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Hey, just tell her she is selfish and has a tiny little heart. LOL! (O.K. Just joking, but had to get that out!) Really, she sounds messed up and doesn't like YOU too much, I suspect. It's not about animals at all.
Just do what makes you happy and comfortable. If she upsets you when she comes, just make up your mind that you can't afford to be unhappy (life is short) and that you will be nice to her for holidays but not put your animals "away" for her.
No No No, your sister has it all wrong. SHE IS THE ONE WHO NEEDS THERAPY and to get a life!!! You sound perfectly normal and sane to me especially the way you care for your pets and also how much you actually care about your sister's feelings/opinions unlike how she cares about YOUR feelings. I would not feel one iota of guilt if she decided not to have anything to do with you. i would consider it good riddance. Its really not about the pets but her asinine attitude who in their right mind would deal with THAT!
You are right, she is wrong. She behaves very badly considering she is doing so in front of your child too.
You have one more cat than me, I have two cats and one dog. Your sister is coming to your house...if she doesn't like the way things are run at your house she should stay away. She needs to get over herself. Period. I'd let her know that she comes at her own risk and she takes you the way you are.
Also, I would have felt the same way you did while she was sitting there sneering and making faces. Why would you even allow someone to disrespect you in your own home. Personally, I would let her know how you feel, and also that is she behaves that way again she will be asked to leave.
Four is not that many. Obviously we only know your side, but short of it affecting your life adversely (you can't afford to care for them, say, or your house is always a mess and smells, or something like this, none of which is true by your description) I don't see why four is too many. Some might argue that 1200 sq ft is a bit small for four, but cats don't need a ton of space if they get along and you can find room for enough litter boxes. I'd probably only have two with the run of a similar amount of space (okay, with some rooms closed off, it's going to be less space than that actually).
From the way you describe it, it sounds to me like your sister is the one with the problem. Now, I can't say it's completely unreasonable to not want to visit a smallish house with four pets. Some might not feel comfortable with them or whatever, and that's fine. But it's unreasonable IMO to insist to be able to come and stay and then make demands or suggest you are somehow unfit or strange or whatever. I am not versed in sibling relations because I don't have any. But if it were me, if she needs to bring something over, then let her drop it off and leave instead of hanging around 3 hours. You can visit your sis at her house right?
As long as you're not planning to keep adding more, I think you're okay. I would suggest you're probably at a good stopping point. But not too many as long as you're handling it well. We can't really be a good impartial judge of that over the internet given that we would naturally take your side based on this description. But it doesn't sound like your sis is a particularly impartial judge either. Good luck to you.
IMO The OP's side is the only one that counts in her home.
At other times we also had 2 sugar gliders, a giant iguana, more chickens, and a conure, some ducks, a pet fly . . . . I cannto remember if there were others.
At other times we also had 2 sugar gliders, a giant iguana, more chickens, and a conure, some ducks, a pet fly . . . . I cannto remember if there were others.
Should we be locked up?
A pet fly?
How does that work? Especially with all the lizards around...
You know what as long as you have given vet care , food , water and loving care then you are fine in my book . Your sister is the one who needs therapy I always think that people who dont like animals have something wrong with them or are missing a gene the rest of us have or they have a spot missing in their heart . i would be lost without my animals . i have lost a few animals in my life time and it has hurt me worst than any human death ever did ...tell your sister to go home and mind her own business .
If you can take proper care of multiple pets, why is that in need of therapy? If someone is not taking good care of them or hoarding, that's a psychological issue. But, you probably have other issues with sis and this is just the one she's targeting.
At other times we also had 2 sugar gliders, a giant iguana, more chickens, and a conure, some ducks, a pet fly . . . . I cannto remember if there were others.
Should we be locked up?
Let me guess you got all these animals over the course of "the twelve days of Christmas"
If your family and pets are cared for and your place is clean enough to make it livable, you don't need to change a thing..If your sister doesn't like something, she either needs to put up with it and shut up about it when she visits you or stop visiting you. She has a choice or two there. I would not get rid of loved ones for anyone. And therapy? what for? Like was said before we only know your side of things but based on what you say, I would tell the sister if she wants to see you, you can go for coffee with her or something...
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