Social Lives of Cats: Family Toms

Posted on July 23, 2023July 23, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

10,000 years ago, the ancestors of our domestic cats decided to take advantage of the abundance of prey near and in human settlements. During this time, the social lives of cats changed from solitary hunters to members of structured, stable groups called colonies. Today’s free-ranging cats, particularly those that live in urban environments, depend on food provided by people, in addition to hunting rodents and raiding human garbage cans.

Social lives of cats: family toms

In urban settings, food is more plentiful and colonies of cats organize themselves near feeding sites. Members of these colonies are friendly with other members but will defend their territory against intruders from other colonies. (References 1, 2)

Male domestic cats have two mating strategies:(Reference 3)

Solitary toms with large home ranges will mate with females from colonies in their home range. These are typically larger cats and they do not form social bonds with the females in the colonies. This is more typical of rural areas where resources are more spread out.
In urban settings, males, unrelated to the females, often affiliate themselves with a colony. These “family toms” enjoy the greatest mating success within their particular colony, even if they are small. (References 2,3)

The “family toms” have been known to participate in the care and rearing of the kittens, sharing food with kittens and sometimes disrupting play of juveniles that is getting out of hand with an experienced adult paw. They also band together with the female cats to drive off marauding tomcats that threaten the kittens. (References 1, 2, 3) Killing of kittens by tomcats is rare in the urban cat colonies (Reference 2).

In contrast, infanticide accounts for 25% of the deaths of lion cubs. When the resident males in the lion pride are displaced by a new “coalition” (group of males associated with a pride), incoming coalition kills the young cubs in the pride, so that the females go into estrus. Thus, the cubs are sired by the new incoming males. ( Reference 4).

Social lives of cats: my Family toms

I have had two cats in my life that I believe were “family toms”.

Marty

My childhood cat was a male Siamese named Marty. He was an indoor-outdoor cat that somehow did not get neutered until he was 8 years old. He participated in his share of fights with cats and other animals. We always patched him up and let him out again.

I took him with me to college and he lived with me in dorms and apartments. One apartment we lived in had a back door that opened onto an alley. I used to let Marty out during the day. There was a population of cats that frequented the alley. One day, I was walking back from classes and noticed Marty sitting peaceably with these cats.

This social experience might explain the ease with which Marty got along with the kitten one of my roommates brought home and the young cats that I acquired when Marty was about 11 years old. I did not do much of an introduction with these kitties – they seemed to get along immediately. At one point, we lived in a old farm house; the two younger cats would accompany Marty on his expeditions to the neighbor’s house.

Gus

Gus was a free-roaming cat caught in a trap by my veterinarian employer. He is still with me and his story can be read at “Bringing a Wild Cat Indoors“. He lived briefly at the vet clinic where he was always interested in kittens, jumping onto the treatment table when you were giving the kittens vaccines.

Today, Gus watches over the three other cats in my house, looking out for wildlife when we go outdoors (supervised nowadays). One incident that I won’t soon forget involved Gus and Zelda, a female cat in the household. We were walking around our townhome when a terrier dog chased Zelda. Gus took notice and ran the dog off, chasing her away. He then escorted Zelda back to our front door. This level of protectiveness makes me think that perhaps he was a “family tom” in his previous life on the streets.

In the 10,000 years cats have lived with humans, the social lives of cats has changed. Some cats still are solitary hunters but many choose to live in structured, stable social groups. They have been able to change their behavior to take advantage of their environment. The tolerance of kittens and other cats may be one reason the domestic cat has successfully spread across much of the world (with the exception of Antartica).

An additional note…
Attitudes and care of cats has changed in the past 2-3 decades. Many cats live exclusively indoors, enjoying safer and healthier lives. Older and wiser now, I keep my current group of cats primarily indoors with daily supervised outdoor time.

references

Natoli, E.; Litchfield, C.; Pontier, D. Coexistence between Humans and ‘Misunderstood’ Domestic Cats in the Anthropocene:
Exploring Behavioural Plasticity as a Gatekeeper of Evolution. Animals 2022, 12, 1717. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ani12131717
Vitale, K.R. The Social Lives of Free-Ranging Cats. Animals 2022, 12, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010126
Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2007). Cat Behaviour: Social Organization, Communication And Development. In: Rochlitz, I. (eds) The Welfare Of Cats. Animal Welfare, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3227-1_1
University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences, Lion Research Center, (https://cbs.umn.edu/lion-research-center/all-about-lions/social-behavior)

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The Social Cats – The Lion Pride and The Cat Colony

Posted on July 16, 2023July 16, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

These two cats have spotted something in the plants by the road. Cats rarely hunt together. Only one cat will get the prize!

