# 3 cats in an apartment... is that too much?



## Luvkitties (Jan 22, 2009)

One of my friend called me today and asked me if I could adopt her cat. 

Her cat is a 4 years old female and she is spayed. She sometimes hisses at people she doesn't know and yesterday she hissed at her 2-years-old boy. My friend's boyfriend decided it was enough and they are getting rid of the cat. 

So... I can't decide if I should take her cat home with us or not! My boyfriend is leaning towards not adopting her but he told me we would take her if I really want to. Now, the decision belongs to me. 

We actually have two 4 years old male cats (both neutered) that get along really well with each other. They have been together for almost 4 years (got one at 3 months, the other when he was 7 months old). They enjoy each other's company and they almost never fight. 

We live in a 2 bedrooms apartment (+ kitchen/living room/bathroom and a laundry room) and the apartment is full. We have no space left. We would be able to get another litterbox (actually we have only one but it has always worked well) but almost every corner of the apartment has been "claimed" by one of our boys. We would be able to do a slow introduction (the new cat could go in the office for as long as it would take for the cats to get used to each others). I'm scared about the fact that we might not have enough space for 3 cats to be happy.

I feel guilty about introducing a new cat and disturbing the peaceful life of my kitties... :? 

On the other side, I feel guilty for the female cat who will probably end up being put to sleep if I don't adopt her... 

Anyone experienced something similar? How did you work it out?


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Maybe you could adopt it on a trial basis and see if they all get along. If it doesn't work out, perhaps you could help rehome this kitty.


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## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

I suppose it would be too much to teach the 2 year old to respect the cat.
The toddler probably terrifies or terrorizes the poor kitty, but kitty hisses at the little brat and she get the boot.


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## Rebbie (Jul 11, 2011)

Do you have any no-kill shelters or rescues in your area? If yes, and you don't want to take the cat for yourself, you could volunteer to take the cat there for your friend.

Or, you could take her in on a trial basis and if it doesn't work out, rehome her yourself or team up with one of the local rescues to rehome her (acting as a foster or something).

But yeah... your friend's boyfriend sounds like a charmer. :? Did the cat even swat at the kid?


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I have 4 cats in a 2 bedroom apt (+ kitchen, living room, and bathroom). There are also 3 people living here, so it's pretty cozy. Lucky for me, my cats are all good friends. We have a cat tree, a cat perch on the window and several shelves on the walls for them to climb on and hang out. We also have 3 litter boxes. At mealtimes, having 4 cats gets interesting, but other than that, it doesn't feel crowded or like too much. One of the things is we don't have clutter in the apt. Since we have limited space, we have trained ourselves to get rid of stuff if we don't need it. We like having plenty of space for walking, the kids to play, and the kitties to run, of course.

I think getting another cat is strictly a personal decision. I just wanted to chime in that it is doable. I don't think you would continue to get away with only one litter box though. And, there is the very strong possibility that the dynamic between your 2 cats may change, only temporarily if you are lucky. Good luck in your decision!


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## Beckie210789 (May 9, 2011)

Your place sounds just like my living situation. Only 2 people here though. Our apartment is a 705 sqft. 4 cats, 3 litter boxes, and very little clutter. It can definitely work, and even though it can get a little crazy here too, I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Vertical space is more important than square footage. 

But that doesn't matter here. Speaking from experience, I would advise you not to disturb the wonderful little family that you have now. 

You could offer to help her screen people to adopt the cat. Maybe your vet knows of someone who would like a cat. There are different ways to assist her without adopting the cat, but I think it's kind of you to consider it.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

I agree with Marie. I would not rock the boat and try to make another cat fit in. I would offer your friend to help her find a no kill rescue or shelter. Canvas you vet office to see if they have a kennel to adopt out cats. Ask local rescue to put her on Petfinder. Even contact the dog rescuers and plead your case. 

Im sure there is a solution which doesn't involve you taking on this commitment.


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## KittieLover (May 2, 2011)

I say yes, I don't really see why you can't have another kitty. Do you actually own the apartment or does someone else and your just renting it? If you're just renting it, maybe ask the owners if it if you are allowed to have a third; unless you already know what the rules are about having, like, a maximum amount of kitty's or something.

I don't know, it's up to you whether you can afford to manage another one. It would be awesome to have a third:luv I am in the process in convincing my parents to get a third; so far, it's going pretty good lol

Hope all goes well with deciding! Hope this helps!


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

^LOL I love how you are encouraging it to happen. ^^

For me I would say yeah.  At least you will have two boys and a girl and they all are the same age too.  Unless if you live in a really small place like a studio( like me) I would say no.


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## Luvkitties (Jan 22, 2009)

Well, we decided to give it a try...

We have no clue if we made the good decision but we are ready to try to give her a forever home! 

It is a work colleague who actually owns the cat and she didn't want to bring her to a no kill shelter (I tried to convince her... but no success) so the only option left was to put her to sleep or us to adopt her. I couldn't bear to see this beautiful young lady be put to sleep for no reason (ok she hisses... so what? she's a cat...anyway).

We agreed with my colleague that if it doesn't work with us (if the 3 cats don't get along), I will try to find her a new place. My boys are happy together and I don't want them to be unhappy if it doesn't fit with the new cat. So we'll do a slow introduction and we'll give everyone at the very least 1 month before concluding that it doesn't work. 

We really hope that it will work out well and that the 3 cats will become friends!!! Or at least tolerate each others!  

The new kitty will arrive Tuesday, the 9th in the evening with all her stuff. We already have an appointment at the vet so that she can get her shots (she was vaccinated the last time 2 years ago but I don't want to take any chances) before coming in. She will stay in my office (which is a closed room) for as long as it takes.

I will start a new thread when she will be here to keep you guys updated on the introduction (and post pictures of course! ). Her name is Maya and she is a wonderful long haired gray and white kitty.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Good luck with Maya. Hope everything goes well, and will look forward to reading about your experience.


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Hi LuvKitties! 

Sorry, I haven't responded sooner here...I've been a bit under the weather, and haven't been on much. Anyways, I wanted to chime in and say that yes, in my experience, adding a third cat can work, even in limited space. My boyfriend and I live in a small one bedroom apartment, with technically three rooms: living room/dining are one, kitchen, and bathroom. It's about 750 sq. ft. total.

Like in your situation with Maya, I took my Alice in for _her _sake. She most likely would have ended up as trash, if I hadn't have brought her home when I did.  And like you, I wondered if we'd have the space for a third. But once Alice was healthy (about two weeks), and after introductions (about a week), everything just seemed to fall into place. I keep three litterboxes up, two in the bathroom, and one in the living room. And as has been said, vertical space is so much more important. I got my girls a nice big cat tree for Christmas, and they spend most of their time on the various levels. Along with furniture, shelves, counters, windowsills and our shoulders, they seem to be satisfied with the space we've made for them to explore in our home. 

I wish you the best of luck with Maya! I hope everything works out!


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