Cat Sense by John Bradshaw

Author:John Bradshaw [Bradshaw, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Perseus Book Group
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

Cats Together

Cats can be very affectionate, but they are choosy about the objects of their affection. This apparent fastidiousness stems from the cat’s evolutionary past: wildcats, especially males, live much of their lives with no adult company, and regard most other members of their species as rivals rather than as potential colleagues. Domestication has inhibited not only the wildcat’s intrinsic distrust of people, but has also tempered some of their wariness of other cats.

The bond between cat and owner must have its origins in the bond between cat and cat; such behavior has no other plausible evolutionary source. Although the cat’s immediate ancestor, the wildcat, is not a social animal, adult felids of other species, such as lions, do cooperate. As such, cats of any species could possibly become more sociable in the right conditions. We may find the source of the domestic cat’s affection for its owners through a brief survey of the social life of the entire cat family.

Both male and female tigers are solitary, exemplifying the pattern that almost all members of the cat family, big and small alike, live alone. The females hold non-overlapping territories, which they defend from one another; each territory is large enough to provide food not just for that female, but also for the litters of cubs she rears. Young males are usually nomadic, and when they become mature, they try to set up their own large territories. These will contain far more prey than the male will ever need to satisfy his hunger, but that is not its purpose. The male is trying to achieve exclusive access to as many females as possible: especially successful males may hold territories that overlap those of up to seven females.

Cheetah males, especially brothers, are a bit more sociable than tiger males. Female cheetahs are as solitary as female tigers, but male cheetahs sometimes band together in twos or threes to seduce females, many of which are migratory, as they pass nearby. Even though only one of the brothers will be the father of the resulting litter, biologists have shown that over his lifetime each brother will father more cubs than if he had tried to attract females on his own. Male cheetahs do occasionally try to hunt together as well, but are rarely successful, apparently lacking the skills to coordinate their efforts.

The best-known exception to the standard felid pattern is the lion, the only member of the cat family to have several males and several females living together. In Africa, the lion pride is usually constructed from one family of female lions, with the males originating from a different family (thereby preventing inbreeding). While still young, related males band together, sometimes adding unrelated males to swell their ranks, until their numbers are sufficient to challenge and eject the resident males from a pride. Once they have taken over the pride, they may kill all the cubs, and by doing so bring all the females into season within a few months. The males must

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