The most cats I ever had at one time was six, and they were all house cats that got along pretty well together. Typically we had three cats at once while I was growing up but for a few years it multiplied to that half a dozen that I remember so well. Right now I only own one cat and I personally feel that three, maybe four house cats is just the right number to have at any given time. My mom currently has seven house cats, and takes care of an unknown number of ferals that she rehabilitates, neuters/spays and gives outdoor shelter to. She and my dad live in a rural area where nobody apparently has ever heard of 'fixing' a cat, so there are always drop-offs and strays running around. In fact, that was how we got half of our cats when I was a child, through strays wandering into our yard and attaching themselves to us in some way. Us kids found a black kitten out in the woods while we were out wandering with our grandpa one day. He told us to put the kitten on the ground and see if he followed us. He did. So, we picked the kitten back up and took him home to stay. That kitty had a scar on his neck that remained for the rest of his life, and it's entirely possible that someone had taken a shot at him with a gun at some point. That black stray lived for 19 years with us. in fact, we only had one cat whom we actively sought out and paid for. The rest were all freebies who suddenly showed up in our yard looking desperate. The cat I currently have is a rescue, like all of those others, and that seems to be the usual way for people where I come from, to acquire a new kitty. It's funny how puppies don't seem to suffer that same fate in that area, mostly cats get dropped off, especially if people find out that you love them and will take care of them.
