Cats are not naturally social with strangers; multi-cat households create social stress that is a common and underrecognized welfare problem. Evidence-based management reduces conflict and improves individual cat welfare.
Multi-cat household stress is one of the most common and least-recognized welfare problems in companion cats. Because intercat aggression is often silent — a dominant cat blocking access to the litter box or resting spots through intimidation rather than overt fighting — owners frequently do not recognize that conflict is occurring. The welfare cost is borne by subordinate cats who experience chronic stress, avoid resources, and live in states of ongoing anxiety. Creating sufficient vertical space, multiple resource stations, and escape routes for subordinate cats can reduce conflict, but fundamentally some combinations of cats simply cannot live peacefully together, and welfare requires honest acknowledgment of this rather than forcing incompatible individuals to coexist.