Kitten Capacity

[pen_grunt]

I've always thought that a good kitty capacity for us was two cats. My two neutered boys are about a year apart and get along wonderfully. They're about... oh, 8 and 9 now.

And then my parents started being poster people for irresponsible cat ownership and kittens have been coming out of their whorish farm cat left and right and multiplying exponentially. I've been trying to re-home some of the kittens and have mostly been unsuccessful. People would rather criticize me about other people's spaying and neutering choices than actually, you know, think about whether someone they know would like to adopt a kitten.

And then this little guy was born.

He's adorable. And his favorite thing is to fall asleep in my lap purring while being petted and stroked and such.

And I really kinda want him. But... is 3 cats too much?

I asked D and he said NO THIRD CAT. Well, not forcefully. It was more like, "I think you want me to be the strong one here, so I'm going to say no." He could be convinced.

There are pros and cons. I would be giving a little kitten a good home. My cats are getting older and an infusion of fresh kitten in the house might do them good. On the other hand, three cats is a lot of cats. And it might disturb the cat-harmony in the household.

I just don't know. Do I want to push this? Look at that *face*....

Comments

[tediousandbrief.livejournal.com]

I have never before heard of a cat being described as whorish before. lol.

He's really adorable.

I don't know what kind of place you live in (if you have the size for instance), but it would be hard not to consider getting another one.

I have two (I need to post more about them on here) but their cat-harmony was definitely disturbed when I brought Jojo (the older-age-wise cat but second cat) to live with my younger, first cat, Zara. After about a year they mostly get along...ish. They aren't friends but at least the constant growing/hissing stopped!

[newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com]

(FULL DISCLOSURE: Grew up cleaning up after one-three dogs in an all-concrete yard. After winter thaws. In a yard with an inground pool. SO done cleaning up after animals. Oh, and married to a woman who left her homeland because absolutely everyone loves camping with their dogs. She can't stand either. Everything I'm about to say in context? Great!)


But how many other lovable and exceptional balls of fur are bound to show up after this....?

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Oh, this cat: total slut.

We live in a small-medium house and the cats are confined to the basement and kitchen. We have the space for it, technically. The city specifies a max of three domestic animals (cats/dogs/etc) in one property/residence, so it'd be weird hitting that max.

Our two used to hiss when we first introduced them. Now they're best buds. I think the introductions are always a bit easier between neutered males than between non-neutered males and others, or between females or females/males.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

But how many other lovable and exceptional balls of fur are bound to show up after this....?

Oh, I totally get your point. My goodness, I was the child who ended up with a pet rat and a pet lizard and a pet salamander and a pet snake and the original farm kitten and a pet dog I found on the side of the road and....

Well, you get the idea. My mom was very patient.

If they're going to euthanize the kitten, I think I might not be able to resist stepping in. Until that point, it can be a farm cat maybe. Boys are easier to keep around than the girls.

[tediousandbrief.livejournal.com]

Have you talked to this cat about safer cat sex and contraception? It sounds like the other people aren't.

I've heard that both that males are less territorial and that they're more so with new cats. My cats are a female and a male (both fixed so I the vet and previous owner told me). Zara (the female, younger-but-I've-had-her-longer) cat I think is mostly a one-cat-cat. She can be super affectionate when she's alone but once Jojo comes by, she doesn't like the fact that there's another cat. She actually bit me after I spent a few hours with Jojo in the spare room right after he came to the house.

Jojo just wants to be by me all the time and occasionally smell the other cat.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

My dad says he told her to, "Just say no," but, as research shows, that isn't a viable contraception plan.

They have plans to spay her, but are having trouble catching her at a point when she's not nursing dependent kittens (or her grandkittens, which were abandoned by her idiotic, no-longer-around daughter) and she's not already pregnant.

Some cats *are* just one-cat cats. They aren't naturally herd or pack animals. Not like dogs or rats. They're perfectly happy on their own most of the time.

[tediousandbrief.livejournal.com]

This is true.

Yeah. I'm debating if I'll get another one once Jojo passes away. Zara seemed pretty happy being on her own and getting all of the affection and treats.

[gwangi.livejournal.com]

We have three, but my max is two, so in another five or ten years when our oldest one dies, we won't be replacing him. Three is just too much food and litter and shedding and all that.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

I think three is fine. However, since we want a dog in the future I think having one less cat is fine. Also, if we had a larger house it wouldn't be so annoying.

[sacramentalist.livejournal.com]

Hello new friend

My wife and I argue it's not crazy if the household pets/person ratio is 2 or less. We came up with this rule after 3 cats and a dog.

[sacramentalist.livejournal.com]

When there are too many, it's unsettling because there's always some motion.

[purplesquirrel.livejournal.com]

I've found 3 cats to be an ideal number. I've had 2 for a while now and am attempting to lure one of the strays from under my porch inside.

I thought the pet limit in St. Paul was 4 critters.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

You're right, it's 4. I don't know why I was thinking it was 3.

When you've had two that are "buddies" how do you introduce the third into the mix and how does it go over (if you've done it before).

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Hello new friend!

You make a very compelling argument that is playing RIGHT into the confirmation bias of what I want. :D

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

We've thought about getting a dog, too, which makes me hesitate a bit more, even.

How did your cats handle introductions with each other and how do they get along now?

[grenacia.livejournal.com]

If there's no immediate other home in mind for the kitten, why don't you do a trial "fostering" of the kitten and see how well it works out having him with your other cats? It will probably be fine.