Advice needed from multi cat households!

[nsweezie]

Recently a stray has shown up (I call him Edgar) , and I have been feeding him. He is super friendly, and while quite thin, appears to be otherwise healthy. He has been sleeping in our garden shed (I don't want him near my other cats until I find out if he is completely healthy).

I have had an ad in the paper for several days to see if he has an owner, as well I put several signs up around the neighbourhood. I have a feeling that if he was someone's pet, he must have been missing for a while.

I already have 7 cats (Monty, Minnow, Mac, Zoey, Clyde, Scooter and Freya) and a dog (Pugsley). Granted, only Clyde, Scooter and Freya are actually mine, the other's are my sisters, but we all share the same house! Most of these cats were unwanted by their previous owners or were also strays, and they are all fabulous pets. I almost feel crazy asking this, but I would like to keep Edgar if he doesn't have an owner already, and I don't see any problems with the other cats, they all get along reasonably well. I can't believe that I might be an 8 cat household!

I'd really like to hear from others who have a larger than average number of cats. Is there anything I should know? Any advice? Any problems? And am I crazy for wanting 8 cats?!!!

[catmandu]

Well , if you are crazy for eight Cats then I am a complete lunatic. There are 11 cats at the Lost Cats Hotel and 3 strays that come for dinner. The only thing to do is to introducethe Cats gradually , by keeping the little stray in a spare room , and gradually expose him to the rest. After of course he has been to the Vets! Good Luck From all Of Us!

[K & L]

We have 17 at our house. Just make sure they have plenty of space to get away from each other. We had a spraying problem until we built our cat-run and gave them access to the garage which gives access to the cat-run. Good Luck with him and bless your heart for caring!

[catlover4ever]

No your not crazy, you have a big heart I have had as many as 7 at one time and I found that they don't always get along but they manage to tolerate each other and live peacefully (at times).

The reason I do not have more than my 5 now is called

my husband

while he enjoys the cats, he is adamant about any more. So before I end up divorced, I comply......unless of course someone happends to abandon one on my back deck.....hint hint hint.

I wish you the best of luck with Edgar.

P.S. I love the name Edgar.

[PayItForward]

I am not sure if I qualify to comment, only having six cats

Lets face it sometimes the cat chooses the owner.

Edgar choose you and you sealed the bargin by giving him a name.

The only limit for cats is how many can you feed, medicate, house & love.

PS. Where are the photos.

[moosmom]

Nsweezie,

I moved to Michigan from CT with 6 cats. I have since adopted 2 more making me an 8 cat household.

There's nothing wrong with it. The only thing you need to do is isolate him (in a spare room if you have one) with his own litterbox, food, water and scratching post (they have real cheap corrogated cardboard scratching boxes at the pet store) till he gets a clean bill of health from the vet and, above all, is tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids and if he is not already, have him neutered.

Once all that is done and outta the way, keep him separated from your cats for at least 2 weeks and then gradually introduce him to them. Rub him down with a towel and let your other cats smell his scent. Do the same thing with your cats, let him smell their scent. They will also sniff under the door too.

After 2 weeks, put him in a carrier and bring him out into the living room and let your cats approach him. The carrier will protect him. There WILL be hissing and growling, that is normal.
Do it a couple of times.

Then, once YOU feel comfortable, try letting him out to scope out your place. Have a squirt bottle handy just in case there is war. As long as there is no bloodshed, DON'T WORRY!!! Your cats will let him know who's boss in the house.

Above all, be patient. These things take time, and won't happen overnight.

Good luck!! I'm glad you're giving him a new home. My saying is "What's one more poop in the box???"

BTW, rule of thumb is there should be 1 box PER CAT.

Please keep us posted!!

[Cataholic]

Hmmm....I guess with six cats and a St. B, I am only mildy crazy. Good to see I have room to GROW!!!

Nobody, but nobody, knows if you have 'too many', but you. If you can afford it, care for it, love it, the numbers are simply one way to quantify.

[Fox-Gal]

Welcome to the multi-cat owner club. j/k

I'm up to 8 now, not counting my 3 heating vent kittens, who I hope to find good homes for. Just like catlover4ever, husband has put a stop to the cats.