The lion pride and the cat colony

I received an interesting comment on a post I wrote recommending feeding house cats separately. The author felt that having cats share a large bowl of food is like sharing a “large kill” and increases “pride unity”. Lions and cats are the only members of the Felidae (cat family) that live in social groups. The pride is the social unit of the African lion; the domestic cat will form colonies if there are sufficient resources. How does the pride compare with the domestic cat colony?

The lion pride

A typical lion pride consists of about 6 related females, their dependent offspring, and a “coalition” of 2-3 unrelated resident males.
Most females spend their lives in their mothers’ pride or with their sisters in a new pride.
Males may be a bit more mobile, spending a few years in a given pride. They will stay with their coalition throughout their lives. (Reference 1)

the cat colony

The core of the cat colony is the queen, her female relatives, and their offspring.
There may be a group of “family” males, who spend most of their time with this group of females and develop social bonds with the females.
Other males are solitary, with large home ranges that
overlap the home ranges of several different female groups. These “philandering” males will mate with females from different groups and do not form social bonds with members of the colony. (Reference 2)

the lion pride and the cat colony

Both the lion pride and the cat colony aim to take advantage of resources. Lions and cats need reliable access to food, water and shelter.

Lions

Lions locate in areas where prey is likely to come by. The areas where two rivers intersect are desired locations. Water, provided by the rivers, and vegetation, growing near the rivers, attract the lion’s herbivorous prey.

The confluences of the rivers act like a funnel – prey animals get “trapped” in these funnels. They are attracted by the vegetation but are leery of crossing the rivers, where predators can ambush them.

The lions that band together can protect these valuable territories from other lions and predators. The pride that controls the territory has reliable access to food and water. (Reference 1)

Cats

Cats form colonies where there are sufficient resources, that is food, water, and shelter. The more food there is, the more cats can live in that area. Large colonies exist where there is lots of food; smaller colonies are located in areas where food is not as readily available. Where food sources are few and far between, cats adopt a solitary existence. (Reference 2)

The socialization of the domestic cat occurred as humans transitioned from being hunter-gatherers to farmers. The abundance of mice at the grain stores attracted wild cats and provided them with the resources to form colonies.

The lion pride and the cat colony – Other advantanges

Cubs and kittens have higher survival rates in the pride/colony. The mothers as a group are more successful defending the cubs/kittens. A group of lionesses can successfuly drive off invading male lions, whereas a single lioness does not have a chance. (Reference 1). Likewise, the female cats of the cat colony can band together to challenge invading toms, dogs or coyotes. (Reference 2)

Cooperative Hunting

Lions hunt together when it is needed – for example, when taking down difficult prey such as a Cape Buffalo or zebra. Most of the time, lions hunt singly; their targets are wildebeest or warthogs. Living in a large pride does not mean that you will be well-fed. (Reference 1)

Although groups of 2-4 cats have been observed hunting squirrels and rabbits together, this is not the norm. (Reference 2). The prey of domestic cats tend to be small and not very calorie dense. An average mouse is thought to have an energy value of about 35 kcal (Reference 3). It is not practical to share game this small and cats typically hunt alone and dine alone.

More about food…

Male lions typically feed first at a kill, followed by the lionesses and subadult lions. The male lions will aggressively reinforce this feeding hierarchy (Reference 1).

A study of a cat colony in Rome where humans provided bowls of food found a different feeding-order: kittens were the first to feed, followed by the females and then the males. Typically the male cats are at the top of the social ladder and the kittens at the bottom. (Reference 4)

Sharing a large kill appears to reinforce the social hierarchy in lions. In free-ranging cats, we see a social tolerance of kittens by both males and females when feeding in a managed colony. Although aggressive behavior is rare (<5% of the time) in cat colonies, it is most prevalent around feeding time, but aggression is seldom directed toward kittens.

The Multi-cat Household

Feeding all the cats in the human household at one large dish is unlikely to promote unity. Instead, competition and conflict over the food will increase as cats try to sort out who eats when and establish a feeding hierarchy. It is best for our pet cats to dine solo.

The lion pride and the cat colony are matrilineal social groups. Both groups locate where there is food and water. Both groups result in higher survival rates of cubs and kittens. The lion pride is an adaptation to life on the savanna whereas the cat colony was an early step in the process of domestication, a social group formed to take advantage of food near human settlements.

