Social Cats

   

You would be mistaken to think that only humans engage in online social networking. Cats, contrary to common wisdom, are very social animals:

Are cats really as unsociable as we think? Studies over the last thirty years suggest that cats develop complex and fluid matriarchal hierarchies and that they have preferred buddies

For years, 'experts' have told cat owners that domestic cats are solitary creatures who dislike the company of other cats. No doubt cat owners have viewed the communal sleep heap on the armchair with puzzlement, wondering whether it is the cats or the experts who have their facts wrong . . .

Only in the last few decades have domestic cats been recognised as social animals (at least by scientists). Previously they were seen as little more than multicoloured, tame versions of their solitary African wildcat ancestors. While the ancestors of our domestic cats may have been solitary hunters in the forests of Europe and Africa, domestic cats frequently live in harmonious groups; playing, sleeping and even hunting together. Many form close attachments to other cats and even to other domestic animals.

Sarah Hartwell

This opinion is shared by other experts, including Janet and Steven Alger, authors of Cat Culture: The Social World of a Cat Shelter:

. . . the anti-social cat is a myth; cats form close bonds with humans and with each other. In the potentially chaotic environment of a shelter that houses dozens of uncaged cats, they reveal a sense of self and build a culture—a shared set of rules, roles, and expectations that organizes their world and assimilates newcomers.

This explains why Spike insisted on joining The Gorgeous Gingers, even though he already belongs to Catster, and has lots and lots of friends.

Of course, it's true that he is quite gorgeous:

Boo and Spike both have joined Attack of the Tabbies, a blog for Tabbies and Torbies who have decided that being big and wild is not preferable to having a warm bed and being lovable. Spike is certainly fierce enough to fit into this group, but Boo is more on the loveable side:

    

She is actually quite shy, but does belong to Catster as well, where she has even more friends than Spike.

If you know of some creatures in need of socializing, you might send them to:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless
Weekend Cat Blogging