With this many cats in the house, we’re dealing with two problems that go hand in hand. Too many cats causes stress, which cause health issues, which causes more stress. So it can be a downward spiral that can get expensive.

One alternative is to reduce the cat population. Which isn’t really an option because it’s hard finding good homes for non-kitten cats. And sending them to the shelter is just not an option.

So I max out my credit cards to get reliable health care for them. And learn about health issues in the process.

Like Little Black Bean had Eosinophilic Granuloma, where her upper lip became swollen and stiff. Fortunately, it’s not one of the messy or painful issues cats can get. A round of steroids can usually solve it.

We also had a mysterious infection going around noses, lips and chins to random cats. Charlie got it the worst and his squishy nose looked like it had been split open.

Of course we also have two elderly cats and an old dog. Plus UTI issues in some cats. And we were using diatomaceous earth preventatively against internal parasites, while fighting fleas with regular flea combings. So it was a circus three times a day for meds.

Once a day I had to get one and a half steroid pills into Little Black Bean who was ferocious. Twice a day I had to get the dog his pain meds for arthritis, which was easily done with cheese. Two to three times a day we had to catch six to eight cats and wipe their chins/lips/noses with anti-bacterial drying ointment. Three to four cats got a herbal tincture for urinary tract health. And one cat got saline drops in her nose for sinus issues from long-term kennel cough.

And they all got a measure of diatomaceous earth in wet cat food every night to fight worms, and then flea combed to battle the flea season overflow, because even the best topical flea treatment isn’t always high-functioning at the height of the Florida flea outbreaks. It can also get expensive if you’re treating over a dozen cats every month with this stuff.

Suffice it to say, things got a little wild from time to time when multiple issues coincided. And add in the ongoing issues with the colony cats who really need medical care I can’t afford…

Fortunately we have a wonderful vet who understands the issues we face, and is happy to work with us on affordable treatment options.