How many pets do you have?

[PilsnPinkysMom]

How many furry (or feathered, or scaly) companions are in your house right now? Too few? Too many? Is it manageable? Any plans to expand your brood?

We have two kitties and one pup (1.5 years).

I'm really pining for pup #2. As our dog approaches 2 years old, I can't help but picture her romping with another pup in the backyard, going for runs together, and swimming together at the lake. Having never lived with two dogs at once (plus two cats!) I'm wondering if 4 animals is a bit too much. DH & I are currently child-free and there are only 2 days a week when our dog is home alone all day (8 hours). We're an "Our dog goes where we go!" type of couple. Even so, another dog = twice the food, twice the vet-stuff, twice the exercise, twice the fur, etc. Lots to think about!

 

[tyty333]

We have 2 cats. I would love to have another but its probably not going to happen. I know my kids would love a dog but
I'm not big on how much responsibility they take...not to mention the little treasures they leave in the yard .,

Who knows...maybe some day I'll get a 3rd kitty.

 

[princesss]

4. 2 dogs, 2 cats. It's too much, if I'm being totally honest. I love them to bits, but I will never have this many animals at one time again. It would have been fine with 2 cats and 1 dog, but 2 dogs is more work, there's more drama, and it's just a pain. I really suggest sticking with only 1 dog.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

One elderly cat, Oscar, who does NOT play well with others.

 

[soocool]

Currently, only one.

 

[sctsbride09]

We have 2 dogs. One is very small and laid back, the other is huge and a handful. Ill be honest, in the first year after we got Harlow (our dobe), it was very difficult. She has special needs though, so that took alot of getting used to, not to mention a few thousand dollars and tons of vet/specialist visits. Now that she is an adult, things have really calmed down in casa de sctsbride, but for a while it was exhausting. We are also childfree, and we take our dogs with us too, and I honestly dont think its that bad with 1 extra dog. The puppy stage is brutal, but after about 2 years, they calm down usually. If you want a 2nd dog, I say go for it. The only advice I *might* give someone is if your dog/s will be indoor, try to have 1 small dog, 1 big, or 2 small, or whatever. Just not 2 large dogs, unless you have a ton of room in the house. Good luck with your decision!

ETA- we currently have no plans to add to the family, I would love another dobe, but the house we are in is at max capacity. Someday...

 

[Kaleigh]

We have 2 dogs, one is elderly (16). That's Casper and Callie is 12. The bird ( sorry but the bird is way past her expiration date ) is 14. When we got the bird, I didn't know it would last longer than my kid was in school. It's a cockateil, and she's a pisser.

My BFF's daughter was getting rid of a dog, of course they asked me. I said no, 2 dogs and a bird, it's too much. Plus Casper being so old, and my heart. I want to give him all the attention I can , and a new puppy would just piss him off..

 

[iheartscience]

I have 3 gorgeous kitties! I think it's manageable, but I think 4 would be too much even though I would love another kitty! My husband loves dogs but I definitely DO NOT so I don't think we'll be getting one. At least not for a loooooong while.

 

[elrohwen]

Just the two rabbits. Our house is small, and I love that they can roam freely while we're home, so I know we're not ready for more animals. When we have a house of our own though, I would love to get a dog or two! I'm also dying to get a third rabbit, but bonding the two together was hard enough, and I would hate for the newcomer to ruin the good thing my two have going.

 

[kenny]

2 dogs
1 parrot
3 goldfish
1 pearl gourami (can I mention those on PS?)
1 pleco
???? shrimp - BTW I finally got 3 or 4 to survive one month - they're so cute.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

Two dogs (Yorkie & Border Collie X Lab)
One cat
Fish, including one approximately 12 year old pleco that is 15-16" long now (he was a 99c special at PetSmart many years and three tanks ago).
(no kids).

The two dogs are great and have never really been too much for us. The cat is very self reliant at this point, though we have talked about getting a second kitty down the road. Having actually ADDED the cat, I'm not sure I want four furry babies. We'll see.

We currently have 5 aquariums and that is bordering on becoming too much. We've been spending quite a bit of time between feeding, general "checking on", and water changes. We'll upgrade our largest tank to a 120 gallon so the pleco has plenty of room (he's been with me 12 years so he definitely deserves the best I can give him) and hopefully move around our current setup and maybe downsize a tank or so. But overall, with 5 tanks I'm not sure how much maintenance time it would save eliminating just one.

 

[MissMina]

Two cats at home
One kitten as yet too young to leave his mother
Things will be easier once we get him home as the 15 year old
isn't interested in playing with the seven month old.

 

[pinkstars]

One, for now. He's the most adorable kitten and I just love him the most! BUT, I was looking through craigslist today and found the second most cutest kitten ever. Even though we just got our little guy a month ago, I at least have to try and convince BF how much we need more cuteness here!

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

2 cats and 1 dog. In an apartment.

It's fine. Cats don't take up much space. Dog is big, so I'm sure to get her plenty of exercise and get her involved in activities.

These are the only cats I've ever had before and I probably will never be a cat owner again. I love my kitties, but I am finding that I am most definitely a dog person.

 

[Matata]

4 cats yeee gads. One is 16 yrs old and she is content to snooze in the sun and she loves to be brushed. Then there are 2 2yr olds and a 4 mo. old and they are full of mischief. Litterbox maintenance is a pain -- I have 5 inside and 2 outside.

 

[lyra]

Three dogs, totally manageable because I'm always home. Going down to 2 dogs would be fine too. Less than 2 is lonely and is more work somehow.

