How many pets is too many?

[DPrime]

I grew up with two brothers and three dogs in the house, so things could get rambunctious, obviously, but it was fun too. I probably wouldn't ever go more than that.

Maybe one cat, but my wife is allergic.

I wouldn't get anymore than one cat though, even if we could. Being in the military, we need to think about resale value, and cats... well... they can leave a smell. More so than dogs, imo.

 

[BuffyGirl]

If you lived nearby I would have taken those beauties!

Seriously though, you did a good thing. And think of this: anything is better for them than living in a small cage for months at a time. With you being a foster parent while you tried to find suitable homes, you're giving them a wonderful beginning of life with lots of love, attention, care, and space!

And since you decided to keep one and found a home for the other, I think it'll work out for everyone!

My wife and I have 2 and we're always tempted to get at least one more, especially when we go to PetSmart and see all those sad kitties in their cages.

Just an FYI on those kitties from the pet stores. Some of you may not know this...

Pet shops like petsmart and petco actually get their cats from the local shelters. They circulate them hoping that they will get attention and be adopted. Our youngest (Riley) was from the local shelter and was going to be euthanized. I thank God that we were able to adopt him. He has truly been nothing but a blessing. The day we brought him home, he acted as if he had been there all along. He played with his toys and was so content. He loved his tunnels. I will remember that first afternoon for the rest of my life.

We do have a no-kill shelter in Austin. But no kill aren't as no kill as you think. We had a huge back log of pets brought to that shelter and they did free adoptions to help clear them out, or they were going to start putting them down because they had no room. So, it can still happen.

Thanks Lu, they really are adorable, aren't they!

 

[Darth Snoopy]

BG...there's a nice slice of heaven waiting for you after your time here on earth is done.

 

[thenammagazine]

If you have to ask the question, it's already too much.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Very cute! Orange tabbys are my wife's weakness. She will absolutely melt when confronted with one!

And yeah, we know the pet shop cats are from our local SPCA, which ends up tempting us to take a visit. Our SPCA has big cat rooms where they are free to roam and they are simply so adorable! It's so hard not to walk out with one. We have considered becoming foster parents for the SPCA, but we end up chickening out because we know we'll end up keeping them!

 

[BuffyGirl]

Very cute! Orange tabbys are my wife's weakness. She will absolutely melt when confronted with one!

And yeah, we know the pet shop cats are from our local SPCA, which ends up tempting us to take a visit. Our SPCA has big cat rooms where they are free to roam and they are simply so adorable! It's so hard not to walk out with one. We have considered becoming foster parents for the SPCA, but we end up chickening out because we know we'll end up keeping them!

That is great about the space. Every place should be like that. When we're rich (we have high hopes) the sanctuary we build is going to be brilliant.

And that is also why we can't foster. We will keep them all. We love animals too much to give them our love and attention and then see them go home with other people.

 

[screamingmetal]

I'm dealing with the same situation myself. I own two Jack Russells and one of those is way more then enough, but last year a stray cat had kittens I felt sorry for their situation and I started feeding them. Only one kitten has stayed around which I can deal with, but she also just had kittens herself, so now I have a litter of 5 kittens and their momma staying in the front.
The problem is people not spaying or neutering their pets. I didn't because I felt the cat wasn't really mine (I just feed and pet it from time to time outside and didn't know they could get pregnant so soon), but I know the father is an orange tabby owned by the neighbor (two kittens are orange) and he's definitely not neutered. Maybe I should leave all the kittens on his front porch but knowing him he'd probably just kill them all and throw them in the trash.
I've decided I will take them all, including their mother, to a no-kill animal shelter soon, a kitten would more likely be adopted now then later.

 

[BuffyGirl]

I'm dealing with the same situation myself. I own two Jack Russells and one of those is way more then enough, but last year a stray cat had kittens I felt sorry for their situation and I started feeding them. Only one kitten has stayed around which I can deal with, but she also just had kittens herself, so now I have a litter of 5 kittens and their momma staying in the front.
The problem is people not spaying or neutering their pets. I didn't because I felt the cat wasn't really mine (I just feed and pet it from time to time outside and didn't know they could get pregnant so soon), but I know the father is an orange tabby owned by the neighbor (two kittens are orange) and he's definitely not neutered. Maybe I should leave all the kittens on his front porch but knowing him he'd probably just kill them all and throw them in the trash.
I've decided I will take them all, including their mother, to a no-kill animal shelter soon, a kitten would more likely be adopted now then later.

