Social Standards: How many cats is too many? (shedding, litter, constantly)

[=^..^=]

[quote=catdad7x;31784090]Quote;
Exactly. Look at the school taxes in most areas! I wonder what the truth is. Why the numbers of pets are limited in some places. I do know those Gated Communities limit the number of pets also, usually to two. I was told (by someone living in The Villages FL) it was to keep people from turning into hoarders and from breeding dogs, creating a nuisance - odor and noise.

The small town I live in passed an ordinance about a year ago that prohibits ownership or harboring of more than 4 cats. A close friend of mine is on the city council and he told me the purpose of the law was to keep people from feeding and otherwise helping stray/feral cats. In other words, they want to get rid of the stray cat problem by slow starvation.

How sickening and cruel. I hope they get voted out of office where you live.

In their view much cheaper and less work than doing any kind of organized TNR. If you get caught feeding stray cats you are considered the responsible party and can be heavily fined for each cat over the limit. I understand the intent, but in my view it's going about it the wrong way. The main problem I have with our local ordinance is that it makes no distinction between stray/feral cats, and household pets that are spayed/neutered.

And here we enter the "avoid hoarding situations" thinking. Why is it anyone's business how many well cared for sterilized cats anyone has in their town? The law could have been written to exempt these cats.

If the authorities wanted to come to my house and count noses, I would be over the limit and fined even though mine are all fixed. It's a typical example of government at work with a poorly written law.

It's my understanding they would have to get a warrant from a Judge to get into your home. I would think few judges would award one so they can count cats. It's not like looking for drugs or illegal firearms. You do not have to let them in. Many of politicians running our towns and cities today are out of control - they're power hungry and stepping on the rights of the people. Yes, it is your right to own 10 cats or 20 cats as long as they're cared for and not neglected or abused. That's what freedom is all about. In the past 10 years or so I've become very anti-Gov.

Fortunately we're 5 miles out of town on county land. No one cares how many pets we have out here. People have livestock including poultry.

[=^..^=]

Originally Posted by fairlaker

Within the bounds of any society, freedom is never absolute, and individual rights are always tempered and limited by the rights of other individuals. You can't expect to be left alone when there is good and sufficient reason for disturbing you. In other words, every right comes with responsibilities, including the right to own cats or have children. You would certainly owe something to the cats and children that you do have, but you may also owe something to cats and children that you do not have. It's a tough nut figuring out how all this actually does or ought to work.

A lot of the laws concerning pets are not enforced either. I have yet to see the nuisance barking-dog laws enforced for example, outside the campgrounds and Resorts we frequent.

As for retirement, it's a fine thing, but the notion of all that extra time is a mysterious one. It just doesn't seem to exist. I have no idea how I ever managed to fit going to work into the schedule. In any case, we went from 5 cats to 4 shortly after I retired and then from 4 to 3 shortly after the spouse-person retired. After a while, we decided that 3 was just not enough cats, so we got 3 kittens. Ack!

Kittens can be a handful. They're bouncing balls of energy with claws. You have to kitten-proof your home before you bring them in.

The time and effort needed to get them acclimated to each other and then to the three senior cats has been significant. Great progress has been made, and there will once again be peace in our time some day, but right now, it isn't much easier than ever, despite both of us being home and available most days. I think I need a nap!

I know that "need a nap" feeling.

[fairlaker]

Originally Posted by =^..^=

A lot of the laws concerning pets are not enforced either. I have yet to see the nuisance barking-dog laws enforced for example, outside the campgrounds and Resorts we frequent.

Many laws are enacted with an eye toward discouragement rather than enforcement. Relatively few cases of law enforcement setting up a littering sting or stake-out have ever been recorded for example. At the same time, these laws do form a basis for legal action where extreme cases (as in the notorious case of Alice's Restaurant) are encountered.

Nearly all actual steps taken under animal control laws are to go after actual neglect and cruelty and to shut down the breeders behind puppy and kitten mills. Two of our three new kittens are intercepts from such a mill operation. They are wonderful cats and are doing beautifully, but their markings are not perfect and they would not have fetched the hundreds of dollars the breeder would have wanted from a kitten. They (and we) were lucky that people were able to grab them when they did.

Originally Posted by =^..^=

Kittens can be a handful. They're bouncing balls of energy with claws. You have to kitten-proof your home before you bring them in.

Yes, our first set of kittens was in the Spring of 1972. There are now nineteen expired kitties, plus these six, plus two our daughter took with her when she moved out on her own, so we've been around the block a time or two here and are pretty familiar with the kitten process. My comment was more with regard to how much "extra time" for kittens would suddenly materialize upon retirement.

[Fat Freddy]

Why is it only multi-cat owners that are called "crazy"?

I have never heard anyone call multi-dog owners "crazy dog people".

Even if they obviously were.

[gentlearts]

For me, more than one is too many, but I think three is OK, under the circumstances, and I might have done the same thing in your place.
The chance that an old cat and two kittens will not cause a problem is slim, though. Is the older cat able to get along and not pee on things?
IF you have several litter boxes, which you clean daily, and if none of them pee in the house, OK. As soon as there is a peeing problem, the culprit would be taken to the pound. This is why I won't ever get a rescue cat, since this is usually why they are there.

