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People are naturally social and canine are identified to thrive in packs. You might marvel in case your feline relations crave firm from different cats too. Properly, the social workings of cats can truly make some multi-cat households slightly difficult.
Stress between our pets is all the time distressing and may be tough to handle. Studying learn how to correctly introduce cats and acknowledge the warning indicators of battle offers you the most effective probability for harmonious residing. On this article, we’ll focus on why multi-cat residing may be disturbing for cats and how one can assist.
Two’s a Crowd: The Social Lifetime of Cats
Do all cats want to reside alone? Each cat is exclusive however they’re all territorial to a point. Their house is essential to them and this will make group residing tough. Territories are sometimes fashioned based mostly on meals availability and designed to keep away from battle with different cats. When a number of cats are pressured into an enclosed space, equivalent to a house atmosphere, this will result in stress and battle if area and assets usually are not evenly distributed.
Felidae (the organic household encompassing all cat species) are usually solitary animals, with the notable exception of lions. Nonetheless, Felis catus (the home cat) has developed to be amenable to group conditions, probably resulting from many generations of human domestication and their pure adaptability.
Feral cats typically kind small colonies, that are largely based mostly round feminine teams collaborating to lift their younger. Relationships inside these teams are sometimes difficult. They continue to be solitary hunters and don’t kind a traditional pack. Male cats are normally impartial of those teams.
A 2022 research highlighted the complicated nature of cat-to-cat interactions and the way an enormous number of components affect feline stress. It’s tough to discover a straight reply as to if multi-cat households have a tendency to extend stress in cats, however cat-to-cat battle can actually be problematic.
Secrets and techniques to Success
It’s potential for cats residing collectively to kind robust social bonds. MNStudio / Shutterstock
In accordance with Worldwide Cat Care, multi-cat households don’t should be disturbing if sure safeguards are adopted. Some necessary components to contemplate when working with a couple of cat embody introducing a brand new cat to an current one, organizing the home to make sure honest useful resource availability, and minimizing battle.
Multi-Cat Introductions
The best way you introduce your new cat could make or break the success of your multi-cat family. Introductions ought to be made step by step over the course of a number of weeks. Set up a personal territory to your new cat, away from the principle areas of your resident cat, in order that they every have a secure area within the house.
Begin with scent-swapping, then progress to visible contact earlier than the cats are allowed bodily entry to the identical areas. Watch fastidiously for warning indicators of aggression, equivalent to mounted staring, flattened ears, swishing tails, growling, or hissing. These all imply the cat does not need to battle, however they’ll to guard themselves. Cats who’ve a profitable social bond will groom one another and sleep shut collectively.
Once I introduced house a second cat, I took introductions extraordinarily fastidiously. I arrange a secure area for the brand new cat, Jazzy, distant from my cat Pi’s favourite spots. I gave them separate feeding areas, litter containers, beds, hiding locations, and toys in order that they didn’t should compete. That they had no contact in any respect till Jazzy had spent just a few weeks settling in.
Subsequent I spent two weeks exchanging bedding and toys between them so that they had entry to one another’s scent. Then I allowed them transient visible contact with a child gate as a barrier to forestall bodily contact. They appeared curious reasonably than fearful, so after one other few weeks, I eliminated the child gate. I didn’t power them to satisfy they usually every had entry to all they wanted with out infringing on one another’s territory. In my case, the 2 by no means fashioned a detailed social bond however they reside fortunately in the identical atmosphere with out battle or stress.
Sharing Sources
The success of cat colonies within the wild largely is determined by the supply of key assets, equivalent to meals and shelter. So take into consideration all of your cats’ wants: meals and water, litter field, snuggle spots, toys, and the nice bird-watching home windows. If every cat or bonded group of cats, has entry to assets in their very own territory, hostility ought to largely be averted.
Place meals and water bowls so your cats can eat and drink with out having to show their again to their environment and potential rivals. Equally, cats have to really feel secure whereas utilizing their litter field. Some cats might block entry to litter trays as a type of passive aggression. This may result in well being issues equivalent to bladder and bowel illness in addition to nervousness. Litter containers ought to be plentiful, positioned in quiet areas, and cleaned at the least as soon as a day.
Cats additionally want a number of sleep and entry to snug sleeping areas the place they will let their guard down. Many cats want elevated beds or perches the place they will relaxation and observe with out feeling threatened. Resting areas don’t should be costly—most cats love a comfortable blanket or perhaps a cardboard field.
Feline Pheromones
Cats use scent as a serious type of communication and their intrinsic pheromones are a part of this secret messaging system. Territory marking is carried out utilizing pheromones in feces and urine. It’s additionally performed by way of the paw pads whereas scratching and thru facial and flank glands once they rub themselves towards objects or individuals.
Offering scratching posts not solely helps cats fulfill their pure want to sharpen and hone their claws, it additionally permits for good cat communication about their territory boundaries. Enhance the possibilities of concord between your cats through the use of pheromone sprays or diffusers, equivalent to Feliway, to encourage nice messages reasonably than tetchy disputes.
Widespread Issues
Aggression between cats is usually a large supply of stress. Glue Promsiri / Shutterstock.com
Having a couple of cat can result in a loving, bonded social group, however there are additionally some potential pitfalls. Let’s undergo some frequent issues and learn how to sort out them.
Urine Spraying
Cats, each female and male, use urine spraying as a type of communication—normally about territorial borders and disputes.
In case your cat leaves urine round the home, it may be tough to inform whether or not it was spraying or simply inappropriate toileting conduct. Spraying differs from regular urination in that it entails a small quantity of strongly scented urine and is finished towards a vertical floor. Until you catch them within the act, it may be tough to say for positive. A superb start line is to have your cat checked by a vet to make sure there isn’t any medical trigger for home soiling.
If the urination appears behavioral, guarantee all cats have their very own secure area. Present entry to all assets with out them having to undergo one other cat’s territory. Place scratching posts in key areas to encourage communication by way of scratching reasonably than urine marking.
Cat Fights
As a veterinarian, I see cats within the clinic who’ve chunk and scratch wounds inflicted by different cats, normally resulting from territorial disputes. However usually, this isn’t frequent. Cats are solitary predators who know they should keep secure to maintain offering themselves with meals and shelter. They have an inclination to have robust self-preservation instincts and need to keep away from fights.
Bodily battle is a final resort, so if you happen to observe indicators of aggression between cats, it is advisable intervene. Separate the offending events and guarantee they every have their very own assets. Then carry out a gradual reintroduction—simply as you’d introduce new cats for the primary time. Artificial pheromones might assist to foster pleasant emotions.
Bullying
Though cats don’t have a pack construction to their social teams, relationships between people can develop into difficult. It’s not unusual to have a bully inside the group. This cat tends to benefit from the others and may limit entry to meals and water bowls, litter containers, resting areas, and different shared areas like catios.
Cautious remark can typically establish a feline bully. There is probably not overt indicators of aggression, equivalent to combating or hissing. You might witness extra passive-aggressive stances, equivalent to mendacity in wait at feeding instances, ready to assault after the opposite cat makes use of the litter field, or guarding a cat flap. Care ought to be taken so all people have entry to their very own wants with out affect from different cats.
