Why We Shouldn't Have More Than One Cat Per Family, According To One Ex-Purr-T

This Is Why You Shouldn't Have More Than One Cat
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If, like us, you aspire to become one of those cat ladies (or cat men?) living in a house with dozens of moggies, drinking tea and just generally enjoying the company of your numerous feline counterparts, then we've got some news for you...

A leading animal expert has shunned the idea of having more than one cat per home. But don't despair, because Dr Sarah Ellis might actually have a valid point.

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The reason why having more than one moggy per household is problematic?

Currently there's something of a crisis for the species due to territorial tiffs, which can be pretty nasty and can result in psychological harm to our furry friends.

For a new BBC2 series Cat Watch: the New Horizon Experiment, Dr Sarah Ellis - who is something of a specialist in the area of cats (we've read her bio) - followed 100 cats from different areas.

Her findings were conclusive. There's a serious problem caused by the density of feline populations.

She told the Radio Times: “As humans, the more we love something, the more we want it and the greater the number of it we want. We love cats therefore we’re not content with one – we want two or three or four and if our neighbour feels the same and his neighbour feels the same, we suddenly have a huge problem – three households with nine cats.”

Though it might sound heavenly for you. It's not for cats - territorial wars ensue.

Dr Ellis added: “Although we feel really happy because we’ve rescued them and given them a home, we’ve actually created a situation where they’re not happy at all."

Story continues below...

Cats Doing Impressions
Bouncer(01 of21)
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There's always one desperate club-goer who refuses to back down.(via Reddit)
George Costanza(02 of21)
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Just mix some neuroticism into this self-complacency and the cat is all set.(via Epic Ponyz)
Abercrombie Model(03 of21)
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For more poses just pick up the $26 catalog from your nearest Abercrombie.(via Reddit)
John McCain(04 of21)
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Seems more likely that John McCain is doing a cat impression--how else do you explain that face?(via Reddit)
Superman(05 of21)
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Superman never was the most exciting super hero, so we don't blame the cat for falling asleep mid-pose.(via Reddit)
Anderson Cooper(06 of21)
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The Silver Fox gets some competition.(via Totally Looks Like)
Neo(07 of21)
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Taking the Red Pill has never been this cool. (credit:Flickr:Pargon)
Yoda(08 of21)
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If only getting friends to pose as Yoda was as easy as a belly rub.(via YouTube)
Hitler(09 of21)
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Hopefully he fares better than this Hitler-looking cat.(via Reddit)
Keith Richards(10 of21)
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Considering all the other things Keith Richards' appearance has been likened to, this comparison seems quite generous.(via Totally Looks Like)
Cat In The Hat(11 of21)
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If only every cat had a miracle marking like this to save him from being dressed up in over-sized hats. (via Reddit)
Frat Boy(12 of21)
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The only time frat behavior will ever seem endearing.(via Funny Junk)
Jabba The Hut(13 of21)
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Little do we know the pose took 18 consecutive Star Wars viewings to perfect.(via Reddit)
Dobby(14 of21)
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What better way to be remembered than in the eyes of a kitten.(via Funny Junk)
David Bowie(15 of21)
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Seems strange the first thing this cat's owner thought after snapping this pic was "David Bowie On The Computer!" but the result is so awesome we won't ask questions.(via Reddit)
Vladimir Lenin(16 of21)
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Default impression for cats who can't grow a Karl Marx beard.(via Reddit)
John Lennon(17 of21)
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Finally settled on Lennon after trying impressions of Dominic Dunne, Gandhi, Ozzy Osbourne, and George Burns.(via Reddit)
Nigel Thornberry(18 of21)
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Also meows in a nasally British accent.(via Totally Looks Like)
A Cheetah(19 of21)
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Can accelerate from 0 to 6 mph in 2 seconds. (credit:Flickr:Miss Claeson)
Another Cat(20 of21)
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Laziest/most accurate impression ever. (via Funny Junk)
Garfield(21 of21)
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We'll take this over the Bill Murray adaptation any day.(via Reddit)

So how would you know that your cat's not happy with how things are, territorially?

According to the Humane Society, there are varying signs that your cat is showing territorial aggression: "Typical behavior includes stalking, chasing, ambushing, hissing, loud meowing, swatting, and preventing access to places (such as the litter box, bedroom, etc.)"

They also note that female cats can be just as territorial as males, and that if your cat is showing signs of aggression then the last thing you want to do is add more cats.

"Some cats are willing to share their house and territory with multiple cats, but the more cats who share the same territory, the more likely it is that some of your cats will not get along with each other."

Meanwhile there are those who think that the notion of a multi-cat ban is not so great.

Celia Hammond, a former model who also founded the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, said that imposing this rule on households is “ridiculous”.

“The majority of cats are very gregarious – they love each other so much, they enjoy living together and grooming each other."

She added: "If someone was out all day, we wouldn’t give them just one cat because they would be lonely – we would give them two cats. Multiple cat households are a good thing.”

Yes Celia, we see your point. Plus we're not entirely sure that 'pigeon lady' has the same ring to it.

What do you think? Would a single cat quota (per household) be a good thing? Tweet us @HuffPoLifestyle.