The title is a bit misleading. In multi-cat households some cats will grieve, in their own way, the passing of one of the cats in the house. They might search for the departed cat or cry out more often that usual. They may behave in a depressed way and become quiet.
But other cats or perhaps a single cat might react in the opposite way, not because of nastiness but because there may have been a longstanding dispute between them over territory or some other aspect of shared living space that had stressed the remaining cat.
The once stressed or dominated cat no longer has to suffer that difficulty and therefore feels more content as the cause of the stress is eliminated. He becomes calmer, friendlier and happier.
Not quite jumping for joy as described in the title but more content, nonetheless.
Siamese and cats in the Siamese family of cats (e.g. Oriental Shorthairs and Balinese) are the sociable breeds and therefore the most likely to benefit from the introduction of a new cat. However, that is probably an oversimplification as it is dependent upon the personalities of individual cats.
Has anyone experienced this or am I exaggerating and falsely assessing what might happen?
Dee, a very experienced cat guardian and carer says:
In a multi-cat household, it is the caretakers job to make sure that peace prevails. There may be “cliques”, but they must all be integrated and demonstrate tolerance for one another, if not caring. If done correctly, there is no celebration for the loss of a fellow member.
There, now you know….Thanks Dee.
Michele has this experience to share:
Many years ago I adopted sibling kittens from a local rescue. The male was sociable and confident, whereas his sister was timid, but very affectionate with those she trusted. As they grew up, they had as little to do with each other as possible. There was never any hissing, staring matches or signs of hostility, they simply ignored each other. When he died, she became a much more confident and outgoing cat and my vet at the time told me it was fairly common for a timid cat’s personality to blossom when a more dominant individual was no longer around.
The important aspect of this is the personality if individual cats. Timid cats are more likely to be stressed than confident cats and therefore more likely to benefit from the passing of a confident cat in a group. That is my thought about this.
I completely agree I have experienced this as well in the past and now in the present I know for a fact that Alfie will ‘jump for joy’ when Mr Jinks leaves
At present we have the least cats we’ve ever had with only Walt and Jo now, but when we had five (one wasn’t really ours but preferred to live with us as he didn’t get along with his feline sister) we always made sure each one felt special and loved and safe.
When our very old cat Bert died, Bryan was only a kitten but he had cared for Bert, washing his face for him and curling up with him. He actually jumped onto Bert’s body as he had died naturally through the night, jumped straight off again and carried on with his life. It was as if he was saying goodbye. All our other cats have gone quiet when we have lost one, poor Jozef lost his friend Popsy and a year later his granma Ebony, he definately grieved for both by overgrooming. Walter hadn’t bothered with the girlz much but he showed his grief by spraying, which he does if he gets anxious. Just like people I think cats have different ways of coping with a loss.
I agree they certainly do Ruth. Cats really do have feelings you can see it really in multi Families or even if its 2-3. They can certainly sense it.
Michael your judgement can’t be wrong after so many years of watching and experiencing with cats and kittens but I will definitely agree with YOU and with 2 conditions which DEE has mentioned in her first post above 😀
Perfect written and informative, too.
My suggestion is that for the welfare sake of let people come in knowledge the 2 points which DEE have mentioned above must be ADDED somewhere in the article. So, people may know that THE DUTY of the caretaker is an IMPORTANT aspect to avoid such incidents/ accidents. Thank you for the article <3
I’ll add Dee’s words to the article.
Well I Agree as, have MultiCats here at home or at least at the Moment. I remember when Cassy went Some of the Cats here Grieved esp Tiger and Ozzie even Rebel for a time was meowing and wondering where she was. When we showed Ozzie Cassy which was probobly the wrong thing. Ozzie Growled as i believe he could smell the death and im sure for awhile thought we purposly killed her. After a few weeks we were forgiven again. Tiger took awhile to get over her not being here took at least 6 months. He’s alot better now. I think as Dee said its important that you make each cat feel Valued and Loved and Accepted. Once they see that a particular cat is not a threat then things will be easier. It took about 2-3 Months before each of them accepted each other.
It depends on the status (there is sometimes a hierarchy in group cat living) of the cat that died. If the cat that passed was dominant and thereby stressed up some of the other cats or one of the cats then the life of the remaining cats might improve.
Cassy was never the top Cat. She hated all Male Cats-Only her dad. I think they just missed seeing her around as they were so used to her. I do think, cause she liked to be number one Cat most of the time. I think she was upset with me when I rescued other Cats.
I;m so happy that you told about Ozzie, Kylee. I had an experience with my very sweet and timid Portia when my sweet grey baby boy was having seizure after seizure and, subsequently, died.
I was on the floor with him, speaking soothingly and guiding his violent movements, when Portia suddenly attacked me. I, truly, believe that she thought that I was harming him and causing the distress.
Thanks Dee It helps knowing someone else has similar situations. Yes even when we Buried her out at Mums, even the Horses knew something was seriously wrong. Yea Cassy was always a timid and sweet Cat. I still miss her so much. She was so different to the others. I mean I love all of them equally but Cassy really was a special girl that I could never replace. I have this Photo in my Lounge of her looking at me. As I don’t want to forget her. Which I know a lot of people here will understand especially ones that have passed a wee while ago and a long time ago the hurt never goes.
