I am here to give you a few tips for living with multiple pets. If you have explored this site, you can see that we have 10 pets: 4 senior dogs, 2 young cats, and 4 bunnies! Yes, some might call us crazy, but we only see a house full of fluffy love 🙂
When living with this many pets you want an endless supply of cuddles and licks, not an endless supply of stress and worry. Here are some tips to help your fluffy pets get along!
1. Consider the Cost
If you’re considering a new pet for your home, consider the cost. More pets means more food, litter, beds, vet visits, and unexpected… situations. If you buy in bulk you cost per item usually gets lower. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to save as well! If you have automatic shipments, usually there is a small discount. For my pet-packed household we use Chewy! Amazing prices and great autoship options.
2. Lot’s of Living Space
This seems obvious, but your pets need their own space! Your pet needs space to be active, play, enjoy life! You also need to make sure every pet has their own “safe space”. This could be a dog bed, a tunnel or hut for a bunny, or some stylish shelving for your cats to climb and lounge on. My home has 10 pets! There is a bed for every dog, special areas that each cat claims as their own, and various huts and tunnels for the bunnies 🙂
3. Slow, Safe Introductions
Before you adopt a new pet, make sure you have at least one home visit to make sure they fit in with your pack! Introducing a new pet to you existing pets can be stressful, trust me on this. A slow introduction with proper supervision is key! Our pets love us but they can get territorial, so try one on one meetings in a neutral space. This neutral space could be a spare bedroom, a basement, or even the bathroom. Just be sure it’s a space that no pets “claim” as their own.
This cat calming oil diffuser and dog calming oil diffuser has been a life changer! Its a smell specific to that pet only! So there are no effects that I have encountered for humans or other pets. I’ll be writing a post about how this changed my life soon!!!
4. Provide Multiple Everything
With 4 dogs in my house we have dog beds for day! Actually, we have every pet thing for days… Water bowls, toys, leashes, harnesses, and the list goes on!
You should provide at least one bed per dog. Your dogs need their space to snooze. They may cuddle with each other on occasion, but we all need our own space at times. Cats also enjoy cozy spots, so you may want to get them beds. My cats choose to ignore the beds I got for them and lounge on my couch instead.
There are many theories about how many litter boxes per cat. One per cat. One and a half per cat. I suggest one or two litter boxes per cat. And if you have dogs in the house, check out my favorite design! We have a few of these and they are a life savor. This top entry design prevents my dogs from entering and also provides a discrete place for my cats to do their business! (It comes in multiple colors – we got the dark grey one!)
5. Feeding Locations Are Key!
My dogs are creatures of habit. All four dogs have a specific eating spot that is theirs. Some dogs will run to their feeding spot and wait for me to bring them their food and some dogs follow me around the house until I put their food down.
Typically dogs eat fast and cats will… take their time. Its rare to worry about a cat eating your dogs food, but you need to beware of your dogs eating your cats food. Keep the cat food up high so they can graze at their leisure. This keeps your dogs nose away from your cats food.
6. You May Need Dedicated Rooms
Pets are cute and loving and sweet… until they get into trouble. Our dogs get along fine with our rabbits! But dogs will be dogs and they like to eat anything that falls on the floor. This includes hay and poop from the rabbits. There are many ways around this, but your best bet may be a spare room for your rabbits.
Another thing to consider is having an area were only your cats can venture. This could be a finished basement or another room. Try separating with a baby gate that allows the cats access to the cat space but not the dogs. This cat space may be a perfect place for their litter boxes, toys, tunnels, etc.
7. More Pets Means More Time
With every new pet, the time it takes to care for your pets increases. Think about the time it takes to prep your pets’ food, clean their bowls, change their litter boxes, clean their cages, and so much more!
It is also important to make sure every pet has some one-on-one time. They want to give you love, and you need the time to provide it!
10. Enjoy Every Fluffy Cuddle!
Enjoying a life with multiple pets is extremely rewarding. Like most things in life, it can seem overwhelming at the start. But, once you have a routine for feedings and cleanings as well as a routine for getting your pet supplies, life is one big fluffy cuddle
Oh… get a lint roller! I like these 🙂