Too many

The cats are driving us crazy.... That is putting it in a nutshell. It all boils down to we have too many cats.

I think my stay in the hospital sent Cleo and Patora over the edge. Patora especially does not like Tetsu and was hiding from him the whole week I was gone. She is taking out her frustrations now (and probably while I was gone) on Chip. Chip only feels comfortable hidden away somewhere.

Toi is at his worse behavior and attacks Cleo mercilessly. Cleo has cuts and injuries from being ambushed by Toi.

Vel (and probably Cleo and probably Chip) are completely miswired in their bathroom habits. No surface, no corner, no piece of cloth or clothing laid down absentmindedly is safe from them. You can see what that means for my sewing room.

Mi happily wanders through the household and spreads cat fur everywhere (she has such dense fur and it is shedding terribly now.) And why it is that in this heat and mugginess Mi has to sit on the computer making it hotter, I don't know.

"Get away from here!!! You are going to make the computer overheat sitting right on its ventilation outlet!"

I try to keep this or that cat away from that or this cat but someone always figures out how to open the wrong door and the battle begins. Tetsu and I have cleaned and wiped and disinfected but the minute we start work on another area, the first area is sprayed again. Feliway... both the spray type and the dispenser type, does not work. And in this humidity, smells linger. Sometimes I feel like I am going under... But it is all my own doing. If I hadn't picked up so many cats, the first couple could have lived peacefully. They have all lived here so long that I can't think of giving any of them away...

Sometimes I look out at the huge forest behind us and think,

"Just let them go outside. There is a whole world of adventure out there. If they are so scared, they won't go very far anyway. If they are smart, they will come home when they are hungry. Cats should be allowed outside. You are not a good cat owner the way you make them feel trapped. You are not a good cat owner the way your voice rises with your frustrations. Everyone would be happier if the cats could work their aggressiveness out in natural surroundings. You would not be abandoning them. They would be welcomed back when they returned. They would be fed and have collars and be inoculated."

But somewhere in my past I got it in my head that cats should be kept indoors. That's not the way we kept cats when I was a child. Our cats in California have always had the run of the yard and the neighbors yards. Why did I turn into such a scaredy -cat myself? Advice just makes me more confused. Some cat lovers tell me to let the cats outside and let them be cats. (For non-cat lovers this is an obvious solution. "What is the big problem Tanya?") Some cat lovers tell me that I shouldn't think of such a cruel thing. Cats can get hit by cars. Cats can pick up illnesses from other cats out there... or from eating the abundant frogs... or from confronting the snakes... Outdoor cats will bring home fleas and ticks and if you let them back in the house you will have a bigger problem, Tanya!

So here I sit with my alcohol laden rag trying to wipe up puddles and disinfect at the same time. Here I am with my Febreze and room deodorants and extra laundry. I guess I'm not going to do anything before I leave for the States. I worry enough about my feline family without wondering if they are coming home at night.

Six cats are too many! From the pictures they look happy enough, don't they?