Cats are naturally solitary animals and are not designed to live in close social groups. Cat’s can be friends especially if they have grown up together from kittens but most of the time cats will just tolerate each other and any signs of conflict can be very subtle.
You need to be able to recognise your cat’s body language.
If you think you can recognise cat conflict signs take our quiz:
FRIENDS or Foes quiz
Cat fighting and playing can look sometimes very similar! If your cats are just playing they will be silent, with gentle biting, retracted claws, and chasing both ways.
So if your cats are biting seriously, with their claws out and you hear screams, they are not best friends! Also if chasing is only in one direction this is another sign.
More subtle signs of conflict include: staring at each other, blocking others pathways and hiding away.
The usual cause of conflict is competition for resources such as food bowls, water bowls, litter trays and scratching posts. So give each cat their own set of resources and put them in separate areas to avoid tension caused by competition (Remember, you can put them on different levels, one on the floor and higher up).
Another potential cause of tension is rapid introduction of a new cat. Cats need time to adjust to a new cat.
Also when there are signs of conflict or tension between your cats, it will not resolve with time.
You need to act now as cats do not reconcile after conflict. Essentially cats find it hard to forgive and forget.
Using FELIWAY OPTIMUM will help your cats get along and live together in harmony. Use several diffusers if cats use different rooms.