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I\u2019ve had as many as seven cats at once. I\u2019d just lost a sweet marmalade tiger kitten through ignorance and started collecting cats. Tina Marie showed up on my doorstep and I took her in. Soon she had a litter of kittens. Fluff was wandering the neighborhood, so I started feeding him. There was another cat that I confiscated\u2014a grey tiger stripe as I recall. That was a long time ago.<\/p>\n
In more recent years, the most cats I\u2019ve had on the long term is four. I show three of them in this photo. Around this time, we\u2019d just lost our beautiful odd-eye white cat, Winfield, to cancer. And Dinah to a brain tumor. Yeah, there was some bad luck there for a while.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s such a shame that we outlive our cats. No matter what we do, they live for only ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/feralcatsIdaho-300x225.jpg\")
seventeen or eighteen years. Fortunate are those who have the companionship of a healthy cat for longer. There\u2019s a cat in Britain who\u2019ll turn 30 this year.<\/p>\n
I know people who live with more cats than I\u2019ve had in a lifetime. Some have taken these cats in, others foster cats. My appreciation and admiration goes out to all of them. While I adore cats and don\u2019t feel complete without one or two in my life, I\u2019m not of the ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/KittensBarn-e1533123986806-225x300.jpg\")
temperament or mentality to take responsibility for a bunch of them. It\u2019s a big job\u2014being responsible for one cat can be a big job, especially if it is a high-maintenance cat\u2014one with a chronic illness, is elderly and failing, or has a dangerous habit, for example. There are cats that swallow string and ribbon and even chew metallic bows. Some cats are attracted to plastic and get themselves into some serious fixes when they eat a piece that doesn\u2019t want to pass through their system. I know a cat who eats plastic bags. House plants can be a danger for some cats. Yes, some of us have to redecorate our homes for a cat with a dangerous habit or fixation. And what about a cat that can\u2019t be litterbox trained. I loved one of those for seventeen years. He certainly forced many changes in our household.<\/p>\n
If you have an easy-going cat with no dangerous or annoying inclinations, count yourself lucky and treat that kitty like the jewel that she is. If you\u2019re dealing with a special-needs cat or you\u2019ve taken in a lot of cats, bless you for giving so much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve had as many as seven cats at once. I\u2019d just lost a sweet marmalade tiger kitten through ignorance and started collecting cats. Tina Marie showed up on my doorstep and I took her in. Soon she had a litter … Continue reading