Cats are often perceived as solitary and independent creatures, but as those of us who share our lives with these enigmatic animals know, this can be far from the truth. Cats can actually form deep emotional connections – not just with humans, but with other pets as well!
In this blog, we’ll be exploring the emotional connection between cats and our other pets. Plus, we’ll be sharing a few tips to help your cat bond with other pets and encourage them to live harmoniously together. Just remember, all cats have individual personalities, and some may be more open to sharing their space than others.
How Cats Bond with Other Animals
Understanding how cats interact with other animals is key when introducing cats to other pets. Cats are known for liking their own company; they are naturally solitary hunters, and often prefer to live without other cats. However, cats can grow to love other pets if they are introduced to each other comfortably.
When introducing cats together, it may take time to build your cats’ trust, so taking it slowly increases the chances of a friendship forming. Cats that are related to each other often build a stronger bond, which makes choosing littermates a good way to build a multi-cat household. Younger cats also tend to be more open than older cats. When looking for signs of your cat’s trust developing, you may find that they’ll be sleeping in the same place, grooming each other, or even play fighting together.
Forming cat and dog friendships also takes time, and it’s important to consider the temperament and nature of your dog. By gradually introducing them to each other and keeping a calm environment, with time, dogs and cats can form a close bond. Bringing a dog into a cat household can often be easier than the other way around, and younger animals are more open to sharing their space, making it easier when introducing your cat to other pets.
Cats’ Relationships with Humans
Compared to how you found introducing your cats to other pets, you’ll find the bonding experience you have had (or will have) with your cat to be very different. A cat-human friendship is truly special as people and cats can share a strong emotional bond. Cats see humans as a source of comfort, and for humans, cats can provide companionship and ease loneliness. The signs that your cat loves you can include slow blinking, head butting, and greeting you with their tail up.
Although cats are well-known for being territorial animals, much like their relationship with humans, cats can get attached to other animals too. A cat’s bond and emotional connection with a human or animal can be seen through proximity. So, if your cat is often close to you or another pet, it demonstrates a cat’s trust.
The Secret to Building Relationships
For a cat to build relationships, whether that be with other animals or humans, they need to feel comfortable. This means ensuring that they have their own resting space, and their own resources (including food, water, bed, litter tray, and scratching object).
A comfortable cat is a happy cat who will be more likely to approach other pets or humans, as feeling safe in their environment will help them to feel secure enough to interact with others.
FELIWAY Optimum is a great solution to help your cats feel safe and secure in their home. The pheromone complex will reassure your cat in their environment, sending messages of enhanced serenity. Simply plug the diffuser into the room where your cat spends most of their time, the diffuser will do the rest!
Why is Socialization Important?
Socialization has a huge influence on how cats bond together and coexist with other animals. Socialization occurs when a kitten is between 2-7 weeks old, as this is when their brain is most receptive to learning about what is safe and what is a threat. It’s well known that kittens who have positive experiences with socialization are less likely to experience stress living in a family home.
Having positive social experiences when introducing your cat to other pets or humans as a kitten can help them learn that these scenarios are not threatening. However, having negative or no experiences with others means they could find social interactions fearful, which can carry into their adult lives.
If your kitten's socialization period is over by the time they come to live with you, you can continue to build on their experiences. Once they are settled in, introducing them to a variety of people, sounds, and toys in a positive way will help them get used to different experiences.
Genetics does have a part to play in how well cats react to social situations. If you have any concerns about your cat’s behaviour, you can consult your vet or a qualified behaviourist who will be able to advise you.
Helping Cats Connect with Other Animals
There are many things you can do to help your cat get along with other animals. Bringing your cats together or encouraging a cat-dog friendship can be made easier with a few different steps, which include:
- Take it slow: As previously mentioned, even the best friendships take time. Therefore, it’s important to let your cat adjust to the new addition. Make sure each of them has enough space and time to get used to their changed environment with the new introduction. Being settled in the home, coping with changes from the new arrival, and meeting via scent can help keep your pets calm when they’re introduced.
- Maintain distance: When both of your pets have settled, you can allow them to see each other. If they’re not quite ready to see each other yet, you can share their scents by swapping items and placing them in each other’s space so they can interact with the scent if they would like to. When they first meet, make sure to keep an eye on your cat’s body language in case they are showing signs of stress and give them an easy way to escape if they want to. Only take the next step to closer physical meetings if they can cope with the current proximity level.
- Provide supervision: After meeting from a distance and have become comfortable, then physically introduce your cats to other pets. When they are close to each other, having supervision allows you to detect any discomfort quickly and mitigate the situation. If you sense that your pets are comfortable around each other, the supervision can become less and less over time. However, it’s still important to make sure the cat or cats have access to safe hiding places so they can get away from the interaction if possible.
- Keep the calm: Most importantly, for your cat to build relationships, they need to feel calm throughout the process and be comfortable in their environment. To help your cat feel more comfortable, FELIWAY Optimum can be plugged into the place where they spend the most time, encouraging them to feel more comfortable with social interactions.
If you want to know more about how to create a comfortable environment for your cat or want more information about introducing cats to other pets, check out our other blogs or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest info!