# Anybody have more than 2 cats?



## bivlop (May 30, 2011)

I currently have 2 and am getting a kitten today. I just wondered how many people have more than 2 cats. I hope the 2 adjust well, they are 2 and 3 years old. So I hope they're young enugh to adapt well. I think I could easily become a crazy cat lady given the opportunity - but then I also think the number of cats doesn't make a crazy cat lady. I am crazy about cats period, and I only need 1 to be considered a crazy cat lady! Which, by the way, I don't like the label - what do people with multiple dogs get called?


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

There are lots of people here with more than 2 cats!
I have three boys. I adopted each of them separately when they were already adults. They all get along just fine. Two are not the best of friends, but they do ok. My third is my "goodwill aambassador"- he loves everyone and every thing.

I also foster for a rescue group and currently have two 16 week olds.

Good luck with the integration. Take it slow and you should be fine.


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## Luvkitties (Jan 22, 2009)

You will meet many people with more than 2 cats here! Welcome! 

I have two 4 years old boys and I recently (3 weeks ago) adopted a 5-year-old female. We are still doing the introductions but it's going well so far. 

Since your third cat is a kitten it will probably be ok! Adult cats accept the presence of kitten more easily than other adults. Good luck and keep us posted! 

Oh and we love pictures


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## ThreeCatzGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

I have 5 cats. 4 are rescues. 1 came from a breeder. They are all great cats. Pics of them are in my siggy.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I have 4; 3 rescues and a Balinese from a breeder.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Four here now, three earlier, four before that, three before that, and so on. All rescued, all at different times, and at different ages. Congratulations on your new family member. Give them time to get used to the changes and all will be well.


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## 6cats4me (Apr 30, 2011)

I have *6 cats* ranging in age from a year old to 16+ years old. Lots
of work taking care of them but also lots of love and fun. They bring
so much joy to my life!


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Had three, went up to four. Lost one this past January, so back down to three. Found a little female version of the baby I lost in January. That was on April 24, so we're back up to four.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Fourteen, here! 
9 indoor (_one of which is deaf_) and the deaf-kitt's family of 5 outdoors and at the barn.


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## AmberH (Jul 20, 2011)

I have four cats. 

I got the two girls a year apart. Then three years ago my first boy found me. This past April, I adopted my fourth. He's still an outcast.  I really hope they all warm up soon.


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## 6cats4me (Apr 30, 2011)

Heidi n Q said:


> *Fourteen, here! *


Now that's a full house! Do they have many spats over territory 
and such? I bet your lap is never empty.


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## bivlop (May 30, 2011)

Thanks for the replies - good to know I am not alone in feeling the need to have more than 2. The new one is a seal point Siamese - no confirmed name yet. The two adults are Siberians. They are very curious but the new boy is still in a room by himself. He has been crying a lot, but since he is only 8 weeks old, I guess that can be expected. I think this is the youngest kitten I have ever had so I wasn't prepared for the crying. I did find myself questioning my decision when I was up at 5 this morning with the crying. But I know that will pass. He is very shy so I am also taking that very slow before introducing him to the adult cats. I want him to feel comfortable with us first - I am sure that when he is released into the house he will disappear and I won't find him for awhile! So any further tips here would be welcome. I will post pictures of all my babies soon.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

6cats4me said:


> Now that's a full house! Do they have many spats over territory and such? I bet your lap is never empty.


One of the things I enjoy the most about having so many cats is I *always* have a kitty who wants to snuggle with me. A common, and acceptable(!), decline around our home is saying: _"I can't, I've got a cat on me!" _

As for spats and territory? Nope. Everyone shares nicely. 
I've kept a multi-cat home (_over 5 cats_) for more than 15 years and while there are always some hissings, growlings and mutterings when the newcomer comes in ... I've not had any knock-down-drag-out fights among our cats. I believe it is due to the way I am able to intro-cats and allow them to accept each other. I also have plenty of places for cats to go if they want to remove themselves from the group for a time, but all cats will eat, play and sleep together. Granted, some cats prefer the company of specific cats more than others, but as a whole, the group is generally respectful of ALL cat residents.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

I have 6 cats. For the most part we are fight free.

Heidi is the Cat Whisperer so that is the reason her herd gets along so well.


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## Miyu (Aug 26, 2011)

just 3 cats now, but the two sisters lives in Germany with my dad and i moved to the usa and we found this cute little kitty X3 I name her Hoshi


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## KittieLover (May 2, 2011)

I only have 2 but I would love to have atleast have three!
The only thing that's stopping me is my Dad.....:?