 

[calibali]

2 dogs - both little Yorkies that are ridiculously spoiled . BF really wants to get a Vizsla when we move to CO, but I don't like the hassle of big dogs. So no more animals for us, unless he decides to "surprise" me with a Vizsla. Then I would be displeased .

 

[jewellk]

We have 2 big dogs (siberian huskies) and one big fat lazy cat. I think it's too much. I love them dearly but I often feel bad that they don't get enough exercise and attention (we also have a 3 yr old child). It's funny though, when I had the two dogs and lived alone, it was fine. But now, even in a larger house, I can't keep up with the hair and mess created by all the dependants!

When DH and I first combined houses, we had 4 dogs and 3 cats! Two dogs were mine, the rest of the pack was his. It was awful. My two dogs and his two dogs did not get along. The final straw was when I was out of town and got a call from DH saying the dogs had gotten into a fight and he accidentally got caught in the middle, resulting in a very bad bite on his hand. One dog had to go to the vet for stiches and DH had to have hand surgery. We found good homes for two of the dogs and one cat and have since lost a kitty so now we're down to the 3.

 

[diva rose]

I don't have any at the moment but I would love 2 dogs.

One of them being an adorable shih tzu. Love them!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

We have three dogs, one horse, and three fish tanks with a bunch of fish in them. (PLEASE don't ask me to count the fish!) So, yeah, I think we're pretty much at capacity! LOL!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

We currently have 2 cats. My mums cat comes to stay with us sometimes and the 3 of them together is just way too much! I can really see the difference in the food intake and litter box output from 2 to 3 cats.
This is the least amount of animals that I have ever had though. Growing up we had 2 dogs 4 cats 3 ponies, aviaries full of different species of birds, with the occasional sheep or kangaroo that we happened to be hand rearing due to the loss of their mother.
My mum (who is 65 and lives on her own) has 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 ponies, 2 large birds (who will no doubt outlive her and I shall inherit) and 5 rather large Brahman bulls that she is baby sitting.
I couldn't imagine living in a house with no pets. I'm kind of suspicious of people who don't have pets too.

 

[Imdanny]

1 cat and that's as many pets as I want or would ever want.

 

[yssie]

We have three cats, two we got from the shelter as kittens two years ago and one is a feral we picked up off the street last year. I love cats and would be happy with more, but we certainly don't currently have the space, and we're planning to move to a house in the next year and get a puppy, and neither of us feels that we could give five animals the amount of attention we'd like.

 

[April20]

I have one dog. I'd love a kitty, but DH is allergic (and hates them), so that's not going to happen. I still tell him I want one about once a month though.

I once had two dogs and two cats pre-DH. That was a frigging zoo. The cats hated the dogs; no big suprise there. The kicker was that everyone told me two dogs would be easier than one dog since they'd have each other. Wrong. At least for me. It was NOT easier at all. When we got Chester, people kept telling us we'd need to get him a friend. That he'd probably start to have behavioral issues being alone when we're gone. Wrong. We occassionally dog sit for my IL's and while he has fun when that pup is here, he's perfectly content to be an only child.

 

[diamondringlover]

2 fish and 1 cat, she is about 4 black and white and adorable

 

[Autumnovember]

Harold- Red Ear Slider Turtle
Noofi- Holland Lop Bunny
Layla- Poodle/Coonhound Dog

I love them all! I had a cat that died last April. He was a persian and THE best cat...RIP Valick!

I'm looking to add a teacup piglet to the bunch. Or a skunk (my friend had one that is deskunked and he is AWESOME!)

 

[Haven]

Four, but I'm always pining away from *just one more* furbaby.

We have three cats--Vince, Manny, and Geddy--and one dog, Bailee.

 

[Beacon]

3 pets - all birds. Two indian ringneck parrots and one small diamond dove. The dove is very quiet and easy to take care of. I say we have 2.5 birds sometimes Dove is a good bird for an apartment. The parrots are work, very loud but entertaining as they speak in english too. I vacuum here everyday. It's work.

I like the idea of a dog, but honestly don't really have the set up/patience etc for it. If I had the space I would have an outdoor aviary and also chickens!

 

[sparklyheart]

I have 2 dogs and it's fine. At first it was a lot because the puppy obviously wasn't well behaved! Now it is getting easier as she approaches the 2 yr mark. My 5 yr old dog is a breeze and so easy. I don't think it got easier with the 2nd one but I don't regret the extra work! As for the expense, I really only noticed it in the beginning with all of the shots and spaying.. Now that she is older, I don't notice the extra cost for food and check ups.. I know it costs more but it's not too bad of a hassle. The extra puppy snuggles make up for it!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Loving reading replies, everyone! Thanks for sharing your stories.

Lyra: Your post makes me think I should *definitely* get another pup

Princesss & Sctsbride: Multiple puppies is a lot of work. A lot of times people sugar coat how hard it can be, so I appreciate your honesty!

Kenny: What's that whatchamacall it pearl thing? I googled- it's a fish, correct?? Why can't it be mentioned on PS? Something is waaaay over my head

Beacon: :Sigh: I LOVE the parrot in your avatar! So gorgeous! My mother really loves birds, wild & otherwise. We grew up with parakeets (pretty easy to care for) but she always wanted an African Grey. Too big of a risk with our cats, though. I'd love to see photos of your feathered friends!

Haven: I've seen photos on PS of your pup & she totally reminds me of mine, as Zoey is also part pit (or some bully breed). Does your Bailee like other dogs? Zoey is just craaaazy for them, but I find other dog owners are apprehensive because she looks stocky, boxy, and like she could inflict serious injuries if she wanted to. In reality, though, she's a total sweetie and a gentle soul.