Pet Management Tips: Multiple Cats

When you have a house full of cats (like I do), sometimes chaos reigns supreme. What with the occasional bickering, the almost constant playing, and the nightly bed hogging (on your side of the bed of course) there is a major need for some semblance of order in the household. Now those of us that are true and fiercely loyal cat lovers know that our kitties are the true bosses of the house, not the other way around. But there are some tricks and tips that you can put to use that will make your fur babies think that you're catering to them, when in reality you're getting them to do YOUR bidding instead.

First off, make sure you have at least one bowl per two cats in your home. It may not totally stop the arguments over food, as they will inevitably congregate at the same bowl at the same time every once in a while. But it will reduce the frequency of the skirmishes.

Secondly, along with the multiple food dishes, make sure you have more than one water container. If your cats are anything like mine, they go through their drinking water like nobody's business. One container simply won't do when you have more than two cats. Your best bet for water dishes is the kind that has the inverted "jug" that slowly lets more water into the bowl as your cats drink from it. The water stays cleaner longer, and there isn't that temptation (at least not quite as strong anyway) for kitty to splash water all over the place by playing in it. An added major benefit of this type of water dish is that it is more stable and cannot be tipped over easily. And that means less messes to be mopped up.

Thirdly, try to have more than one litter box in the house if you have three or more inside cats. This helps to reduce the offensive odors, and again it helps to stop the arguments as to who gets to use the box first. Plus, kitties do like their privacy and if you place the litter boxes in strategically hidden locations it makes them all the happier because they feel as if no one can see them doing their thing.

Last, but most definitely not least, make sure that if you decide to purchase special beds for your babies, make sure to get one for each cat. Otherwise the more aggressive kitties will bully the others away and hog the beds for themselves. This also gives them more than one choice as to where they will nap. But keep in mind that no matter how many kitty beds you place around your home, YOUR bed will more than likely be their first and most favorite choice for sleeping.