If I got a thrid, I'd get a Ragdoll (as most of you know for my love of them)


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## christinaja (Aug 28, 2011)

We have five kitties here now, and they are all indoors. There was a little hissing and growling when Frodo (the third) came in, but the other two(Sasha and Rosalie) accepted him after a few days. When we brought Arwen home(our Norwegian, and a kitten), the only one that got huffy with her was Frodo. This lasted for a few days, but they are now very best buds! We brought Voldemort into our home a few days ago. Right now, he is hanging out in our office, adjusting to smells and sounds. We're taking it slow with him, but I think he will be okay once he is used to everything and everyone. The other kitties have been sniffing him through the crack in the bottom of the door and vice-versa. 

It is easier for adult cats to accept a kitten, because they're not so much of a threat to their "territory." It's a bit more difficult with adults, but they usually assimilate into the family dynamics fairly quickly.


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## bivlop (May 30, 2011)

So those of with you more than 2 cats have no problem with them all getting the affection that they want? I really want to be able to give them all the attention they desire. Do they usually have different things they like - some like to cuddle, some don't? Three cats will be new to me - can you tell?


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## christinaja (Aug 28, 2011)

What I have found with my babies is that they will tell me when they want some time just for them, either by jumping onto my lap, "talking" to me(Arwen especially does this), or following me around. Two of my five are really not too demanding of affection, but they have their moments. 
For the most part, all of them except the new addition get along really well, and they have three people to lavish them with love. It is a good dynamic, and none of them seem starved for affection.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

bivlop said:


> I think I could easily become a crazy cat lady given the opportunity - but then I also think the number of cats doesn't make a crazy cat lady. I am crazy about cats period, and I only need 1 to be considered a crazy cat lady!


Good point! I have one cat and am officially a crazy cat lady.


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## Rissa (Aug 1, 2010)

I have three cats - two are brother/sister and have always gotten along well. When we introduced Hermes a year later (when the twins were just about a year old), he was about ten weeks old and a total runt, so while they seemed displeased and hissed/growled some, they were mostly okay with him. Nowadays he's actually the alpha of the household.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Rissa said:


> Nowadays he's actually the alpha of the household.


 That is what happened to our multi-cat home when I brought Marmalade in to bottle feed in 1996 and again this past fall 2010 when I brought JingleBelle indoors to recover and then found out she was deaf so she's a permanant indoor.
The older kitties let the 'babies' do anything they wanted, and the babies grow up thinking they could do anything they wanted, and because the older cats let them when they were young and didn't change their ways as the babies grew .... the babies just happened to 'grow into' being the boss-cat. 
Basically, the older cats *trained* their alpha from kittenhood!


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## KittieLover (May 2, 2011)

Yeah I also agree; if you even just have only 1 kitty, you can still become a crazy cat lady!!


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## NRD (Mar 31, 2010)

Heidi n Q said:


> That is what happened to our multi-cat home when I brought Marmalade in to bottle feed in 1996 and again this past fall 2010 when I brought JingleBelle indoors to recover and then found out she was deaf so she's a permanant indoor.
> The older kitties let the 'babies' do anything they wanted, and the babies grow up thinking they could do anything they wanted, and because the older cats let them when they were young and didn't change their ways as the babies grew .... the babies just happened to 'grow into' being the boss-cat.
> Basically, the older cats *trained* their alpha from kittenhood!


Hi Heidi, nice to have you back!

That's an interesting observation. In my case, Hersh was always the most food-centric of my cats--he devoured his food and went after the two others' food bowls when done. Then Little Hersh came into the picture, at four months, a year ago. Little Hersh emits little growls while eating, and then HE goes to the others' bowls. When he does this with Hersh (and when I let him, only when Hersh is basically done), Hersh gives him a gentle nip on the ear but then backs off and lets Little Hersh have his food dish. I was astounded when it first happened. But you are right, the older "brother" just let the little one do what he wanted, so now Little Hersh is king of the food dishes. 

Interestingly, though, to me is that Little Hersh is NOT the alpha cat in any other way. In fact, he follows Hersh's lead and is really last in the hierarchy in all other respects, always backing off whenever someone else wants space near him or when they are playing. But he reigns at the food dishes.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Jingle can't hear anyone hiss/growl and because she doesn't have those audible clues, she doesn't really pay attention to their body language, either. They have to swat her to get her attention and finally get her to react to their aggressive stance. The bigger cats just let her do whatever she wants or they just leave, since she usually won't. 

