Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2015 7:12:45 GMT
Cats can be tricky to understand, which makes it difficult to know whether they get along. Here are the signs to watch out for and tips for stress-free cat cohabiting.
www.express.co.uk/sponsored?prx_t=EvQBA4dYEA8NoLA
Mysterious cats
Cats descend from the African wildcat, a solitary hunter which didn’t develop the complex facial muscles needed to show a wide variety of expressions. This can make it hard for owners to know whether their felines’ subtle behaviours indicate a deep and affectionate friendship or a frosty distaste for one another.
Indeed, a recent survey by Cats Protection found that nearly half of owners with more than one cat mistook signs of feline animosity – such as flattened ears, grooming a particular body part and taking turns to sit in certain areas of the home – for friendship. Meanwhile, 20 percent of cat owners thought that positive behaviours – such as walking around with an upright tail, touching noses, rubbing against each other and fighting with their claws tucked in – were actually a sign of not getting along.
So how can you tell whether your cats are best buds or, in fact, merely tolerating each other?
Friendly felines
Cats that get along will often sleep cuddled up and intertwined. They’ll also groom each other, rub against each other, touch noses and play fight without claws. They’ll also share the same parts of the house, like rooms or furniture, and actively choose to be in close proximity to each other.
Frosty Felines
On the other hand, if your cats don’t enjoy each other’s company, you’re likely to see them time-share food, water, beds and litter trays – in other words, where one will wait until the other is finished and at a distance, or only appear once the other cat has gone.
Cats try to avoid violence, but may display passive aggressive traits. For example, one cat may purposefully block resources to prevent the other from using it, while the other cat may look anxious and only approach when the first cat has left.
What you can do
There are a couple of measures you can take to help your cats get along better – or just create a happier environment.
First, make sure to provide separate litter trays, and food and water bowls – at least one for each animal. Draw a house plan to mark where your cats are spending time and, if they live in separate rooms, provide these resources in their individual areas. This will minimise competition and reduce the stress of one cat having to walk through another’s territory to access food. And make sure to give them plenty of places to hide and perch high up, for example by installing cat shelves.
Cats are a solitary species that don’t need friends to be happy. As many felines are shy and enjoy having their own space, if you give them individual affection and play with them regularly, this attention will provide all the companionship they need.
Cats descend from the African wildcat, a solitary hunter which didn’t develop the complex facial muscles needed to show a wide variety of expressions. This can make it hard for owners to know whether their felines’ subtle behaviours indicate a deep and affectionate friendship or a frosty distaste for one another.
Indeed, a recent survey by Cats Protection found that nearly half of owners with more than one cat mistook signs of feline animosity – such as flattened ears, grooming a particular body part and taking turns to sit in certain areas of the home – for friendship. Meanwhile, 20 percent of cat owners thought that positive behaviours – such as walking around with an upright tail, touching noses, rubbing against each other and fighting with their claws tucked in – were actually a sign of not getting along.
So how can you tell whether your cats are best buds or, in fact, merely tolerating each other?
Friendly felines
Cats that get along will often sleep cuddled up and intertwined. They’ll also groom each other, rub against each other, touch noses and play fight without claws. They’ll also share the same parts of the house, like rooms or furniture, and actively choose to be in close proximity to each other.
Frosty Felines
On the other hand, if your cats don’t enjoy each other’s company, you’re likely to see them time-share food, water, beds and litter trays – in other words, where one will wait until the other is finished and at a distance, or only appear once the other cat has gone.
Cats try to avoid violence, but may display passive aggressive traits. For example, one cat may purposefully block resources to prevent the other from using it, while the other cat may look anxious and only approach when the first cat has left.
What you can do
There are a couple of measures you can take to help your cats get along better – or just create a happier environment.
First, make sure to provide separate litter trays, and food and water bowls – at least one for each animal. Draw a house plan to mark where your cats are spending time and, if they live in separate rooms, provide these resources in their individual areas. This will minimise competition and reduce the stress of one cat having to walk through another’s territory to access food. And make sure to give them plenty of places to hide and perch high up, for example by installing cat shelves.
Cats are a solitary species that don’t need friends to be happy. As many felines are shy and enjoy having their own space, if you give them individual affection and play with them regularly, this attention will provide all the companionship they need.
www.express.co.uk/sponsored?prx_t=EvQBA4dYEA8NoLA