When you have that many cats there is bound to be a few problems here and there. Just like us humans we don't always get along, but we seem to work it out in time as they will.

As long as you can provide for multi-cats, I see no reason why you can't have 8....whats one more?

I know in my case I haven't really have any problem introduce a new cat into the home. I just slowly, each day introduce the new cat to the others and things just seem to work out. The only problem I had was with 2 of my babies, they seem a little put off at first, but once I gave them some extra love they where fine. They just needed to know they where still the Queens of the house.

Good luck and enjoy your new member of the family

[Glacier]

I just added my 8th kitty six weeks ago. i think the intros actually get easier--my crew is so used to new additions they barely bother to hiss anymore!!

[nsweezie]

Hi again!
I am taking Edgar to the vet tomorrow morning, to get a check up, find out if he is neutered and get some shots.
He hasn't left my backyard for several days, so I think that he is making his wishes known!
I think that one more cat won't be a problem, and I certainly am able to care for all the cats I have now. I am really lucky too, my boyfriend loves cats, and he met Edgar last night, and actually said to me 'Can we keep him?'
Thanks again for the advice, after we get back from the vet tomorrow, Edgar is going in a spare room in the basement until I get the ok from the vet to introduce him to his new brothers and sisters.
I also agree with Glacier, my cats hardly blinked when I introduced Freya a few weeks ago, there was a little hissing but I think they are pretty used to new additions by now!

[jenluckenbach]

I hope Edgar passed all his tests. I have 14 cats now and 3 foster kittens are also living here. I just recently had a spraying problem begin, so it is possible that I have gone a little over the limit, but that does not make me regret taking the cats it. Best of luck to you all.

[nsweezie]

Some kind of sad news for Edgar. He tested positive for Feline Leukemia .
My vet thinks that may be why his previous owners dumped him, because he is still quite healthy. They probably didn't want the expense of taking care of him. Right now I feel sick thinking of that.
However, there is a bright spot in this story. My sister's boyfriend's aunt is going to keep Edgar. Her cat died of old age about 5 months ago, and she wants another cat, but only one, which will work out fine for Edgar, that way he won't be able to infect another cat, and he will have an owner that loves him.

I also have some sad news to report. My sister's boyfriend's cat Buzz, who often visited my cats, died on the weekend. He was only 3. He apparantly had a heart attack. Buzz was a wonderful, friendly cat who loved to play and used to amuse everyone by sleeping in strange positions, including sitting in a lazy-boy recliner just like a person would. Mark, my sister's boyfriend, is really upset, and I'd like to do something to make him feel a little better, does anyone have any suggestions?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Wow, what a bad news, good news, bad news update.

I'm sorry to hear Edgar has Feline Leukemia, but I'm so glad your sister's boyfriend's aunt will be taking him. Being an only cat with an adoring owner will be the perfect life for him. I'm so glad you kept him separated from the rest of your kitties until you found out he was not healthy. This could have been a disaster, but instead has a happy ending for Edgar and his new owner.

And I'm so sorry to hear about Buzz. Three years old is way too early for a kitty to have to leave. He sounds like he was a real character though, and you should have many happy memories of him and know that he is now hamming it up for everyone at the RB.

The only thing I can think of to cheer your sister's boyfriend up is...well....get him another kitty! I really believe this helps because it gives devastated owners something else to think about, and another little soul to care for. So it's not that they forget about the one that just passed, but they transfer their energies into positive things for the newcomer instead of into feeling sorry for themselves.

[Cataholic]

Oh, my heart breaks for you. As T&P mentioned, good thing you kept the kitties separate, and hopfully, Edgar will live a full and happy life in his new home. Things sometimes work out, you know?

As to the the loss of Buzz, how terribly sad. I might suggest a nice note telling your sister's boyfriend how loved Buzz was, and that he is now at RB, and let time guide you further....

Hugs to you.

[NoahsMommy]

I'm glad you found a home for Edgar. It sounds like he'll be very happy there.

I'm really sorry about your sister's boy friend's cat. They sell cards at Hallmark specifically for "I'm sorry your kitty died". I think that would be a nice gesture.