Multi-cat households require careful management to prevent chronic social stress, resource competition, and disease transmission that can significantly compromise individual cat welfare.
Multi-cat household welfare depends on individual cat temperament, physical space, resource availability, and owner management. Cats forced into close proximity with incompatible individuals suffer chronic social stress even when overt fighting is absent. Subtle aggression - blocking access to resources, staring, and postural dominance - is harder to detect than fighting but causes equivalent chronic stress. Honest assessment of whether household cats are genuinely compatible is the most important multi-cat welfare intervention.