I own 3 cats and a dog in a 2 floor home. Am I a crazy pet person? Is this "ok"?

[TheEaterofSouls]

So our family owns 3 cats and recently adopted a dog from a shelter. We love taking in animals and I really wanted a dog, but my other relatives really wanted this cat so we got both. We live in a 2 floor house, with a big backyard to take the dog out in. We live in the suburbs, so walking the dog isn't an issue. However; I am a little concerned. We don't live in a mansion or very large home, but it's not small like those one floor ranch homes either.

My question is, is owning these 4 pets in our medium sized home ok? Or is it too much? They seem to be doing fine. The dog isn't very big, doesn't seem to bother the cats, and our oldest cat likes to sleep in a seperate room away from the others. Is this "humane"? I love animals, and do whatever I can to care for them. I just want to make sure things are safe. What do you think?

[the game]

No you need another half a cat to be considered a crazy pet person

[Sussex]

i dont see any issue so long as the cats arent making ur house smell like piss (which u wont be able to smell since you'll be desensitized to the smell, but other people coming into your home will be able to smell it and it will make them feel sick)

[Lessthanzer0]

cats are small animals and don't really need a lot of space so i don't think 3 cats and a dog is too much for a 2 story house. just make sure you let the dog run around outside sometimes but that goes for any dog no matter what size your house is.

oh and this...

so long as the cats arent making ur house smell like piss

[TheEaterofSouls]

i dont see any issue so long as the cats arent making ur house smell like piss (which u wont be able to smell since you'll be desensitized to the smell, but other people coming into your home will be able to smell it and it will make them feel sick)

Our cats all share the same litterbox in our laundry room, changed frequently. I never noticed it as you said, but everyone that has visited has never noticed anything. So I guess I'm ok. (unless they go there, which is a few rooms away, and most visitors never go that far)

Our youngest cats are very clean. We always have someone at home 24/7 to watch the dog and keep her in check/ walk her.

[Sussex]

Our cats all share the same litterbox in our laundry room, changed frequently. I never noticed it as you said, but everyone that has visited has never noticed anything. So I guess I'm ok. (unless they go there, which is a few rooms away, and most visitors never go that far)

Our youngest cats are very clean. We always have someone at home 24/7 to watch the dog and keep her in check/ walk her.

Next time someone visits you when they walk in ask them if they notice any smell and tell them to be honest, thats your best bet to know for sure.

Its sort of like the same thing with people who smoke inside their house, they don't notice that everything in their home smells like tobacco.



I work as an electrician and Ive actually had to leave peoples houses because their homes smelled like piss from their cats lol...literally made me feel sick/dizzy from the smell and going back outside into the fresh air is like breathing air for the first time. And yet the owners of the house didn't even notice the smell.

^It's amazing what the human body is able to get accustom/desensitized to.

It's sort of like those poverty towns in india where everyone shits on the streets...they're all use to that smell and dont think anything of it.

[TheEaterofSouls]

Next time someone visits you when they walk in ask them if they notice any smell and tell them to be honest, thats your best bet to know for sure.

Its sort of like the same thing with people who smoke inside their house, they don't notice that everything in their home smells like tobacco.

If they do notice what does it mean? Is it just unpleasent or a hazard?

[Sussex]

If they do notice what does it mean? Is it just unpleasent or a hazard?

Depends. Im not saying your house automatically stinks because you have several pets.

Depends on the cleanliness of the owners of the home....but ive been in plenty of homes were they had a lot of pets inside and there was no bad smell, smelled like any other home without pets since the owners were clearly clean people.........but other homes were they had a few pets and the smell was sort of noticeable......and other homes where ive had to basically leave the home because the smell made me feel sick.

[Ayla]

I live in 500 square feet of usable space with 3 cats. I think youll be fine. (Most was 5). You wouldn't even know we had animals if they didnt come greet you at the door

[TheEaterofSouls]

Depends. Im not saying your house automatically stinks because you have several pets.

Depends on the cleanliness of the owners of the home....but ive been in plenty of homes were they had a lot of pets inside and there was no bad smell, smelled like any other home without pets since the owners were clearly clean people.........but other homes were they had a few pets and the smell was sort of noticeable......and other homes where ive had to basically leave the home because the smell made me feel sick.

I see. I'll be sure to ask.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

If they do notice what does it mean? Is it just unpleasent or a hazard?