Something I also noticed ... _we put a belled collar on her so WE could hear when she was near our feet, since she can't hear us tell everyone to clear a path for us, we look out for her_ ... when she was in her most playful stage, if the older cats heard her bell coming they'd jump up and out of her way so Jingle wouldn't encounter and pester them to play.

Like you commented about the differing heirarchy between cats and how it changes with the food bowls, I still notice that Malibu and Pretty are the uncontested alpha-cats, but both will play with Jingle. Malibu has less patience, but Pretty will play with Jingle until Jingle presses it and *really* ticks Pretty off ... but by that time, Jingle has gotten fairly puffed-up and won't back down. Either I step in to distract, or Pretty will back down to Jingle's apparent fearlessness and confidence in the face of Pretty's growls and hisses.

Sort of a reverse body-language language; Jingle can't hear the aggressiveness of Pretty, is unable to correctly interpret what those actions are, doesn't back down, so Pretty assumes Jingle is 'tougher' than she is and backs down before the playing/wrestling goes too far.

Pretty backs down for Jingle's bluff. A bluff that Jingle _is unaware_ she is doing.


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## Coyote (Jan 16, 2011)

I have three cats. Sparky is a cranky old man, the two giant norwegians are litter mates and have only been here a year. 

In general, Sparky insists he's an only cat, and will completely ignore the others. No fights, no spats - if he doesn't look at them, they don't exist. The Norwegians generally ignore him back, too busy winding up each other up. 

However, after being silent for years, Sparky has picked up vocalisations from the younger boys, and the sight of three cats dancing on their hind legs in the kitchen at the thought that someone's getting ham from the fridge is a little disturbing. The Norwegians are a terrible influence


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Sherbert was always my dominate cat. his 2 siblings just never pushed it and staked out various bedrooms as thier areas. he had 1 litter in his life before he was neutured, I kept 2 of those and he raised them, so there was never any dominance issues, they just followed his leave. Since i lost him a few weeks ago, these cats are pretty much even in statis, but a kitten I aquired is quickly seeming to fill the dominate nich or at least they are letting her have her way with the usual bops on the head when she goes to far.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

The topic title should have been does anyone have just one cat! Technically I only have one cat but I always have fosters trundling thru on their way to their forever homes. The highest amount of cats ive had has been 16. 3 feels like nothing after having 16 with most of them sick! I feel like Im coasting right now.


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## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

I only have 1 cat. There's also the chihuahua and if I'm keeping my mother's dog another chihuahua.

They get along quite well. The dogs are scared of her. She hisses and they run for cover. It's hilarious.


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## Leanne2112 (Aug 13, 2010)

We have 3 indoor and 1 outdoor/semiferal. The third indoor cat, Pixie, is a recent addition and she's a kitten, I won't lie it was rough for a while. Gordon was very upset, not that they were fighting or aggressive, he was just really upset and quiet and off his food. I got a Feliway diffuser and I think that's helped, I think just time to let them get to know eachother and a proper introduction too.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

Heidi n Q said:


> One of the things I enjoy the most about having so many cats is I *always* have a kitty who wants to snuggle with me. A common, and acceptable(!), decline around our home is saying: _"I can't, I've got a cat on me!" _


I try that one all the time but the boyfriend always replies, "You are bigger than they are, you can move them!"

I only have two cats at the moment myself. I dunno if a third would be a possibility later in the future. My two are high energy so they're a handful on their own.


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## Jack&Harley (Nov 2, 2008)

We have three here, two males and a female. We started with Jack, he was 10 weeks old and a street cat, about 9 months later we got Harley who was about 1.5 when we brought him home from the shelter. He and Jack did not get along well at all. The biggest issue with this was, Jack was a street cat and had little understanding of what cats do, we raised him for 9 months as a human child basically. Harley is very shy, so he was a poor teacher for Jack. It is a constant battle of Jack trying to prove that he is alpha, which is very funny because its obvious Harley has no desire to be number one. About 14 months after bringing home Harley we brought in Pepper, who was 8 weeks old (I took in her mom as a pregnant stray and she was born right here at our home, though our indoor cats never met the mom, Ginger). Pepper and Harley got along from the beginning, Jack was mad about the whole thing. Pepper quickly became alpha, and Jack fought for the number two spot. It has been alittle over two years since we brought home Pepper. She is very much number one, she is also the peace keeper amongst the other two. Jack continues to fight to be number two, but Pepper does not like when Jack starts things with Harley. Harley has gotten a lot more courage and although sometimes takes Jack's crap, he will now fight back. However, if the fight gets out of hand, Pepper steps in and stops Jack from doing anything to Harley. 

It would probably be a much more peaceful household without Jack, but hubby and I love him too much.

Leslie


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