Here’s some quick math. One cat = fun. Got it? Sooooo, two cats = double fun! Not Right? Not so fast, young jedi. For the vast part of my cat owning life, I’ve lived with two cats. Indeed, living with multiple cats can be a rewarding experience, but it also comes with a handful (armful?) of its own set of challenges. Besides the cost (because you gotta double everything, naturally), one of the biggest challenges is making sure both of my cats have enough space, resources and attention. Cat tech to the rescue! Let me show you help cat tech products can make your life so much easier and your cats happier.
As I mentioned, I’ve lived and currently reside with two cats. My first two cats were Amber and Topaz. My two kids, Amber, Topaz and I lived in a three-bedroom apartment rental, and it was the first time I ever had or even took care of cats (and I had the audacity to get two of ‘em!) As of this post in 2024, I live with Duke and Duchess in a one-bedroom, purchased condo. I’m going to share with you what I did back in the day as a first-time, inexperienced cat owner, and what I do differently today as an experienced cat lover, what I want to do in the future with my furbabies and how these changes have or will make my life and/or my babies’ lives happier.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
Mindset
- Back in the Day: I’ve never owned a cat before. My experiences of cat ownership came from television and a few ignorant cat owners. I didn’t know they were ignorant at the time! I thought cat ownership was basic, give them some tuna, water and buy a litter box, litter and a toy or two.
- Today: I’m wiser but lazier.
- Future: Super-duper lazy.
Why the change: Because I’m tired all the time.
Food
- Back in the Day: Friskies dry food in whatever extra plastic bowl I had and wet food for special occasions.
- Today: Weruva wet food lovingly served by me in two separate, ceramic dishes for breakfast and dinner. A double bowl, automatic feeder that provides a mid-day snack of IAMS Weight Control & Hairball Care Dry Cat Food. I give them Greenies Dental Snacks before I go to bed. I’m getting a snack too so why not them?
- Future: A dry feeder that has an app to alert me when food is low. A feeder that only opens for one cat based on a chip so I can be certain that they are each getting their fair share of food
Why the change: Ceramic is better than plastic. I give more wet food to keep my kitties hydrated. Lastly, a dry feeder lets me control the portions and timing schedules when I’m at work, away for the weekend or on a vacation for a week. Plus, I’m lazy, sometimes I just want to sleep late.
Water
- Back in the Day: tap water in whatever extra plastic bowl I had.
- Today: Brita-filtered water in a large capacity, stainless steel automatic water fountain.
- Future: A fountain that has an app and a motion sensor.
Why the change: I have a Brita pitcher that I keep refrigerated, so I just share. A fountain that has an app to alert me when filters need to be changed, informs me how much my cats are drinking. A motion sensor would just be cool.
Litter box and Litter
- Back in the Day: one medium, plastic, low-rise litter box, steel scoop, Fresh Step litter and random plastic shopping bags from the supermarket for waste.
- Today: one large plastic, high-rise litter box kit, Arm & Hammer Slide Litter and dog poop baggies for waste discardment.
- Future: Litter-Robot 3, the Rolls Royce of litter boxes. I’m just not sure if I want to buy the Litter-Robot 4Bundle.
Why the change: With the low-rise box, Amber and Topaz would send litter flying all over then place when they would do their thing in the box. With the high-rise, I have less mess. I don’t know about you but when was the last time a supermarket gave out plastic bags? They don’t over here, so I bought some tiny ones to make my life easy. I liked Fresh Step litter for the smell but cleanup left a lot to be desired. It would stick on the sides of the litter box. Arm & Hammer’s Slide does exactly that: it slides right out of the box and doesn’t stick to the scoop. Why do I want a Litter-Robot 4? I’m lazy.
Toys
- Back in the Day: a cat wand and a manual laser pointer.
- Today: two cat subscription boxes a month (here’s the other), multiple cat wands, too many catnip, plush toys to count, two automatic laser pointers (tabletop and door handle),
- Future – a bigger variety of automatic toys such as this and this.