The cat piss smell is actually pretty unpleasant but you get used to it after awhile if they stay there for extended periods of time... like weeks. Not really anymore of a hazard than smelling your own piss.

[Alcsaar]

I live in 500 square feet of usable space with 3 cats. I think youll be fine. (Most was 5). You wouldn't even know we had animals if they didnt come greet you at the door

Says you. That is def crazy cat lady level.

My family, in our 2 story home, have 2 cats and 2 dogs (English Mastiff, Shar Pei). While I think one more cat wouldn't be awful, I was happy when we only had one cat.

So to answer OP's Question, you're nearly crossing the border on crazy pet family. I also think the balance needs to be kept in check (Don't have a lot more cats than dogs)

[Aleastor]

I have a 2 floor home, I own a Rabbit, 5 Dogs, 2 cats. And that's low for my family...

At one point we had 4 dogs, 3 cats, 8 Guinea Pigs, a Rabbit, and about 12 fish.

[Sussex]

The cat piss smell is actually pretty unpleasant but you get used to it after awhile if they stay there for extended periods of time... like weeks. Not really anymore of a hazard than smelling your own piss.

Yeah, that's fine for the people who live in the home everyday because humans can become desensitized to smell very easy if they're around it constantly. But if they have any visitors when they walk inside the smell is gona hit them like a ton of bricks. I don't know about you but that's not something I'd like people dealing with when they walk into my home lol.

[Blueobelisk]

Some...I guess family in laws...I have are crazy pet people. I'm talking 3 dogs, 6-8 cats, and birds. I don't even know.

I think it's ridiculous. I don't see the point of having so many pets. Seems irresponsible.

3 cats and a dog is probably okay if you have 3+ people living in the house, but it seems slightly excessive.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah uhhh I thought about it some more and I want to change my answer. You are a crazy pet person.

[Ayla]

Yeah, that's fine for the people who live in the home everyday because humans can become desensitized to smell very easy if they're around it constantly. But if they have any visitors when they walk inside the smell is gona hit them like a ton of bricks. I don't know about you but that's not something I'd like people dealing with when they walk into my home lol.

I have one cat box for 3 cats. It gets scooped once a day. Or twice if I notice it myself. It gets a scrub and full litter change once a month. You cannot smell that we have cats.

[Blueobelisk]

I have one cat box for 3 cats. It gets scopped once a day. Or twice if I notice it myself. It gets a scrub and full litter change once a month. You cannot smell that we have cats.

According to who?

[TheEaterofSouls]

Some...I guess family in laws...I have are crazy pet people. I'm talking 3 dogs, 6-8 cats, and birds. I don't even know.

I think it's ridiculous. I don't see the point of having so many pets. Seems irresponsible.

3 cats and a dog is probably okay if you have 3+ people living in the house, but it seems slightly excessive.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah uhhh I thought about it some more and I want to change my answer. You are a crazy pet person.

uhh...we are a family of 3 people....
We love adopting and caring for pets. We decided on an extra cat because someone wanted a cat. What's so wrong about it?

[Deleted]

I have 8 cats, all able to freely come and go (not indoors only pets). You're fine.

Oh, and the pee thing is only really relevant if you're keeping them in and they're peeing in your house somewhere other than the litter box, and you don't have a very good sense of smell, and don't clean it up. If they're not, you'll know immediately if one has had an accident. I certainly haven't become "desensitized" to the smell of cat pee just because I own cats, it was pretty obvious when one of them had urinary problems and peed on the carpet. You should be cleaning regularly enough that odours and loose fur don't have a chance to settle in anyway. It's just good hygiene.

[Vargas]

So our family owns 3 cats and recently adopted a dog from a shelter. We love taking in animals and I really wanted a dog, but my other relatives really wanted this cat so we got both. We live in a 2 floor house, with a big backyard to take the dog out in. We live in the suburbs, so walking the dog isn't an issue. However; I am a little concerned. We don't live in a mansion or very large home, but it's not small like those one floor ranch homes either.

My question is, is owning these 4 pets in our medium sized home ok? Or is it too much? They seem to be doing fine. The dog isn't very big, doesn't seem to bother the cats, and our oldest cat likes to sleep in a seperate room away from the others. Is this "humane"? I love animals, and do whatever I can to care for them. I just want to make sure things are safe. What do you think?

So long as the house is sanitary and the pets are healthy, who gives a damn what other people think? Especially MMO-C.