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In 1996, studies of
cats in the Galapagos Islands indicated that some
cats will hunt co-operatively to increase the
likelihood of successful hunts. This observation
was made when prey was difficult for a single cat
to catch. At the cat shelter where I work, ferals
Kim, Jade and Gem (littermates) did not hunt as a
group but they frequently shared their kills.
Many cats, both feral and domestic, apparently
enjoy each other's company for its own sake and
not just because there is safety in numbers.
Though unneutered tomcats are often hostile
towards each other, there are exceptions where
toms which have been reared together may remain
companionable when mature - supply of food and
females permitting.
Unrelated cats may gang together to defend
themselves or their territory against intruders.
On one occasion I was woken by Aphrodite (aged 8)
and Sappho (aged 15); between them they had
cornered an opportunistic cat which had come in
through the cat flap. Aphrodite guarded one end of
the long hallway, Sappho guarded the other end and
they played 'ping-pong' with the youngster until I
rescued - and evicted - him.
In our households, unrelated cats often form
close attachments to each other and a recent
survey by British behaviorist Claire Bessant found
that a number of cats grieved or pined when a
companion cat died, sometimes to the extent that
force-feeding was needed or another kitten had to
be acquired to provide companionship.
It is only quite recently that experts have
started saying what many cat-owners have realized
all along - cats are not necessarily solitary
creatures. Some require a solitary lifestyle.
Others are content to live in small groups,
particularly if all of the cats are neutered. Far
from suffering when kept in groups, many pet cats
thrive in the company of other cats especially if
they have grown up among other cats. Its ancestors
may have walked by themselves, but the cat has
evolved into a far more sociable animal both in a
feral and a household setting.
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