How many pets should one family have?

Well good morning all .... sitting here with a cup of coffee .... I've become my own barista lately .... sorry Starbucks ... we all have to cut back these days.

So as for our family's pets  ....  we've sort of let this area get out of control..... as if the other areas were in control.  Since we've moved from Atlanta 5 years ago we have gone from 2 dogs and a cat to our current status of 3 dogs and 5 cats.  Now for the sake of "full disclosure" ... we've had and "lost" in various ways .... 4 additional cats.
This all started when my son Tulsa, who was 12 at the time along with his friend Tanner, found 4 kittens in our backyard by the pond one day.  We waited all day taking turns watching from afar, but the mother cat never came back.  After many calls, I was told they would die from the cold overnight.  So our journey began.  I got them in a box and took them with me to Petco.  The very nice lady at checkout showed me the things I'd need to care for them as well as a crash course on raising newborns.  The kittens still had their umbilical cords, and she said they were no more than 2 or 3 days old.   She offered to take 2 of them ... thank goodness.

I took them home and began the process of mothering these tiny babies .... unfortunately we lost one after just 2 days.  Mark told me to take the other to the vet and have her checked out.  We did, and after a $125 vet bill, he told us she looked good and to keep doing what I was doing.  "Hurray!" we all thought.  As you know with 4 children (and a neighborhood full of children) rooting her on, we all became quite attached.  I was up every few hours feeding and "cleaning" her up. She went all over the house with me in a shoe box. 

One afternoon, about 5 days later,  we were all working putting a puzzle together.  Just to note when I say we this usually means my 4 boys as well as 3 or 4 of my "extra children" that I have taken into the fold (yes I have a way of taking in strays of all sorts... I can't help.)  Being a mother doesn't stop at blood ties for me.  You will notice this trend in all the stories I'll write.  But as I said earlier .... I digress ...... ALOT.

Anyway, Our kitty had been alseep a long time and I went to wake her up and she  was limp.  She was gone.  I called Mark, who was very sympathetic, and told him the news.  I was sure he would break the news to his fellow employees and they would "have a moment" - NOT - but it always feels better to tell someone of your plight.  At home however,  there was much crying and decisions about burial (you've all seen the tv shows with the shoebox funerals ....)

So that evening I called my husband as he was driving home.... who by the way is allergic to cats, and I asked "do you think we could have a kitten" .... Mark in his serious voice said "I don't know .... lets talk about it when I get home".  I said okay and told Warren I didn't think we'd get another kitten because daddy was allergic and we already had enough pets (yea right 3 ... little did I know).  So Dad pulled up while we were all outside enjoying the summer evening ... and as I'm looking at him .... I notice he's carrying something in his hands .... not 1 but 2 kittens.  He said that if you have one kitten he needs a friend to grow up with ..... and so the story goes .... Act 2 tommorrow .... They began to multipy.....