Living with multiple pets is a lot. I love having a house full of animals, but there are definitely days when it feels like all I do is feed somebody, clean something up, let somebody outside, fill a water bowl, give a medication, or figure out which pet is causing trouble. Then five minutes later I am laughing at something one of them did.
That is pretty much life in my house. I have both cats and dogs, and every one of them has a completely different personality. Milo, Pearl, Ashley, Train and Boots all have their own ways of doing things. Then there are the dogs, including Sammy, Simba and Lady. There is never a shortage of personalities around here, and somehow they all seem to think they are in charge.
Having a Routine Helps
I don’t think you can have several pets without eventually falling into some kind of routine. They create one for you whether you plan it or not. They know when they usually eat, when you normally get up, when treats happen, and even when you are running late.
With this many animals, I have a lot of little things to keep track of every day. There is food, water, litter boxes, going outside, medications, treats, cleaning and just checking on everybody. After a while, you do a lot of it automatically.
You also get very good at noticing when something is different. If one of my pets doesn’t show up when food comes out, I notice. If someone is sleeping in an unusual place, I notice. If one of them is acting quieter than usual, I notice. When you live with pets every day, especially several of them, you really learn what is normal for each individual animal.
Feeding Multiple Pets Can Be a Whole Production
Feeding time around here can feel like I am running a little restaurant. Every pet has their own way of eating. Some are ready immediately, some take their time, and there is always somebody interested in what another pet has in their bowl.
Anyone with several pets probably knows what I mean. You can give two animals exactly the same thing and somehow the food in the other bowl looks better.
Sometimes pets have to eat in different places. Sometimes I have to keep an eye on who is eating what. With several cats and dogs, you learn pretty quickly who you can trust around somebody else’s dinner and who needs a little supervision.
And pets definitely know when it is mealtime. You don’t need a clock when you have animals waiting for breakfast.
They Don’t All Have to Be Best Friends
This is something I know from experience. Just because several pets live in the same house doesn’t mean they are all going to become best friends.
Boots and Milo are a good example. Boots can sometimes bully Milo, so I have to pay attention to what is going on between them. They live in the same home, but that doesn’t mean they always agree about how things should work.
Some animals become close. Some sleep together or like being in the same room. Others are perfectly happy mostly ignoring each other. Sometimes peaceful coexistence is the goal.
I think people can feel disappointed when they bring another pet home and everyone doesn’t immediately love each other. Animals have personalities. Some need more time and some are simply never going to be close. As long as everybody can feel safe and have their own space, that is what matters most to me.
Giving Everyone Attention
One thing I think about with several pets is making sure nobody gets forgotten just because another pet happens to be louder or more demanding. Every animal asks for attention differently.
Some make sure you know exactly what they want. They follow you, get in your lap, stare at you or simply refuse to be ignored. Then there are quieter pets who might sit nearby and wait for you to notice them.
I try to remember that attention doesn’t have to mean the same thing for every pet. One may want to sit beside me. Another may want to be brushed. Someone else may want to play. A dog may just want to follow me around the house. They all have their own way of being close.
Life With Young Pets and Senior Pets Is Very Different
Another thing that makes my house interesting is that I have pets of different ages. Simba is 18 now, so life with him is very different from life with a younger dog like Lady.
With an older pet, you notice things you might not think about when they are young. They sleep more. They may move more slowly. They can need medications and extra help. Their routines can change, and you learn to adjust along with them.
Train is also one of my senior pets. She is 15 now, and having older animals has taught me a lot about patience and paying attention to little changes. Then you have the younger ones who bring a completely different kind of energy into the house. Sometimes it feels like I have several stages of pet life going on under one roof.
There Is Always Some Kind of Chaos
If you have several pets, your house is probably never completely calm for very long. Someone wants outside. Someone wants back in. A cat is somewhere they shouldn’t be. A dog thinks you might possibly be heading toward the kitchen, so they need to follow you just in case food is involved. You finally sit down and suddenly somebody needs something.
Then there are the things pets do that make absolutely no sense. You can buy comfortable beds and somebody chooses the floor. You buy toys and they prefer the box. You clean everything and five minutes later there is fur everywhere again.
I don’t even know how pet fur manages to get into some of the places where I find it. Once you have several cats and dogs, I think you just accept that fur is part of the decorating.
Your House Slowly Becomes Their House
When you live with this many pets, you start making household decisions around them without even realizing it. You think about whether something will be easy to clean. You have blankets that technically belong to you, but everybody knows they really belong to the animals.
Pet supplies start taking over cabinets. There are beds, bowls, toys, treats, leashes, brushes, medications, cat litter and food everywhere.
And you learn to watch where you are walking, especially at night. With cats and dogs in the house, there is always a chance somebody has decided the middle of the floor is the perfect place to sleep.
Every Pet Changes the Household
Every time another animal becomes part of a household, things change. The other pets have to adjust. New relationships form. Someone may have to share a favorite spot. Another pet might suddenly have a new playmate. There can also be jealousy.
I think that is one of the most interesting parts of having multiple animals. You aren’t only building a relationship with each pet. You also get to watch them build relationships with each other.
Sometimes those relationships are sweet. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are a little complicated.
There Are Hard Parts Too
Having multiple pets isn’t always cute pictures and funny stories. There are vet bills, illnesses, medications, accidents and behavior problems.
When you have senior pets like Simba and Train, you also start thinking more about keeping them comfortable and noticing changes as they get older. There are times when I worry about them.
Sometimes you are watching one pet closely and another one suddenly needs something too. That can be tiring. The older my pets get, the more I realize how much our routines change around what they need. But when you love them, you adjust.
The Funny Part Is That You Get Used to It
People sometimes wonder how someone manages a house with so many animals. I think you just get used to your own household.
I don’t walk around thinking about them as one big group of pets. I think of Milo as Milo. Boots is Boots. Pearl, Ashley and Train are all their own personalities. Simba, Sammy and Lady are completely different from one another too.
You know who likes what. You know where everybody normally sleeps. You know who comes running when food is involved. You know who causes trouble. You know who needs a little more watching. And you know when one of them just isn’t acting like themselves.
They become part of how your day works.
What People Don’t Always Understand
Sometimes people think if you have several pets, you can’t possibly give each one enough attention. I don’t see it that way.
I don’t have the exact same relationship with every pet because they aren’t the same. Some need more attention. Some are more independent. Some want to be right beside you. Some like having their own space. You learn what each one needs.
Caring for them is also part of loving them. Feeding them, taking care of them when they are sick, knowing their habits, talking to them, checking on them and making sure they are comfortable are all part of that relationship.
Sometimes love looks like cuddling on the couch. Sometimes it looks like giving an old dog his medication. Sometimes it looks like making sure Boots isn’t giving Milo a hard time.
Why I Still Love Having a House Full of Pets
There are definitely days when having this many animals feels like a lot. There are days when I am cleaning something up and wondering how it got there. There are mornings when somebody wakes me up much earlier than I would like. There are days when it seems as if I just finished feeding everyone and somebody is already looking at me like they haven’t eaten in a week.
Then one of them makes me laugh. Or one comes over and sits beside me. Or I see one of the older pets having a particularly good day. Or the house gets quiet for a few minutes and I look around and everyone is sleeping.
Those are the things I love.
My house would probably be cleaner without all these animals. It would definitely be quieter. But it wouldn’t feel like my house.
Living with multiple pets can be messy, noisy, expensive, funny, tiring and sometimes stressful. It is also something I wouldn’t want to give up. They are all different, they all have their quirks, and every single one of them adds something to my life.