Caring for Your Cat
Cat and kitten advice.
All the cat and kitten advice and tips you could wish for all on one website.
All the advice we give is totally free and provided by experts in their field.
All the cat and kitten advice and tips you could wish for all on one website.
All the advice we give is totally free and provided by experts in their field.
Multi Cat Households
The more cats you have in your house the more likely it will upset the balance. Think very carefully before acquiring a new cat. A cats life revolves around its territory and resources - by nature they are territorial and the more cats you have the less territory there is to go around. If you have a small two up, two down, then one or two cats are adequate in such a confined space. If the cats are to remain as indoor cats then you need to look hard at the available space you have. If you reduce the horizontal space by not allowing them outdoors then you must increase the vertical space with shelves, tops of cupboard and wardrobes, plus tall scratching posts - providing high up sleeping positions.
As humans we do not always get on with other humans and so it is with cats. In my household for example Charlie - who has brain damage, is not really keen on anyone else but will tolerate Raffles and Simon. Simon gets on with everyone. Raffles hates Milly with a passion! Milly in return does not like Holly and stays out of Raffles way. Holly gets
As humans we do not always get on with other humans and so it is with cats. In my household for example Charlie - who has brain damage, is not really keen on anyone else but will tolerate Raffles and Simon. Simon gets on with everyone. Raffles hates Milly with a passion! Milly in return does not like Holly and stays out of Raffles way. Holly gets
Smudgie has returned the favour. The more cats you have the more 'upset' there will be. Charlie gets on with some males, but not others. Milly loves playing with Chloe, and is inquisitive about Smudgie, but will attack Holly. So you can see how important it is when bringing in a new cat in to your household. They do not have to get on - they will either like each other - or they won't. A kitten can be just as much of a threat as an adult. Never put a shy timid cat with an aggressive overbearing cat. Whilst a confident cat may bring out a quiet cat, personality plays a very important part and should be considered.
Some cats make it their life's ambition to be a bully - they will actively chase other cats away, guard the food and litter trays ensuring that no one else gets a look in!
The more cats are in the house the more important it is to make sure that each one has access to its own resources - food, water, litter tray, warmth and territory. Do not allow one cat to bully the others; you must take action - this situation is unlikely to resolve itself. Make sure there are more resources than there are cats - for example, for two cats you will need: four feeding stations, four litter trays, at least
Some cats make it their life's ambition to be a bully - they will actively chase other cats away, guard the food and litter trays ensuring that no one else gets a look in!
The more cats are in the house the more important it is to make sure that each one has access to its own resources - food, water, litter tray, warmth and territory. Do not allow one cat to bully the others; you must take action - this situation is unlikely to resolve itself. Make sure there are more resources than there are cats - for example, for two cats you will need: four feeding stations, four litter trays, at least
four warm beds, some high up, some lower. You may initially have to start off with litter trays and beds all around the house until you find out which ones they use and which ones they don't. Never line the litter trays in a straight row - the cat who is a bully can easily guard the trays in this position thus stopping the more timid ones from approaching. Think about the positioning from the cats point of you - if you were the cat can you access your food and toilet, or is your pathway blocked? If it is blocked is there another area? It is impossible for a bully cat to guard all trays, feeding stations and beds if they are scattered around the house. Most cats like to sleep off the floor. Many scratching posts now come with several levels and I would suggest that you buy the largest one that you can afford and if possible buy more than one.
The cheaper ones are very flimsy or easily topple over when a large cat goes to jump on them. A good quality heavy post is by far the better option.
Often when a cat has died people will say to me - Kitty's really changed since Kat died - much more affectionate and loving than she used to be. This is in fact the TRUE personality of the cat coming out. Beforehand Kitty was being bullied by Kat so would have suppressed her true self - not wanting to step out of line. From a human point of view it would be like if your other half continually put you down every time you expressed an opinion. In the end you may wish to keep your opinions to yourself as you no longer feel comfortable expressing yourself in front of others. People might perceive you as 'quiet' as you don't say very much - but this does not give a true indication of your personality - it's just the circumstances.
The cheaper ones are very flimsy or easily topple over when a large cat goes to jump on them. A good quality heavy post is by far the better option.
Often when a cat has died people will say to me - Kitty's really changed since Kat died - much more affectionate and loving than she used to be. This is in fact the TRUE personality of the cat coming out. Beforehand Kitty was being bullied by Kat so would have suppressed her true self - not wanting to step out of line. From a human point of view it would be like if your other half continually put you down every time you expressed an opinion. In the end you may wish to keep your opinions to yourself as you no longer feel comfortable expressing yourself in front of others. People might perceive you as 'quiet' as you don't say very much - but this does not give a true indication of your personality - it's just the circumstances.
on with everyone - except Milly! Tom loves everyone, except Charlie who doesn't like him one bit! Everyone loves Chloe, and Chloe loves everyone! Smudgie is the new girl - Tom loves her and Chloe has taken it upon herself to groom Smudgie!
If you have recently lost a cat then let everyone come to terms with this and grieve before introducing a new cat. I would recommend the use of a plug in Feliway Diffuser which may help ease the situation.
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