Life with 12 cats - how do I manage it and what does Gene say (my amazing husband)?
I have come to terms with a few things after becoming the crazy cat lady - thankfully I got married so I don't fully fill the crazy cat lady definition!
I will spend a fortune on vet bills, cat food, litter, toys, and who knows what else for my super spoiled 12 cats. In the last 4 years we have single handedly spent more than $8,000 in vet bills, specialist, overnight stays, annual visits, sick appointments and dental work. You'll be reading about some of those over night stays in the coming blogs.
Laundry - you think laundry is never ending with kids? Try laundry with 12 cats, 2 who prefer to do their business right next to the litter box - not in it. Hello reusable puppy pads! I do at least one load of them a day. This is in addition to the throw away puppy pads that we use for the super fancy litter box. (Thanks Clara and Rollie!) Let's not forget all the beds, heating pad covers, couch & chair covers. They get done on a weekly basis, and I never seem to get it all done!
Nice, comfy, stylish furniture. Yep - we have the super old school couch and matching rocker. Wooden frame with the country print on the cushions. After many trials and tribulations over the best way to manage the cat hair/dander on the furniture - we found sheets to be the answer. A full size sheet fits the couch and actually stays on when we sit on the couch! Twin sheets work nicely on the chairs, folded and tucked in just the right way.
There will always be an upset stomach, and never at a convenient time. Running late for work - there's a little puke pile. Walking bare foot or just in socks - hello slimly little bile. No matter what, every time I have to decipher - who was it, is it just a hairball, they ate a piece of something they shouldn't have, does this mean a trip to the vet?
Poop scooping....so much litter scooping. With a grand total of 9 litter boxes, it's a daily thing. Forget trying to do it every other day, cats have perfected the true meaning of spite. Not scooping gives them the right to pick any other place in the house to do their business.
I know, you're dying to know what does the amazing husband say about all these cats? Let's call it a love/hate relationship. He loves them as much as he hates them. Ask him, he will straight up tell you he hates them. Deep down, he does love them, well at least most of them. The hate runs stronger for some because of the horrific behavior. If I try to bring in another pet, I'll be the one without a roof over my head. Normally I would disregard that - but he's been pretty strict lately. He also doesn't keep it a secret how much of a pain they can be in every way possible - always a puke pile, always litter where it shouldn't be...(how the hell do they get litter in the fully made bed?!?!?), we just bought food/litter, how long is this medicine being given...the list goes on!
He feels strongly that they create a ton of work & extra expenses. There's no way I can deny that. They are work, they are expensive. But most days they make up for it. You might wonder how they make up for it? They are completely unbiased, non judging, don't talk back and love unconditionally. Not to mention, they sense when you are sick, feeling down or just need some love with no strings attached.
Till our tails cross again,
Mel
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