The subject of animal collector is close to my heart because I have a dear friend with the affliction, and that IS what it is. LilRed is certainly not a collector, because if she was she would not have a concern that she had too many cats. I recently read an in-depth article on collectors, and my experience with my friend was all reflected in the article. It really is not even an issue of trying to care for animals until it gets out of hand. Most of these people manifest their illness in ways in addition to collecting animals. In my friend's case, she has garbage from floor to ceiling in every room of her house - there is a path from the front door to the kitchen, the bathroom, and the couch. The rest is animal cages and garbage. If you go in and try to help her clean her house she refuses. If you take advantage of her hospitalization by going in with all her friends and taking stuff out to the curb, she goes into a black rage when she gets home. Mind you, we didn't take anything out except what was clearly pure garbage. These people think there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way they live. Of course, these people shouldn't be ridiculed, they should be treated with compassion because it is a mental illness, one that unfortunately is not very responsive to treatment. My friend has a heart of gold, but she is ill. Unfortunately, the animals that she thinks she is helping are usually also suffering. Anyway, like I say, if you question your pet capacity, it's unlikely you are a collector. If your heart, budget, and home are big enough, get as many as you want!