Multi-cat households create welfare challenges through social competition and stress; evidence-based management reduces conflict while maintaining the benefits of companion animal keeping.
Multi-cat households create welfare risks that arise from the fundamentally solitary territorial nature of cats. Unlike dogs that evolved in social groups, cats have an ambivalent relationship with conspecifics — they can form affiliative relationships but also experience significant stress when sharing territory with cats they have not chosen as companions. The welfare challenge is managing this inherent tension through environmental design that provides adequate resources, retreat opportunities, and territory for each individual cat. The failure to manage multi-cat household welfare is among the most common causes of feline stress-related health problems including idiopathic cystitis, over-grooming, and inappropriate elimination.