That is a tough situation. At least you're going to take them in to be adopted by families.

On a sad note, the guy who was going to take the male, cannot anymore. His wife said no.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

More for you!

J/K That's too bad. Will you be able to foster him while you try and find a suitable home? Like I said, anything is better than a cramped cage at the pound. I'm sure you'll find a home for him in no time.

 

[BuffyGirl]

More for you!

J/K That's too bad. Will you be able to foster him while you try and find a suitable home? Like I said, anything is better than a cramped cage at the pound. I'm sure you'll find a home for him in no time.

We'll figure it out. I would feel horrible leaving him behind but I think introducing two new kitties to our boys might be tough. A LOT to talk about throughout the day, that's for sure.

 

[The Ringer]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLnHFDPwoWs[/ame]

 

[screamingmetal]

That is a tough situation. At least you're going to take them in to be adopted by families.

On a sad note, the guy who was going to take the male, cannot anymore. His wife said no.

I hope they get adopted, I wish I could keep them but I know that my dogs would think they're chew toys, one of them is extremely interested in the brush pile on the other side of the fence the kittens like to hide in (they're safe from the dogs in the backyard)
The black ones are friendly but the two orange ones stick close to one another and won't let me get anywhere near them.

I hope you have better luck finding homes for your kittens.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

AGH! Stop putting up pictures of adorable kittens! You guys are killing me!

You're not in NJ, are you, screamingmetal?

 

[screamingmetal]

AGH! Stop putting up pictures of adorable kittens! You guys are killing me!

You're not in NJ, are you, screamingmetal?

Nope, I'm in KC Missouri.
Here's another :

 

[The Mike]

My in-laws have a crazy amount of pets, they are both really "bleeding hearts" for animals and have rescued 20 cats and 3 dogs. Surprisingly the house smells great and the funny part is you rarely see them except at feedings which is weird. Most of them just lounge around the house, so it's not uncommon for one to just pop out of somewhere and ask for a pet. I think the most I've seen at one time commonly is 3 that are really attention starved but the rest kind of do their own thing.

On the flip side, my wife and I couldn't handle 1. While I loved my cat when it died (enlarged heart) I was sad for a while but now think of it as a blessing with my two young children.

Different folks can handle different things, I'm sure we'll get at least one cat and a dog eventually but not until my kids are old enough to be somewhat self sufficient.

 

[BuffyGirl]

I am sorry to hear about your cat, Mike.

Our place doesn't smell like cat. We're very lucky. The litter box stays outside during the day and is only brought in if we're going to be gone for a few hours, and then always brought in at night time. In the morning, it goes right back out.

I'm also a very clean person. Always vacuuming and washing the floors and the pets aren't allowed on the people furniture.

I am sad to see those little faces and know there's nothing I can do. But don't take them to the shelter without their mom until 8 weeks. That's when they should be weened from their mom and siblings.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Nope, I'm in KC Missouri.
Here's another :

So damn cute! Frankly I'm relieved you're in Missouri! Otherwise I'd be coming home with 5 new members of the family!

 

[Firebird]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLnHFDPwoWs

When I seen this thread, I was thinking of that same clip too!

 

[praxitas]

First thing with pet ownership whether it is one or ten is making sure you are first ok. If you are not, then they won't be either. I'm talking more financially then anything. Vet costs are not cheap at all if something goes south with a pet. Let alone if you get an unexpected car or house bill. You don't want to put yourself in a situation where your looking under the cushions for gas or food money. We have two german shepherds, two cats, turtles, chameleons, and a snake. The only ones that show any kind of care for attention are the dogs. The others only when they are hungry! Anyway, make sure you are more than set financially before bringing on more. Unfortunately, good gestures can sometimes not be good ideas. Best of luck!

 

[The Ringer]

When I seen this thread, I was thinking of that same clip too!

Great minds, great movie.