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Bug Patrol and Cat Stampedes: Life with Lots of Cats

Updated: Tuesday, May 28, 2019 01:36 PM
Published: Sunday, November 20, 2016 02:43 PM
Written by Margaret Gates

We have a lot of cats. More than is usual in a multi-cat household, but less than "crazy cat lady" numbers. We love having lots of cats, but it does change your life. We've made adjustments to accommodate them. Most are to make our lives easier, since trying to change a cat's nature is futile.

We don't have any carpets in our house. We tried it once. Our cats thanked us profusely for the great new horizontal scratching pad, and assured us they'd have it shredded in a jiffy. There are no curtains in our house. We use only micro-blinds. Some of those are bending as kitties tunnel to the windows. There's no fabric upholstery on any vertical surface. The only fabric we have is the seats of our dining room chairs. Our sofas are all leather. They aren't interested in scratching their claws on them, so the only damage they suffer is accidental.

I wish houses were designed with pets in mind. Why can't bathrooms have a spot for the litter box? In our house, the space under the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms – where the foot inset is – isn't sealed. Nearly every kitten we've had discovered this great hiding place under the cabinet; a place we can't get them out! Whoever designed those didn't have cats or anything like them.

We bought a Roomba® robot vacuum. It works great on cat hair, and the cats don't seem to mind it at all. It's not like the canister vacuum that terrifies them. Kitties don't think I'm chasing them around with the vacuum cleaner anymore!

A great thing about having cats roaming the house is that you don't have to worry about bugs. I consider bug patrol part of their job. Find it, kill it and eat it, preferably out of sight. Once, we were awakened in the middle of the night by a strange crunching noise. Turning on the light, we discovered our calico happily munching on a four-inch-long grasshopper. Good kitty! Hey, how did that get into the upstairs bedroom in the middle of the night with the door closed?

Additional Reading

Don't Let it Bug You Kitty!

Answers: Are Exotic Meats Nutritious or a Novelty for Cats?

You Said You Feed Your Cat, What?

Oh! Those Dirty Little Kittens!

Yes, cats stampede, pretty much like cattle. If one gets scared by a noise and bolts out of the room, everyone else nearby – or even not nearby – will flee in terror as well. It can be quite impressive.

And, with lots of cats, you can do "theme" naming. That's what we did. The only problem is, we ran out of girl names. That's how you end up with a female named Stanley.

Margaret Gates is the founder the Feline Nutrition Foundation.