Do you know if your cats are friends or foes? Best buds or just tolerating each other?
Most cats are happier living the single life, this is how many will choose to live in the wild. However, some will live with siblings or their mother their whole life. In many cases this works fine but it can also go wrong.
Adult cats living in multicat households often simply tolerate each other which can be manageable, but can cause stress. These situations can prevent a cat showing their true character, cause behavioural issues such as fighting or inappropriate urination and they can even lead to health problems such as vomiting, diarrhoea, cystitis and skin disease.
Many stress signs and interactions between cats can be missed or simply misread by us. The Cats Protection have created a very helpful (and very cute) video, to help us differentiate between friendly behaviours and not-so-friendly behaviours in our households.
Click here to watch the video.
There are things we can do to make life in a multicat household healthier and happier for all concerned, as mentioned in the video, separate feeding areas, bowls, litter trays, beds and scratching posts will help to reduce stress, as each cat will be able to have space and not have to share with another cat unless they choose to do so.
Other aids to assist in reducing stress and improving feline relationships includ products such as Feliway Classic and Feliway Friends. These produce good pheromones which are associated with feeling safe and content which can make a big difference.
Click here for more information on Feliway.
