Here’s how to manage to have more than one inside cat with no smell or mess. Be sure that you live somewhere that permits multiple cats as many buildings and even local municipalities have rules on how many cats you can keep (especially within city limits).

Steps

  1. Make their litter boxes easily accessible. Put a litter box in as many rooms as you can, according to your cats’ social life. If you need to, hide them under furniture, tables, etc., so that the cats can find them easily but people can’t readily see.
  2. Find hard-to-please cats a space of their own. If you have picky cats, or cats that are not using the litter box, get them accustomed to a room that the other cats can’t go into. A separate area with the cats personal litter, food and water might help with this.
  3. Make sure you can afford the upkeep of the number of cats you have. Where a 5 pound (2.3 kilogram) bag of food might last a single cat two months, 10 or more cats will go through it in a week. There is also the cost of veterinary care to be considered…routine immunizations as well as illness and/or injury situations.
  4. Neuter or spay your cats. Without fail, get every single cat you have spayed or neutered, especially the females. This is especially important if you have cats of both genders in the same house!
  5. Make sure to alert everybody you invite into your house about the cats! Some people may be allergic, and some people are downright afraid of cats. There are also those who don’t like cats. Cats will sense this and some may play up.
  6. Remove cat waste frequently, at least once daily. Scoopable cat litter makes it easier to scoop up cat waste without having to remove all the litter. Add more litter as needed. If you wish to wash the litter box, do not use bleach! Cats have a very keen sense of smell and may not use their box once bleach is used, and bleach fumes are not good for your cat’s sensitive respiratory system. Instead, wash the litter box in hot, soapy water and rinse well. You could also spritz vinegar into the box and let it set for at least two minutes. This will help get rid of odor and disease causing bacteria. Make sure you rinse with water and dry the box, before finishing with clean litter.

Tips

  • Once you get more than two cats (sometimes three if you’re lucky), there will likely be problem between two or more of them. Be prepared with water guns/spray bottles if there’s a standoff.
  • If you have other animals, be sure they get along and you are there to observe any challenging behaviors. Never leave a cat unattended with animals such as fish, birds or rodents.
  • Pay attention to each cat’s behavior. When behaviors are unwanted, you can usually start off by finding the source and than a solution. Remember cats can’t change the fact that they must scratch, require a clean litter box, and need some form of amusement. If you don’t provide toys, don’t expect them not to use something of yours, (like shredding the toilet paper).
  • Be sure to take your cats to the vet at least once a year, if one gets sick they may all become infected.
  • You can use them to safely and humanely encourage cats off counters, Christmas trees, and other places you don’t want them. Do not spray at the cat directly, but right next to the cat.
  • Bicarbonate of soda is great for removing smells. Line the litter trays with it; clean up messes like fur-ball vomit off the carpet using it; clean out litter trays by scrubbing with it.

Warnings

  • Used litter can be very toxic, especially to pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
  • Cat bites can get infected badly, and, depending on the cat, very easily. This goes for both humans and other animals.
  • There are many plants and chemicals that are toxic to cats. Ask your vet if you are bringing a plant home and aren’t sure if it is toxic to your cats.
  • As tempting as it may be to not have to clean the litter box and buy an automatic-cleaning box, don’t do it. Where some cats will be fine with it, and you will have the mess off your hands, many cats are fearful of the automatic cleaning box, or may not like the way it cleans. This can cause inappropriate elimination outside the litter box.
  • Give food proportionally to each cat because if you give a lot you will waste a lot of money and/or your cat(s) will become overweight.

Things You’ll Need

  • Most vets will tell you to have one litter box per cat, even if they like to share. At any point a cat may decide not to use a certain litter box, now you have other options for that cat.
  • A good cat guide to reference when you have concerns about your kitty room-mates.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

  • www.vetcentric.com is a good site to visit if you have any medical questions about your cat.
  • www.lovethatcat.com is a helpful website if you are looking for books or videos dealing with cats.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Have Multiple Cats. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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