Cats are not naturally social with unrelated individuals, and multicat households commonly cause chronic welfare impairment through competition and conflict.
Cats in multicat households with insufficient resources experience chronic stress that impairs immune function, causes inappropriate elimination, and reduces quality of life. The stress of living in conflict with other cats is particularly insidious because it may not manifest as obvious fighting. Subtle behaviours including blocking access to resources, staring, and redirected aggression cause persistent welfare harm. Welfare-focused multicat management provides sufficient resources for all cats to access simultaneously without confrontation, multiple feeding stations, and adequate vertical space for confident cats to avoid the floorspace dominated by bolder individuals.