Advice for Other Cat Carers 183
Housing two or more cats together
If two or more cats come in from the same household it can seem sensible to house
them together in the same pen, but just because they live together does not automat-
ically mean that they get along well, and confining them together could further dis-
rupt their relationship. It is therefore advisable to question the owner carefully to get
a good picture of the cats’ relationship before placing them in the same pen (see
Appendix 16). If there is any doubt, house them separately.
One way to test their relationship can be to keep one in its pen while allowing
the other access to a secured area just outside the pen, and then observe their behaviour.
If they appear to want to be together and shows signs of friendly greeting behaviour
(see Appendix 16), then it may be safe to place them together. However, they must
then be observed closely and if signs of conflict are seen it may be better to separate
them.
Follow the same rules for housing as for communal housing (see below).
Communal housing
In some shelter environments cats are penned together in communal areas.
Individual housing is always preferable because of the enormous stressors placed on
cats that are forced into close confinement with other cats, especially in shelter
environments where most of the cats would be previously unknown to each other.
In addition, with constant changes, i.e. cats being found homes and new cats being
introduced, there is rarely the opportunity for a stable group to develop. Behavioural
inhibition to avoid the very real risk of physical conflict also means that cats in this
type of environment may appear, to the untrained eye, to be happy with their situ-
ation when they are in reality severely stressed (see Appendix 18). Health issues are
also greater for cats housed communally because diseases spread quicker and can
be far more difficult to control.
Some shelters, however, especially those in impoverished communities, have no
other option than to house at least some of their cats in communal enclosures owing
to insufficient space or a lack of finances available to construct individual units. If
some good-standard individual housing is available, then it is advisable to carefully
select which cats are more likely to adapt to being housed with others and use the
individual housing for those that are less likely to cope in such a situation. Communal
housing should never be considered as an option for boarding establishments.
Cats that might be more able to cope with being in a communal enclosure are
more likely to be:
● Young cats, preferably under a year old.
● Confident and well socialized with other cats.
● Cats that have a history of living amiably with other cats.
● Cats that show signs of friendly behaviour towards other cats.
Cats considered for housing in a communal enclosure must also be healthy, neu-
tered and fully vaccinated. It is also essential to design the communal enclosure so
that conflict and stress can be minimized.