Mary Allen
The last 25 years of intensive cat research and observation have brought it to light: the domestic cat is not the loner it was once thought to be, but an extremely social creature that likes to be with other cats.
The University of Georgia scientists even suggest that it’s not being with other cats that’s unnatural and forced, but being single. According to the researchers, it is only an emergency solution in the event of food shortages. As soon as there is enough food for all the animals, the cats organize themselves in colonies. The core of the cat state is usually a mother cat with offspring. While the young tomcats will sooner or later migrate, the female animals often stay with their mother. A women’s state is formed, a matriarchy in which men are welcome, but ultimately don’t have much to say.
The Members Of A Colony Recognize Each Other
They react reserved to aggressive to strange cats. But if a stranger is persistent and diplomatic, there is a good chance that she will be accepted. Always assuming that there is enough food and berth available. There is no democracy in any cat society, they are all hierarchically ordered. While the order of precedence in small groups is strictly defined, it is quite flexible in larger groups: high-ranking cats occasionally relinquish their privileges. From time to time, lower-ranking animals form alliances to get their way against a boss. You can also find individual friendships.
All Members Of A Cat Colony Benefit
Colony tomcats, for example, have better chances with the women in the group than foreign tomcats. The mutual support in raising the young is impressive. Various researchers were able to observe how female group members brought food to nursing mother cats, helped move the kittens, and acted as babysitters. Some of the velvet paws even performed “midwifery services”: They cleaned and massaged the perineum of the woman giving birth, freed the newborns from the membranes, and licked them dry.