Feline Social Behaviour

Question 1

What is the only social bond in the feline world?

Answer 1

Mother/kitten (therefore only available model for human/cat interaction)

Question 2

How do territories in cats differ?

Answer 2

• home-range where they hunt
• overlap with other cats in core areas
• male ranges much larger, likely to overlap several females (not JUST due to need for more food)
• NOT cooperative hunters

Question 3

How does breeding in cats work?

Answer 3

All females mate
Kittens raised in communal den (related females, “central-cats”)
- cooperative midwifery, suckling and defence
> peripheral (cf central) cats produce less offspring

Question 4

How do male interactions and breeding work?

Answer 4

UNLIKE lions, males compete
Successful males visit several groups of females and interact a lot with them when present
“Resident” males produce fewer offspring

Question 5

What are aggression levels like?

Answer 5

Low within group
High between
- allogrooming = affiliative behaviour following conflict
- aggressor = groomer, appeasement
> does NOT show dominance
- symetrical (will be shown equally by both individuals over time)

Question 6

What is allorubbing?

Answer 6

Non symmetrical but still affiliative 
- within a colony
Young>Old
Small>Large
Cat>Owner 
- tail up followed by rubbing indicates trust (not just scent marking)

Question 7

What effect has neutering had on feral populations? How was this monitored?

Answer 7

TNR - trap neuter release

Decreases aggression

Question 8

What is the dominance structure of at colonies like?

Answer 8

No clear hierarchy unlike dogs
- No submissive behaviour
- Avoid conflict with defensive posture
- May run away but this may initiate a chase so more likely to freeze
- heavily reliant on scent
> In multicat households hierarchy more likely to rely on RHP/V model

Question 9

Before what age should cats be introduced in order to ^ affiliation?

Answer 9

8 weeks

Question 10

How does the cat-owner relationship differ with different numbers of cats?

Answer 10

• multi-cat household, owner receives less attention
  > due to owner personality? or cat behaviour? or both?
  > Quasar experiments - interpret carefully
• cf. dogs whereby whether or not they like other dogs in the household bears no significance as to whether or not they like people!