Why the change: Duke and Duchess love a laser pointer but my arm would get tired. The automatic laser pointer alleviates that issue. I love giving my cats a variety of toys to play with, just like I love my variety of summer sandals. A girl gotta have options! Plus, repeat after me, I’m lazy.
Grooming
- Back in the Day: one cat brush, tiny cat nail clipper and blood-stopping powder.
- Today: one deshedding brush, one slicker brush and light-guiding, large cat nail clipper.
- Future: arch self-groomer.
Why the change: My original brush did nothing for matted fur. The slicker does and Duke and Duchess love it. Also that tiny clipper I used to have was so small and uncomfortable, and with my cats refusing to stay still as I nails clipped their nails, I nicked the bloodline a few times. Hence, the blood-absorbing power was always nearby. The light-guided clipper handles better and helps me clip their nails faster and safely. As for the self groomer? You know why. L.A.Z.Y.
Fur Removal
- Back in the Day: sticky rollers.
- Today: Chom Chom, extra, Scotch extra sticky rollers and fur/lint removing dryer sheets.
- Future: I don’t know emoji. Do you have any suggestions or ideas?
Why the change: All four of my cats are huge shedders. You can go through those sticky rollers fast. Depending on the quality, they don’t pick up well which means you’re going to keep spending a lot of money to remove fur from your bed, couch and clothing.
Let me tell you, my Chom Chom has been a life saver! Duchess loves to nap in my spot on the bed when I go to work, so I come home to a fur blanket on my side of the bed. I grab my Chom Chom, which I keep on my nightstand, and with a few quick swipe, that fur is gone! I use it on my couch as well. I do have a sticky roller at home but I rarely need it. As for those dryer sheets? I’m not sure if they’re working but I figure since I use dryer sheets, I should go ahead and maximize it’s potential.
Scratching
- Back in the Day: I didn’t think about it until they scratched up my couch. I bought a small, vertical scratching post. Amber loved it but I learned that Topaz was a horizontal scratcher. Who knew cats had all these preferences? I bought a small horizontal scratching board as well.
- Today: a medium-height vertical scratching post and a cat tree with a small horizontal scratching board.
- Future: a larger, heavier vertical scratching post and a larger horizontal scratching board.
Why the change: the medium post slides too easily and they immediately stop using it when it slides. Plus, these cats have gotten bigger since I’ve adopted them (could be all the treats)! They need something bigger that doesn’t move around as much.
Fur Cleanup
- Back in the Day: watch the tumbleweeds of fur roll around on the tiled floors. I eventually bought a Dyson Animal for rooms that had carpet.
- Today: iRobot Roomba to the rescue, and I still have that old Dyson!
- Future: A housekeeper.
Why the change: Do I even have to say it? LOL
Monitoring
- Back in the Day: with my two eyes whenever I was home and paying attention.
- Today: Kasa security camera.
- Future: Petcube Play 2 Camera – camera and laser pointer for the win!
Why the change: I wanted a home security camera. I did consider the Furbo but I didn’t want the one that threw treats (that’s my job!). I tested the Furbo mini but felt the Kasa suited my needs better because the camera pans and tilts, had a longer cord and did pretty much the same thing the Furbo mini did while also have a cheaper price point.
Vet Visits
- Back in the Day: annual visits and occasional visits for specific concerns.
- Today: same.
- Future: continue with the vets and try out some health monitoring, diagnostic litter.
Why the change: Cats are prone to kidney issues and disease. Vet visits are not cheap, neither are kidney infection treatments. I’ve lost cats to kidney disease. I would like to be aware of these issues sooner than later.
And that’s it! My past, present and future foray into cat care. I’ve changed so much and cat tech products have really helped me lean into my lazy nature. Now, it’s your turn! What are your favorite cat tech products for multi-cat households? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments below!