always at home as we have only left them for 36 hours and thats with supervision from their Auntie Elaine and we have huge vets bills for notmal stuff, huge food bills, ferals that hate us to shredding us, and others with health issues but I wouldn't swap one minute of our lives for anything all are safe, loved and wanted and all except th dogs are rescues and the ones that most normal folks wouldn't have but here they are safe and have willing slaves

Ours have had many fosters through their lives most left but some stayed and we now have a little band of ferals turning up twice a day to be fed at the garage and wendy house and soon the heat pads will be oput outside for them as its now going cold up here in Scotland so we never say never to new additions but at the moment our status quo is set but we are thinking Sky needs a friend his own age as Jazz thinks she is a cat not a JRT!

hOrZa · « **Reply #9 on:** October 20, 2007, 21:45:02 PM »

I think 3 will be enough

everyone on standby stop me if I get daft

thankyou

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #8 on:** October 20, 2007, 20:52:49 PM »

When is enough, enough? - No good asking me LOL!

ccmacey · « **Reply #7 on:** October 20, 2007, 20:33:02 PM »

I have 4 cats but also have 2 kids, all of my cats get on well, no fighting etc.

Ted likes to think he is boss, Ted is my eldest, although when we had Seb coming round Ted would hiss and pounce but no fighting. I also had another cat stay a couple of nights and they were all still alive when I got up lol.

My cats are quite chilled and like their cuddles at different times. I think they are just curious of newcomers rather than wanting to battle.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #6 on:** October 20, 2007, 19:46:56 PM »

You kinda know when your mob is at its happy maximum. If i were to introduce another one into my group it would have to be carefully picked or this boat would be swaying

Tan · « **Reply #5 on:** October 20, 2007, 19:23:28 PM »

I agree think it depends on the space you have so each babe has enough to be happy, content and have it's own area that they can relax. I have had max of three, 15 or so years ago my three wonderfulbabes (2 Burmese and moggy) i know now didn't get on so it was to many at that time for the space we had (large 3 bed house & garden). I didn't know back then that the signs of peeing inside and one very nevious babe was stress and tension of two not getting on at all. Just thought cats were being cats from being brough up in a dog family.

When my 2 Burmese lads Arnie & Bow passed to the bridge years later and i just had my moggey Ben with me, i knew not to get any other cats as he def loves the sole attention on his own and he wasn;pt nervious anymore.. He remained a single happy cat until he passed to the bridge.

I was very worried that bringing Marley into a 2 cat smaller household recently to make 3 would turn out to be "2's company and 3 a crowd" as my last experience years ago but Gizzy, Garf and Marley got on very well for a short time till my Gizzy was taken.

So i think it really depends on your resisdent babes and their personalities, are any current residents content and happy now? do they get on ok without any stress or dislike for each other? if so you could be upsetting them by adding any more babes or could it help by bringing a pal for a lonely cat? then again if an only older cat is used to being on, they might not want another addition.

I think it depends on the happiness of your current residents.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2007, 18:39:18 PM »

I think it all depends on your space and money, my limit is 2 permanent cats, as mine are oldies, and I seem to be good at finding cats that need loads of money spending on them!! With fostering, my comfortable limit is 5, but do find myself at 6 a lot. Despite having so many cats come through my doors, I still find it double figures of cats hard to comprehend, maybe cos I have never had more than 7.

zoe (tiggy + pipins mum) · « **Reply #3 on:** October 20, 2007, 18:38:18 PM »

How many do you have at the mo?
I had 3 up untill the begining of this week when my poor baby died i would willingly get another one but just not yet as its so devastating that kitty died at such a young age.

Before i left home to move in with terry (tez22384 on here) my mum had 6 and there was cats everywere but it was lovely lol she sadly lost 3 of them one was kicked by some

and the other 2 were poisened by another evil

I don't think ill be able to stop adding furry additions to the family

Sabrina (Auferstehen) · « **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2007, 18:36:00 PM »

Part depends on your circumstances, how bigs your house, what your OH will allow, what you can afford etc.

We've got a 4 bedroom house, but 2 of those are off limits until I fit a door on one of those rooms. We don't have central heating so again some rooms are off limits when we aren't home or when its winter... (until we get central heating - fingers crossed its soon).

So we have 3 permanent cats and I almost made it four but decided to foster and help more cats that way, so I'm allowed to have more than 3 as long as I find the foster cats a home.

We could have four but then I couldn't foster. 5 seems too much, everywhere you walk there is a cat underfoot. (i'm not complaining!)

The other thing to take into account is the cats themselves, do they work in shifts who gets cuddles etc? They might not feel comfy sharing cuddle time with another animal.

I think our Smoke would enjoy us more if she was an only cat but she likes playing with the others... it means she's not as cuddley as she wants to be but she plays a lot.

Then there is the worry what if they all don't get along!

ccmacey · « **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2007, 18:29:13 PM »

Hi peeps

Just wanted to know when is it time to call it a day, meaning when do we stop bringing little furbabes into the family?

When and how many is enough, whats your personal opinion?

When do we decide not to love another furbabe and just be happy with what we have got?

Author Topic: When is enough, enough? (Read 4511 times)

ccmacey

ccmacey

ccmacey