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Rubbing,
nose-bumping greetings and sitting close to other
members of the cat's 'family' are not actions
caused by keeping cats in 'unnatural proximity' to
other cats. All of these activities have been
observed among cats living in feral colonies.
Behaviourists studying both urban and rural
colonies found that the cats formed 'family
groups' rather than remaining solitary.
It is easy
to dismiss this as several cats exploiting a
single food source, but the amount of mutual
grooming and even communal kitten-rearing suggest
that these colonies are more like prides of lions.
Communal hunting is only rarely observed since,
unlike lions, cats hunt prey smaller than
themselves.
Cats have evolved
during their long association with humans. Only
those cats which tolerated human company went on
to rear kittens in close proximity to humans.
Living close to humans means living close to other
cats as well. Over hundred of generations, those
cats best suited to living in feline colonies,
have reproduced most successfully. Our present day
domestic cats are descended from these socialised
cats. Feral cats are descended from domestic cats
and though they are not socialised with humans,
they are still social with other cats.
Even co-operative
hunting does sometimes occur with closely bonded
cats. Littermates Bubble and Squeak were two such
hunting partners. Between them, they quartered the
field in front of my home, flushing out field mice
for each other and often sharing the catch. 12
year old Scrapper regularly teamed up with
unrelated 6 month old Aphrodite to hunt the birds
that devastated my fruit bushes.
This was a
beneficial partnership as Scrapper, who had no
teeth, flushed birds towards Aphrodite who
despatched them, but didn't eat them! There was no
doubt that Scrapper masterminded the operation as
Aphrodite was not very bright!
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