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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2004Do cat's make friends with other cats?
I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to come and go as he pleases via his cat flap is a very affectionate cat. For the last 6 months another cat has been coming in through the cat flap at night and eating any food that is left down. After 6 months we have moved on from sneak feeding to the new cat actually coming in every evening and now sleeping on my bed. But here is the problem. Are the two friends? They frequently seem to fight or are they playing? Bilbo seems to be very nasty to Bandit (she got the name due to the food stealing) but on other occasions she seems to be nasty to him. They chase around the house like lunatics, dive bombing each other from book shelves, biting each other and just being violent thugs and then for some reason they stop and then they will sleep together on the same bed or settee and will eat out of the same dish. Any ideas? Is it a power struggle for control of the house or is it just cats playing? Adam ARWadsworth skrev: > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Adam My guess is they've decided to share the house and are now having these fights to settle their hierarchy (a very complex thing in the cat world). Niels Peter www.bluewhite.dk > ARWadsworth skrev: > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Niels Peter > www.bluewhite.dk Unless they are making a lot of noise when they fight, I'd say they are playing. Cats that don't like each other will not sleep together. I know. I have a cat that is not happy with my other two. We have a truce of sorts, but she won't sleep within three feet of the others. It's adorable! Their "fights" are their sport that they are amusing themselves with since they are able to settle down together afterwards. -- Barb Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time. > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Adam Hi Adam, I doubt if it's a power struggle. It sounds like they are playing. Cats can get very aroused and rough when they play and it looks worse than what it is. Do you know who the new cat belongs to? Someone might be looking for her. Alison > But here is the problem. Are the two friends? They frequently seem to fight > or are they playing? Bilbo seems to be very nasty to Bandit (she got the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > for some reason they stop and then they will sleep together on the same bed > or settee and will eat out of the same dish. If they're sleeping and eating together, it's reasonable to assume that it's playfighting. Playfighting doesn't usually involve vocalization unless one gets too rough with the other, or one keeps annoying the other when he's had enough. Real fighting usually involves a lot of growling and hissing before contact, and a lot of hollering when they make contact.  Signaturejamie (jamiemck@newsguy.com) "There's a seeker born every minute." >I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my >first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Adam fwiw - our two cats tussle with what seems like mortal ferocity - but are the best of friends. I think the yardstick may be if either of them is getting injured in these fights. When playing, our cats seem to know how to go up to the line but not cross it - biting the back of the neck where the skin is thick, doing their disemboweling kicks with claws retracted, etc. Our new adoptee has attacked one of our current cats once, and drew blood. That's obviously NOT playing.. BLink > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Adam They are buddies. > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Any ideas? Is it a power struggle for control of the house or is it just > cats playing? Sounds to me like they're playing. If there isn't a lot of hissing and snarling going on, rejoice in your Bilbo finding a pal! Priscilla > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Any ideas? Is it a power struggle for control of the house or is it just > cats playing? There may be an element of power struggle going on, but if they're sleeping on the same bed and eating out of the same dish - they've accepted each other. Mine love each other dearly (two girls), but they will regularly chase each other, divebomb around the furniture and slap each other. They shouldn't be breaking the skin, but a little chomping on the neck area is a grooming/dominance behavior. Sounds like they play hard, but they know when to stop. > Adam They are friends and just cat wrestling. Please be sure Bandit is fixed ASAP, or her coming in to season may ruin the friendship. > I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > moved on from sneak feeding to the new cat actually coming in every > evening and now sleeping on my bed. (snip) If other stray cats read this newsgroup, you're going to need a larger bed! Roby "Roby" <roby@no-address.net> wrote> > If other stray cats read this newsgroup, you're going to need a larger bed! Ha! >I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my >first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Adam they are just playing, if they stop and snuggle afterwards. -L > >I have had Bilbo for two years now. He is a neutered male of 5-7 years, my > >first cat and he came from the local rescue centre. He has total freedom to [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > -L Thanks for the repies. There is no blood or hissing when they fight but Bandit frequently cries in pain when Bilbo gets too rough or bites her legs. I am not sure if Bandit belongs to anyone but she turns up every day and is often in the house alone when I come in from work and stays every night. I have posted two pictures of them on alt.binaries.pictures.animals taken just before they started to fight. I guess they are friends and I actually now have two cats. Thanks Adam > Thanks for the repies. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Adam Ayup. You certainly do now have two cats. I suggest a vet visit to make sure Bandit is healthy. They would not be so cozy if they did not like each other. You are lucky. You got a new cat without the traumatic intro some people face ;) They are both cute as little devils. circa Mon, 12 Jul 2004 18:17:57 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, ARWadsworth (adamwadsworth@blueyonder.co.uk) said, > I have posted two pictures of them on alt.binaries.pictures.animals taken > just before they started to fight. > > I guess they are friends and I actually now have two cats. Oh, they are *indeed* friends. Cats that sleep that close to each other do not dislike each other. Laura SignatureExperience is the name every one gives to their mistakes. -Oscar Wilde In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav", Laura R. <UseFirstInitialPlusRobinson@technologist.com> artfully composed this message within <news:MPG.1b626a4469f42c898ad4e@news.verizon.net> on 16 Jul 2004: > Oh, they are *indeed* friends. Cats that sleep that close to each > other do not dislike each other. I sort of wonder. I was looking through older pictures of Shadow and Shamrock and Bonnie, and I have one where Shadow and Bonnie were sharing a cat bed on the couch. That practice ended abruptly when Shadow bit her neck and tried to mount her. It took him a while to get that pissed, though. After that, she never trusted him, and chased him every time he was within eyesite of her. To the end he was terrified of her. Huge age difference between those two, though, so it may not be the same. SignatureCheryl >That practice ended abruptly when >Shadow bit her neck and tried to mount her. It took him a while to >get that pissed, though. After that, she never trusted him, Been there, done that. Got the tee-shirt, too. Yes, cats make friends with other cats. The behavior you describe sounds exactly like my two female litter mates. I once had a male cat that came home with a male kitten about eight weeks old. He either stole it from a litter in the neighborhood (we asked around, but with no success) or found it after some jerk dumped it in the area. These two became the best of friends and lived about 18 years each. BTW, cats also make friends with some dogs, and even a few human type peoples! Allen >They frequently seem to fight >or are they playing? Bilbo seems to be very nasty to Bandit (she got the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >for some reason they stop and then they will sleep together on the same bed >or settee and will eat out of the same dish. That's just play. In a real fight you'd hear blood curdling screams, and there would be less contact and more posturing and staring each other down. They're friends. circa Sun, 11 Jul 2004 18:59:26 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, ARWadsworth (adamwadsworth@blueyonder.co.uk) said, > But here is the problem. Are the two friends? They frequently seem to fight > or are they playing? Bilbo seems to be very nasty to Bandit (she got the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Any ideas? Is it a power struggle for control of the house or is it just > cats playing? That is playing. Definitely. Laura SignatureExperience is the name every one gives to their mistakes. -Oscar Wilde It's cat dominance games. As long as they draw no blood (and accompanying vet bills), don't worry about it. |
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