Cats are aloof, self-centred and treacherous. Discuss.

Aloof self-centered cat?

The basic conclusion, fair or otherwise, of a recent study is that unlike dogs cats will not side with their owners against the “enemy”. Dogs shun people who behave negatively towards their owner whereas cats don’t. Perhaps the more scientific conclusion, to use the language of the study, is that domestic cats don’t ‘evualate’ …

Read more

Domestic cats’ desire to touch tells us that they are sociable

Marvin and Daisy

There is quite a lot of discussion on the Internet about whether domestic cats are or are not sociable. The debate is valid because the wildcat ancestor of the domestic, the Near Eastern wildcat, is not sociable. We are told that they are solitary creatures. However, you will find that the experts agree that …

Read more

Female domestic cats cooperate to care for kittens

Female cat cooperation in raising kittens of other females

Although the news media are having fun with this video in describing a female domestic cat’s behaviour as stealing another female’s kittens, this is normal behaviour for group-living females. It might look odd to some observers but when you think about it, it is very friendly, harmonious and cooperative. In this instance a TikTok …

Read more

Cats that live in groups

It is wrong to say that only lions live in groups because feral and stray cats live in colonies. And domestic cats in households often live in small groups too. Both the lion and the domestic cat are different species of cat (Panthera leo and Felis silvestris catus respectively). You might find that the …

Read more

What do domestic cats do when humans aren’t around?

Cat home alone

What do domestic cats do when humans aren’t around? Humans are companions of domestic cats by definition. And domestic cats depend on humans for almost everything they have. These factors underpine the answer which depends on a lot of variables such as: How long are humans not around? Is there more than one cat …

Read more

Feral cat colony behaviour

This article is about understanding feral cat behaviour in colonies. Perhaps the first important point to note about feral cat colony behaviour is that historically the popular press still tends to describe the domestic and feral cat as an asocial, solitary species with no need for companionship and a preference for living alone. This …

Read more

follow it link and logo