Most humans are too dumb to read our body language. So they don't pick up the clues that cats are not getting on. Sure, they may recognise a cat fight but more sublte signs pass them by.
Take for instance these two cats. The black cat is arching his back and standing sideways to the tabby the white cat. His tail is bristling and is standing up then going down. He is making himself look as big as possible to threaten the other cat.
The tabby and white has his ears retracted showing anger and they are also slightly pulled down the sides of the head showing some fear.
His body is stiff with tension because he is readying himself for fight or flight. Another sign of his fear is that his body weight is on his back feet.
Yes, some cats do get on. But some cats definitely do not.
Now some human scientists have come up with explanation and advice to these dumb humans. You can download their guidelines here
Take-home message for stupid humans is
- Don't take in too many cats
- Recognise the signs of inter cat tension
- Make sure each cat has a safe haven
- Don't feed cats in a row. Feed them at a decent distance from each other.
- Be creative in helping cats avoid each other - cat trees, lots of cat beds, lots of food and water in different occasions, a litter tray for each cat and one extra.
