The Cohabiting Cat

Pet cats modify their social activities according to circumstances, just like ferals.

A pet cat still needs its own territory, but this may favorite sleeping place. It may be friendly and sociable to other house cats in all other areas, but defend its chosen spot passionately.

The level of sociability of pet cats a large extent on their early experiences, but it is affected even more by their sexual status. Most pet cats are neutered, often before reaching sexual maturity, influencing their social activities in a marked manner.

While feral tomcats make fewer social bodily contacts than females, neutered toms make as many body contacts. With other cats as do neutered females, who make more body contacts than entire females.

 Although we neuter our cats as a method of population control, the effect on their sociability is both dramatic and very positive.

I a household of several mature pet cats, disputes seldom occur because rank has been "established. If two cats do meet unexpectedly, whoever  arrives first or holds the higher ground is the social superior, but this ranking is fluid. Rank is of social importance to cats, but it is I variable than in other species, and is often forgotten when all gather for their meal.

 In some instances, however, a group of cats treats one in particular as a "pariah," viciously attacking it when it nears, and denying it any social contact. Paul Leyhausen has observed one colony in which the pariah cat was forced to live trapped on water pipes near the ceiling, even toileting from its perch.