posted by fmoore on Nov 21
Cats LOVE to be touched, stroked, and petted.
They absolutely love to rub their bodies up against their owners in a show of affection and to leave their scent as a sign of ownership. Cats not only derive pleasure from having humans pat them, they also enjoy the company and bodily contact of fellow cats. They exhibit the same behavior with other cats as they rub up against one another, but it is usually only a sign of affection when they do this.
Where cats are living together in harmony, or wherere they have been brought up together, they will often sleep curled up together and also groom one another. They feel a sense of comfort, security, and warmth by sharing their space with another cat and sleeping beside each other. This happens more often with neutered female cats than with male cats, although it is not uncommon to see male cats grooming one another too.
This is one of the reasons why it is well worth considering getting two kittens from a litter rather than one kitten when choosing.
However, keep in mind that male cats will rarely groom female cats. So, if you decide to choose two kittens, pick either two female kittens or two male kittens, NOT one of each. It is a higher probability they will socialize better if they are the same gender.
Often, where there are two cats in the family, each cat will claim ownership of one member of the family. If there is only one person in the household, that person will need to ensure that the amount of time is spent equally with both cats so that one cat doesn’t become jealous of the other. This can, and will, lead to behavioral problems with one, or possibly both, cats.
If you are in the process of adopting a new cat, or cats, be sure to do your homework on behavior and socialization of that particular breed. Adopting a cat is just like adopting children. You must put the same time and effort into choosing the right kitten, or kittens, so that they can have the best quality of life possible. You are the window into how they see the world. Make sure it is a clear window.
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
This is interesting. I adopted an 8 month old male cat a few months ago and a 5 month old female cat a few weeks ago. Everything else I have read says that it’s better to bring in a younger female with an older male, or always adopt 2 opposite sex cats, so they don’t fight over territory. The male cat grooms the female cat and they play all day long! I’m thrilled that they got a long right away. I only had one night of separation, which I kind of forced, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming! Now I just wish they wouldn’t play tag across my bed at 7AM.