Hello, I'm Simon. Welcome to Simon's Cat Logic. We'll be finding out from a cat
expert why cats behave the way they do. Today we're going to explore territory.
Well, everyone knows that cats can be very territorial animals.
And, I've had first-hand experience of this with my own.
Well, one of my old neighbours used to have this great big grey and white cat. Who was quite grumpy and very shy.
But, the thing I remember most about him was the fact that you really didn't get on
with my cats at all. They really didn't like each other and they used to argue
all the time over territory. This gave me the idea of actually making this cat an
actual a nemesis for Simon's Cat.
So, Jazz crops up quite a few times in the Simon's Cat books and stories. He's always wanted to draw a line across the
lawn and sit there scowling at poor old Simon's Cat on the other side.
Which puts him at odds with Simon's Cat who's a little bit hapless and will tend to walk
through Jazz's territory without realising. And, this of course upsets Jazz
and this makes them go head-to-head which leads to all kinds of gags.
Cats are naturally highly territorial animals as they have shared ancestry with the
African Wildcat which is a solitary hunter.
Coming from an arid environment where prey is scarce cats had to maintain a territory in order to gain
enough food. So, cats have developed very clever ways in order to keep other cats away.
Cats leave long lasting scent deposits which act as messages so they
don't have to come into contact with other cats. Which could otherwise cause fights and injuries.
Even domestic cats still leave their scent messages to mark
their territories today by rubbing, spraying urine and scratching.
It's important that both your cat and the neighbourhood cats have plenty of
essential resources in their homes. Such as beds, food bowls, water bowls, litter trays,
toys, places to hide, places to get up high and of course a latrine site
very close to the house if the cat likes to toilet outside too.
Place resources in separate quiet areas all around the house so that your cat has
easy access to these resources and doesn't have to go past anything that
they may find threatening. Such as noisy appliances or the sight of other animals
either inside the house or outside through the window.
One of the most common unwanted behaviours is urine spraying in the home. Urine spraying can be
performed by both male and female cats whether they are neutered or not.
Whilst urine spraying outside is a normal behaviour for cats if your cat starts
spraying inside then it may indicate that your cat doesn't feel secure in their surroundings.
There's many possible reasons why cat might spray for example
the most common cause is actually other cats whether that's inside the home or outside.
But it can also be other change within the household such as
redecorating or the introduction of say a new baby.
If you experience any unwanted behaviour with your cat or notice any changes in their behaviour the
first port of call is your vet. They can rule out any underlying medical
conditions that may cause that behaviour.
Once we've ruled out any underlying medical conditions we can identify and deal with any causes of stress.
A common cause of stress for both owner and cat is unwanted neighbourhood cats coming into the house.
To resolve this consider installing a cat flap that only allows
exclusive access to your cat such as a microchip cat flap like this or a
magnetic cat flap.
If you have an exclusive entry cat flap but you are still experiencing problems maybe another cat in a neighbourhood is
peering through the cat flap at your cat. Then it may be necessary to take more steps.
A solution for this would be to cover the cat flap on both sides so that
neither cat can see each other. This gives a message for the inside cats so they
feel nice and safe. Whereas the outside neighbourhood cat would probably lose
interest hopefully and go away.
Covering up the cat flap is a temporary measure but whilst it is covered it's important your cat has access to a litter tray.
If your cat prefers outdoor access to toilet you may need to escort them
outside and act as their bodyguard
Cats are naturally territorial it's part of being a cat. However, if you're
experiencing any behavioural problems with your cat such as aggressive
behaviour towards the neighbourhood cats or territorial spraying then it's first
worth getting vets to rule out medical problems and then seeking the help of a
qualified behaviourist.
So, when you move into a new area it might take a bit of time for your cats
to establish their own territory.
I know mine certainly did.
Well, where I live now there's a new character who's turned up on the scene to hassle my real-life cats.
Only this time he's a big fat ginger Tom. With a great big fat round head and what
he likes to do is sneak in through the cat flap and steal their food.
And, he just puts his head against the cat flap and looks in and of course my cats go
crazy when they see this and I have to run out there and 'shoo' him away.
When I do that of course Teddy comes out all proud and acts
like he did it and likes to flurry himself around the garden.