Multi cat households- I have a question!

[Cataholic]

I have been reading this book called Cat vs. Cat, trying to understand my herd, and the shift in the heirachy since Tex's passing ( :( ). Some of you might know, Tex was THE king, and everyone else fit pretty well. Now, Monte is THE king (and a bad one at that). Anyhow, on to my question. This book talks about multi cat households, and how you can tell something about the heirachy by the way the cats enter a room. For instance, when one cat is already in the room, and the other cat, entering the room, walks the perimeter, the perimeter walking cat is the lesser cat. The book goes on to discuss other 'clues', but, I can't find what this one means, and wonder if anyone else has experienced it.

When several cats are walking towards a room, it is almost like, at the last few steps, they are doing a secret rush into the room, trying to beat the other one, but, not letting on that they are rushing. It isn't like they run, but, they are truly trying to out hustle the other one.

Anyone ever experience that with their cats? It kind of seems like they are doing a fast walking movement like a group of school kids would do, fooling around, trying to be first to the bus stop.

Weird.

[catmandu]

Scrappy 2,because she is aggressive is the Alpha Cat here.She eats first and the Other Cats all defer to her.
Chivalry perhaps?
And the Siamese get along so well,yet they never seem to mind when the Other Cats join them.
On The Porch Nugget is the King and if hes there he chases everyone else off the Porch!
He eats first even though he is a smallish Cat.
They do look around when they come into the room,out of courtesy I think.

[barncat]

Watch who sleeps in the best spots... and who makes others move out of a sleeping spot. That, along with eating order, tells alot. eating order can (like everything else inthe cat world) be unique to the colony's culture. Sometimes a dominent cat will let a favored friend eat first. Sometimes the whole group will nurture a baby or a sick one or an oldster...an sometimes they will drive a sick one away... it depends on a lot of things in the group.

If you lost your main cat and the next in line is not doing a good job of taking over, it is likely things are still not settled and you may get mixed signals.

A group that has been together a long time will show less strict heirachery than a new group or one in transitition.

Good luck with your group.

[elizabethann]

I had to laugh at your post because I can just picture my kitties doing this. Maxie is THE KING and Cosmo and Fenway (the dog) are his peasant servants. When they are walking all together, Maxie must enter the room first, so he quickens his pace. Then Cosmo goes in and poor little Fenway, takes up the rear.

[moosmom]

It's funny because even though Mollie Rose(my very first cat) is the Matriarch of the clan (she'll be 12 in May), Maya Linn is the Alpha Female. My cats respect Mollie Rose alot and don't bother her. Maya Linn and Mollie Rose are like two peas in a pod. They eat, groom and sleep with each other. MooShoo, (of course!!) is the Alpha Male, and the only male in my house other than Mark.

[catnapper]

I know the little dance you are talking about. Mostly, the cats in question on that dance are Abby, Flutter, Pouncer & Harry. Allen is never included in that dance, but we all know he's the established king.

[Cataholic]

Elizabethann....it is the funniest 'race' into the room, isn't it?

Very good points about the eating order, and the roosting of the spots, order.

My two love males- Tenny and Dakky- are in some sort of flux...as they both love the bed, but, only one of them can sleep up on me at a time. But, if I am not there? They can both be there together. I must unbalance the equation.