I think this is quite a complicated question and I’ll try and tell you why. I’m mainly thinking of the full-time indoor cat scenario where there might be half a dozen cats living in the owner’s home. From the cats’ perspective, the house will be divided up into six ‘home ranges’ which overlap in a …
How many cat scratching posts do you need in a multi-cat home? Read More »
Yes, is the positive answer to the question in the title but there’s a big caveat which is this: they’ve got to get along, which is obvious but crucial. But I’ve got a common-sense idea for the best way to ensure that a pair of cats get along. You might know that when you introduce …
With more multi-cat, full-time indoor cat arrangements, it’s important that people understand the natural social organisation of cats. And perhaps the greatest problem for a cat caregiver when looking after cats in a multi-cat home is adding a cat to the “colony”. In effect a multi-cat home is a managed colony of cats. They behave …
Understanding the natural social organisation within cat colonies Read More »
This is a commentary on Dr. Sarah Wooten’s thoughts on lonely domestic cats and how they tell us that they are lonely (see video at base of article). How many domestic cats are lonely and bored? We don’t know. We should know. This topic gets mashed up with the idea that domestic cats sleep forever. …
Before answering the question, we have to define the word ‘deceive’. Definition: to deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain. I have never seen any cat behaviourists try to work out if domestic cats try to deceive each other. The activity of deception as carried out by humans …
There appears to be a distinct difference in opinion between animal shelters and cat owners. I’m told that there is an increase in multi-cat homes in the US. I don’t know the percentage of homes in which there are several cats in that country but it must be substantial. But if you want to foster …
The question in the title asked whether cats living in multi-cat homes tend to have more negative interactions with their owner compared to single cats living in the home with their owner. I can rely on the results of a study for the answer but I can’t really add a lot of detail as I …
Does a multi-cat lifestyle lead to more negative human-cat interactions? Read More »
Both the behaviour of the dominant cat as well as that of the submissive cat are discussed here. There are two sides to this form of feline behaviour. Dominant cats will block the movement of subordinate cats. Sometimes they will replace or supersede the movements of the submissive cat. The dominant cat might bat at …
Introduction: The problem of domestic cats not using the litter box is the source of millions of articles. It is euphemistically called “inappropriate elimination”. It is an inaccurate description because from the cat’s standpoint it is entirely appropriate because there’s a reason behind their behaviour and this article sets out 14 different possible reasons. Many …
14 suggestions about domestic cats not using the litter box Read More »
The cat stuff Unusually (perhaps not that unusually, in fact) cat spraying and Elavil may go together. Cat breeders will suffer the consequences of male cats spraying as it is part of their natural way to mark territory and is part of the way cats communicate as they have a fantastic sense of smell. Spraying …
People make the mistake that two cats will automatically be company for each other. They might sometimes but often they don’t become friends. In the worst-case scenario, it may be necessary to rehome one of them. When siblings grow up, they may be no more friendly with each other than unrelated cats. They become independent-minded. …
24 facts on problems with multi-cat households and some solutions Read More »
A study described the use of space and patterns of interaction among a group of 14 unrelated domestic cats living in a single-story house. Although I am referring to a scientific study, cat owners should not be put off by that because the findings are interesting. Cats are very intelligent in finding ways to live …
Cats in multi-cat homes ‘time share’ and use tail positions to keep the peace Read More »
Cat detectivism is a phrase coined by Jackson Galaxy to describe figuring out what is behind cat behavior problems such as peeing in the wrong place. You have to approach it in a business-like manner without emotion by relying on the facts. And to uncover the facts the blacklight is useful. ‘Blacklight’ refers to UV …
In cat detectivism the blacklight is your best friend Read More »
A survey carried out by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) asked 520 veterinarians what they thought were the most important and pressing health and welfare issues suffered by cats who attended their clinics. And perhaps unsurprisingly, 41% of the veterinarians said that stress-related behavioural problems linked to cats living in multi-cat homes was the most …
Cats more likely to have behavioural problems when they live with other cats Read More »
The well-publicised Homes for Ukraine programme is, in general, highly successful. Apparently, more than 50,000 refugees have arrived in the UK after fleeing the war in Ukraine under the Ukraine visa schemes. However, on the radio today I heard about a pet problem which interests me. There have been other problems such as Ukrainians returning …
Ukrainian refugee’s dog pushes out resident cats in UK home Read More »