[=^..^=]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

IF you have several litter boxes, which you clean daily, and if none of them pee in the house, OK. As soon as there is a peeing problem, the culprit would be taken to the pound. This is why I won't ever get a rescue cat, since this is usually why they are there.

I have to disagree with you here. Yes, some cats are dumped at shelters because they don't use the litterbox, but how many of those cases are the owners fault? I have been in people's homes where you can see the litter box hasn't been scooped or cleaned in days. Is that the cat's fault? Some cats will not use a filthy litterbox and get feces and rancid urine on their paws. Why do some people feel they should? Would you use a filthy toilet that stinks and forces you to walk barefoot over foul smelling feces and urine? Other owners have the litterbox in the "wrong" area where a cat is very uncomfortable using it. But the owner is more concerned for their own comfort and convenience than the cat's comfort. Then blame the cat. Litterboxes shouldn't be hidden away on floors no one is using. Arthritic or lame cats need boxes on the floors where they hang out. Plus if the litterbox is on another floor the owner is less likely to scoop twice a day.

Most people dump cats at the shelter for reasons other than not using the litter box. New baby or puppy in the home displaces the cat. They're moving where pets aren't allowed rather than find a place that allows pets, too cheap and selfish to pay pet deposits, new BF or GF is allergic to cats, the cat is now seen as a nuisance or a burden since the kids went off to college... the excuses go on and on and on......

[Annie53]

Originally Posted by =^..^=

I have to disagree with you here. Yes, some cats are dumped at shelters because they don't use the litterbox, but how many of those cases are the owners fault? I have been in people's homes where you can see the litter box hasn't been scooped or cleaned in days. Is that the cat's fault? Some cats will not use a filthy litterbox and get feces and rancid urine on their paws. Why do some people feel they should? Other owners have the litterbox in the "wrong" area where a cat is very uncomfortable using it. Litterboxes shouldn't be hidden away on floors no one is using. Arthritic or lame cats need boxes on the floors where they hang out.

Most people dump cats at the shelter for reasons other than not using the litter box. New baby or puppy in the home displaces the cat. They're moving where pets aren't allowed rather than find a place that allows pets, too cheap and selfish to pay pet deposits, new BF or GF is allergic to cats, the cat is now seen as a nuisance or a burden since the kids went off to college... the excuses go on and on and on......

I know.....people don't think.

I don't know of anyone who wants to use a toilet that hasn't been flushed.

People need to think.....how would I like it?

[Mainer61]

Same goes for eating. I've seen people put canned food on top of old canned food. I've said to the owner, "would you want your lunch put on top of your breakfast?" It gets their attention.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

For me, more than one is too many, but I think three is OK, under the circumstances, and I might have done the same thing in your place.
The chance that an old cat and two kittens will not cause a problem is slim, though. Is the older cat able to get along and not pee on things?
IF you have several litter boxes, which you clean daily, and if none of them pee in the house, OK. As soon as there is a peeing problem, the culprit would be taken to the pound. This is why I won't ever get a rescue cat, since this is usually why they are there.

Gosh, you have a strange attitude. You will dump an animal at the first sing of inconvenience? How terrible.

I've had multiple cats all my life and have never, never, encountered litter box avoidance issues. It is not as common as you seem to think. And as has been said, the litter box avoidance issue is often the human's fault. Or illness related.

Cats are dumped at shelters for any number of reasons. People with an attitude like yours, dump the pet at the first sign of a problem, should not have pets at all. Pets are living feeling creatures, not inanimate objects. <shaking head in disbelief>

And, in fact: the combination of an older cat and two young kittens is really an ideal situation, for three cats starting a life together.

[killabunnies]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

For me, more than one is too many, but I think three is OK, under the circumstances, and I might have done the same thing in your place.
The chance that an old cat and two kittens will not cause a problem is slim, though. Is the older cat able to get along and not pee on things?
IF you have several litter boxes, which you clean daily, and if none of them pee in the house, OK. As soon as there is a peeing problem, the culprit would be taken to the pound. This is why I won't ever get a rescue cat, since this is usually why they are there.

Wow, did you really write that?

I actually have a rescue cat who DOES have pee issues... because she was abandoned and left peeing blood at the SAME TIME her home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. So imagine being not only in need of medical care but stranded in a flooded out house. That's not her fault, it is HUMAN FAILURE to get her the vet care she needed (which, apparently, you would do too based on your comments, despite the fact that adoption is FOREVER and by adopting, you are committing to a lifetime of care, which includes vet bills), so now even though she's been "all fixed up," she has residual box aversion and will likely struggle with that most of her life.

As for my other rescues, most came off the street and THEN into the shelter. They are actually the best behaved cats! It's like they appreciate a warm place to sleep and a full belly and don't want to blow it.

I am glad you won't ever get a rescue cat, though, that means you won't return it like an unwanted store purchase in a week when it doesn't meet your expectations.