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Review
. 2004 Feb;6(1):19-28.
doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2003.09.013.

Social organization in the cat: a modern understanding

Sharon L Crowell-Davis  1 , Terry M Curtis, Rebecca J Knowles
Affiliations
Review

Social organization in the cat: a modern understanding

Sharon L Crowell-Davis et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2004 Feb.

Abstract

An increasing body of research work has made it clear that, while Felis catus can survive in the solitary state, social groups with an internal structure, are formed whenever there are sufficient food resources to support them. Most people who have cats have two or more cats. Failure to understand what will promote either friendly or aggressive behavior can lead to various behavior problems, including aggression and conflict over resources, such as food, resting sites and litterboxes. An understanding of the natural social organization, relationships and communication between cats is therefore essential, and is the subject of this paper.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Two domestic cats greet each other with a nose touch.
Figure 2
Figure 2
An allogrooming bout between three cats, a female and two of her adult offspring. Over the course of several minutes, each cat groomed the other two cats.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The cat in the middle solicits allogrooming from the cat on the right by lowering its head and flexing its neck. The solicited cat responded by allogrooming the head of the solicitor.
Figure 4
Figure 4
a, b, c. As part of an allogrooming sequence, two feral cats rub head to head, body to body and head to body.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Two feral cats engage in play behavior, one extending its paw to the other in solicitation of play.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Two feral farm cats that are preferred associates rest together, one laying its head on top of the other.
Figure 7
Figure 7
One male copulates with an estrous queen while another waits nearby. There was no aggression between these two males, or an additional two males that waited nearby.
Figure 8
Figure 8
A male grooms the ear of an estrous queen between copulations. Photo courtesy of Prince Royal Bengals.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Two cats stare at each other briefly before the cat on the right defers to the one the left by breaking eye contact and moving away.
Figure 10
Figure 10
A subordinate cat waits while a higher-ranking cat eats.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Barry K.J., Crowell-Davis S.L. Gender differences in the social behavior of the neutered indoor—only domestic cat, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 64, 1999, 193–211.
    1. Bernstein I.S. Dominance: The baby and the bathwater, The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 4, 1981, 419–457.
    1. Bradshaw J., Cameron-Beaumont C. The signalling repertoire of the domestic cat and its undomesticated relatives. Turner D.C., Bateson P. The Biology of the Domestic Cat, 2000, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 67–94.
    1. Cameron-Beaumont C.L., 1997. Visual and tactile communication in the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) andundomesticated small felids. PhD thesis, University of Southampton.

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