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One More Cat – or Not?

For years, we’ve been asked: When is Jonathan coming?
And the answer has always been the same: There will be no Jonathan.

Two cats have taken up a lot of time. They have different personalities and needs, and we’ve never had the space or setup for three cats in our home. Life has been hectic, and there are rarely enough hours in the day.

But many say: One more cat doesn’t make a difference.
Oh, but it does. It’s not just an extra cat – it’s more than twice the work.

Perhaps because we invest more in our cats than many others do. We don’t just fill their water bowl and let them in and out as needed. We want to truly know our cats, train them, and prepare them for challenges they might face – all while having fun together.

On top of that, thousands of eyes follow us every day. Some are critical, others seek knowledge or inspiration. That requires time, space, and order.

We’ve never felt we had the capacity for three cats. And then there’s the ever-present desire for a dog. Once a dog person, always a dog person. The choice was between a dog and another cat – and we chose the dog first. And it’s been amazing! A companion who can join us on adventures beyond our cat journeys. We love the outdoors – in forests and fields, in sun and rain, summer and winter. And it’s wonderful to have a four-legged friend who jumps, runs, and wags its tail alongside us.

But where is the limit for how many cats one can have? We see more and more cases of cat ownership spiraling out of control – large colonies with far too many cats. When do people start thinking, This is too much? At three? Five? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty-four? Thirty? When does it become a cat colony? When does one become a hoarder?

We often read about people who have dozens of cats in their homes. How do they make it work? How do they find the time for care, cleaning, conflict management – not to mention the enormous costs?

It’s nice to have guests over without them feeling like they’ve stepped into a cat cave, with cats running in every direction, and leaving looking like a giant hairball.

We have two cats, and they fill the whole house. Occasionally, we’ve had a guest cat or two, but it’s always been a relief to return the space to our resident, territorial cats. More cats would likely cause unrest in the group.

On top of that, we have jobs and other commitments. There are only 24 hours in a day, and we want time for other things – including work.

I often think about cat shelters with 20, 30, 40, or even 50 cats. They usually have employees to ensure every cat gets the care they need. But what about people who have 10–30 cats at home, without any help? Do they have more hours in the day than the rest of us? Do they not have jobs? Because even with just two cats, I often feel like time isn’t enough – and I have other hobbies besides just spending time with them.

Ten or more cats, huge expenses… at that point, it’s practically a full-time job, isn’t it?

We’ve never felt we had enough capacity for a third cat.
But what would our followers think if we suddenly got another one?
And worst-case scenario… would we get a Crazy Cat Lady T-shirt and mug in the mail?

Jesper as a kitten