Gus is the more experienced hunter and caught the lizard.

references

University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences, Lion Research Center, (https://cbs.umn.edu/lion-research-center/all-about-lions/social-behavior)
Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2007). Cat Behaviour: Social Organization, Communication And Development. In: Rochlitz, I. (eds) The Welfare Of Cats. Animal Welfare, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3227-1_1
DVM360, Client Handout: “How Many Calories is a Mouse?” September 17, 2014. https://www.dvm360.com/view/client-handout-how-many-calories-mouse
Vitale, K.R. The Social Lives of Free-Ranging Cats. Animals 2022, 12, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010126

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Food and Your Cat’s Mental Health

Posted on July 9, 2023 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Eating is a positive experience for healthy animals. Two neurotransmitters released while eating are dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is associated with feelings of reward and motivation; serotonin with feelings of happiness and calmness. Thus, food is one of the ways we can induce a positive emotional state in a healthy cat.

Food and your cat’s mental health

Recent research points to two dopamine events when eating: the first when you actually eat the food and the second, when the food reaches your stomach. (Reference 1). On the other hand, rising serotonin levels act as an appetite suppressant, giving a feeling of satiety. (Reference 2)

The connection between food and your cat’s mental health provides us an opportunity to take advantage of the emotions triggered by dopamine and serotonin when eating.

Foods that calm

There are foods that incorporate tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. Royal Canin’s Calm diet and Hill’s c/d Multicare Stress for cats contain hydrolyzed milk protein and L-tryptophan to reduce your cat’s fearful behaviors in stressful situations or environments. The caveat with these foods is that the cat must eat enough of the food to get the appropriate dose of tryptophan.

food and environmental enrichment

Engaging in foraging behavior can benefit cats with generalized or separation anxiety. (Reference 3)

Foraging can provide a cat that is vigilant, tense and easily aroused with an alternative outlet for her energy
Cats with separation anxiety will find foraging a rewarding activity that is not related to interacting with the owner.
Serotonin release during the foraging cycle promotes calm behavior.

Foraging Method 1 – Multiple Separate Feeding Stations

Divide your cat’s daily food ration into portions.
Place these in different places around the house.
Put some dishes up high or in boxes and closets for variety

Foraging Method 2 – Use of Food Puzzles

Cats have to use their paws to get the food
Vary in complexity and style

Food and your cat’s mental health: behavior modification

We can use the positive emotions triggered by eating to guide our cats’ behaviors. The use of a stream of small food rewards will trigger dopamine release, which in turn gives the cat feelings of reward and motivation. Food can be a powerful adjunct to some of the interventions used in veterinary behavioral care: (Reference 3)

counter conditioning
operant conditioning
differential reinforcement of alternate behaviors

These methods work best with foods that the individual cat finds particularly palatable and desirable.

counter conditioning and food

Counter conditioning refers to training a different response to a situation. Consider the cat carrier that takes your cat to the vet. Many cats have a fearful association with the carrier and the process of going into it. The goal of counter conditioning here is to teach the cat that good things happen when he’s near the carrier.

We start with getting the cat accustomed to the carrier by just leaving it out in the room. Once he is comfortable with the carrier left out, we can offer some treats close by the carrier and gradually work up to treats in the carrier. Over time, the cat will associate good things with the carrier – we have used food (treats) to change the cat’s emotional state when near the carrier.

operant conditioning and food

With operant conditioning, an animal repeats behaviors that have good consequences and avoids ones that are not rewarding. Say you ask your cat to “sit”. When he sits, you reward him with a treat (food) he likes. He will be more likely to sit next time in anticipation of getting his reward.

differential reinforcement of alternate behaviorS

Here you will be replacing an undesired behavior with one that is more appropriate to the situation. Say your new kitten attacks and hangs on to your legs as you as come in the door or you have a “door-dashing” cat. You could train (operant conditioning) your kitten/cat to jump up on a nearby shelf or table on cue for a food reward when the door is opened. (The cue can be spoken or you could jingle your keys.) The goal is to replace the attacking/door dashing behavior with sitting on the nearby piece of furniture.

Food makes our cats feel good. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin promote positive emotions when eating. This connection between food and your cat’s mental health provides you with opportunities to influence your cat’s behavior through diet, environment and training.

references

1. Cell Press. “Your brain rewards you twice per meal: When you eat and when food reaches your stomach.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 December 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181227111420.htm>.

2. Voigt JP, Fink H. Serotonin controlling feeding and satiety. Behav Brain Res. 2015 Jan 15;277:14-31. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.065. Epub 2014 Sep 16. PMID: 25217810.

3. Delgado M, Dantas LMS. Feeding Cats for Optimal Mental and Behavioral Well-Being. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2020 Sep;50(5):939-953. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2020.05.003. Epub 2020 Jul 8. PMID: 32653265; PMCID: PMC7415653.

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