Many years ago I adopted sibling kittens from a local rescue. The male was sociable and confident, whereas his sister was timid, but very affectionate with those she trusted. As they grew up, they had as little to do with each other as possible. There was never any hissing, staring matches or signs of hostility, they simply ignored each other. When he died, she became a much more confident and outgoing cat and my vet at the time told me it was fairly common for a timid cat’s personality to blossom when a more dominant individual was no longer around.
Currently I have three cats. My female cat Sophie has what I’d call an assertive personality, though when she will back down immediately if she thinks the other cat will stand their ground. She gets on okay with Horace (an ex-stray)because when she tried to slap him, he slapped her straight back. I think she has a healthy respect for him. Unfortunately despite a lengthy introduction process, she can’t abide Charley my most recently adopted stray. Sometimes she’ll ignore him, but other times she attacks him and he is now understandably nervous around her. For me, the best solution has been to ensure they come into contact with each other as a little as possible. Whilst I’d prefer it if they got along, I guess we have to sometimes accept that this is never going to happen.
I think Celia Haddon’s article about cats that don’t get on has some interesting insights into multiple cat households.
Thanks Michele. I’ll add a section of your comment to the article because it refers to an important aspect of this topic – timidity and confidence – dominance and subservience – within cats. This affects stress levels.
The personality of the cats involved is for me a key factor in whether or not they will get along. Friendships cannot be forced and I don’t think it would be right for me to make any of mine spend time with the others if they don’t want to. As you say Michael, this would just increase the stress levels of all concerned.
Sophie was raised with a slightly younger cat, so it’s not as if she’s used to being the only cat in the home. Knowing her as I do, I’m sure that if Charley were to stand up to her that she would back off and leave him alone.
I’m just thankful that my cats all have safe access to a garden so at least they have a larger amount of territory than if they were confined indoors all the time.
The more I know about domestic cats the more I feel that cats like or dislike other cats in a way that cannot be explained scientifically. It is down to chemistry – a bundle of interrelated factors which are hard to specify. In other words a bit like us.
Michael you’ve hit the nail on the head. Cats are like people, they have their own personal likes and dislikes.
How would we feel if our parents selected all of our friends and partners/spouses for us? Imagine having no say on whom your cohabitants are and you’re just expected to get along without ever complaining or getting annoyed? I’m not that perfect and I don’t expect my cats to be either.
If they don’t get along after a prolonged introduction, then I just accept it as a clash of personalities. Just the same as I don’t expect to become best friends with every single person I meet or work with.
In a multi-cat household, it is the caretakers job to make sure that peace prevails. There may be “cliques”, but they must all be integrated and demonstrate tolerance for one another, if not caring.
If done correctly, there is no celebration for the loss of a fellow member.
AGREED DEE <3
1. In a multi-cat household, it is the caretakers job to make sure that peace prevails.
2. If done correctly, there is no celebration for the loss of a fellow member.
BASIC TWO POINTS, PERFECT SAID 🙂
The human caretaker is the top, dominant cat 😉 Is that it?
It is equal to become a caretaker of a human child my friend <3 because both needs us every second and both are innocents <3
So Dee and Ahsan, perhaps you can enlighten me on where I’m going wrong as to why Sophie won’t tolerate the other cats.
Sorry I meant to say cat, because Charley is the only one she has a problem with.
Please describe…
If you mean that Sophie and Charley can’t stand to be in the same room together without hissing, spitting, and rolling on the floor, that is a dilemma.
If they steer clear of each other and stay on their own turfs, that’s acceptable.
Please elaborate.
Sophie is always the aggressor and her behaviour is to me, unpredictable at times. Sometimes she will walk past Charley without a second glance, although she will give him a wide berth when she does so.
Other times she will hiss and walk past. Or she may simply spot him somewhere (it can be any room in the home)and will chase after him. She’s definitely lashing out with claws, because although he has no visible injuries, I have on several occasions found her dead claw sheaths in his fur 🙁 He never ever retaliates.
Sophie is okay with other cats provided they keep their distance. Charley is fairly laid back and quite sociable with other cats. As far as I can see, his only “crime” was to try to befriend her in the early days.
I know little of Sophie’s origins other than she was rescued as a young kitten living on the streets. As much as she can be feisty (and I’ve been on the receiving end of those claws more than I’d like)I appreciate that this seems to stem from fear/nervousness more than a truly aggressive nature.
I’ve tried using Feliway diffusers and have even tried rubbing Vine flower essences into her fur as I’ve read a few behaviourist recommend this for aggression. Sadly nothing has helped, so I’d welcome any advice or suggestions.
For now I’ve worked out time-share arrangements over certain rooms and they have separate living areas to minimise them coming into contact. Both cats do seem to prefer this arrangement.
Thanks Dee. I’ll add your words to the article.