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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

If you have more than one cat

42 replies

Marmaladedandelions · 28/04/2015 07:22

Do they love each other?

I have 2 from the same litter (brother and sister) and one elderly male cat.

The 2 younger ones love the older cat but especially the boy. When old cat goes out, little boy cat cries. When he comes back in, little boy cat runs to him, headbutts him, snuggled up to him purring ...

Then elderly cat gets fed up and swipes him!

Does anyone else have this?

OP posts:

MalletsMallet · 28/04/2015 07:44

I have 4 cats. A brother and sister, their mother and an older male (only by a couple of years).

The brother and sister love each other, snuggle up to sleep and groom each other all the time. Almost every morning they have a play fight after breakfast and sometimes it gets a bit serious but they are soon snuggling again!

They both love the other cats. They try to rub on the older male but he will swipe them away. He barely tolerates them and largely ignores them. He will sleep with them though as long as they are being quiet and not playing. If they start play fighting he takes himself away pretty quickly. I feel sorry for the siblings because they try all sorts to get his attention, they really are desperate for him to be friends with them!

Unfortunately their mother hates them Since they were about 3 months old she will no longer stay inside if they are in. If one goes near her she will bite them or swipe them. She comes in to eat then straight back out again. If it's winter and the windows or doors are closed she becomes quite frantic trying to get out, growling and huffing and puffing by the door until we open it for her, even if they are not near her she still growls almost like a "stay away" warning. It really is so sad because she is such a loving playful cat, she just hates her babies. She tolerates the older male quite well and they have been known to sleep together (if the weather is torrential she will stay in but far away from the siblings).

Luckily she has been half taken in by a family down the road; I say half because I still pay all her vets bills for worming and fleaing but they feed her too and she spends a lot of time there. I'm just happy she has got somewhere she feels happy and comfortable to go to.

I love my cats and could talk about them for hours so I'll spare you that this morning and leave it there

Withalittlesparkle · 28/04/2015 07:58

I have twin boys, same litter, almost identical markings

It's hit and miss how the feel about each other, mostly they're scraping and pulling clumps of fur out of each other but then I'll find them curled up next to each other like everything's been forgiven!

bonzo77 · 28/04/2015 08:00

As a child we had 2 unrelated boys who we got at different times. Sometimes they fought. Serious fighting with blood. But they shared a basket and groomed each other. Until recently we had a mother and son pair. They mostly ignored each other.

Justusemyname · 28/04/2015 08:04

I have a boy and girl, half siblings we think, about six months apart in age. They have lovely moments where they look like they are kissing and other less nice, but funny, moments when they swipe each other. Not bothered if not in together but often greet each other when the dirty stop out one comes back in.

DesperatelySeekingSanity · 28/04/2015 08:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RatOnnaStick · 28/04/2015 08:08

2 cats from 2 very different backgrounds. They tolerate each other in the same room but will not sit near each other. I would say there is a kind of brokered peace agreement but not more than that. They are getting on now, 13 and 11 so I don't imagine it will change any time soon.

HellKitty · 28/04/2015 08:08

I had a brother and sister (twice) and they always fought or ignored each other. I've now had two brothers for the past 10 years and they have to be close to each other. They have little spats but nothing major. I will always get brothers again and not one of each.

crje · 28/04/2015 08:12

Brother & sister

She loves him, cries when he isn't around. She hates dogs.

He thinks he's a Dog ,likes to hang around with our lab . Rubbing off her & following the dog around.

It's a love triangle , very funny to watch.

patienceisvirtuous · 28/04/2015 08:18

I've got two unrelated girls. Two years difference Both young. Both rescued as kittens. Older cat was not amused when we got her a friend :) We followed the rule book re careful introductions. After a week of stress the kitten's desperate attempts for a cuddle paid off :o

They get on really well now. Don't sleep together or cuddle as such but they sleep near and touch paws :) They play together all the time too, very sweet.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 28/04/2015 08:22

I have a girl and a boy.

Same Father but different Mother.

We got the boy first and then 18 months later introduced the girl.
They cuddle up together for most of the day and groom each other constantly.

But then we get half an hour a day where the boy chases and torments the girl and there will be lots of hissing and biting and puffed up tails.

RubbishMantra · 28/04/2015 12:04

2 boys. Like Patience, MCat (4 1/2) was most affronted when we introduced this bold little Devon Rex kitten into the household. Devons are by nature very friendly though, and never gave up, despite all the growling, hissing and spitting from MCat. I actually thought we'd made a mistake at first, and worried he may have to go back to the breeder. Which would have been awful, I'd already got so attached to the Little Monsieur. But MCat seemed so unhappy and pissed off all the time.

Little Monsieur's easygoing nature and determined friendliness paid off. They sleep next to each other (not curled up mind), seek each other's company, if MCat can't find LM, he wanders about the house yowling. Every time LM wakes from a nap, he gets the top of his head thoroughly washed by MCat. When play-fighting, there's still the odd hiss and growl from MCat (got to keep LM in his place) and sometimes a screech of pain from LM.

But yes, I've no doubt they luffs each other

And I'm going to shamelessly post my favourite photo of them, taken last summer, when LM's still a kitten.

givemushypeasachance · 28/04/2015 12:33

My Mum has a mother-daughter pair from a rescue, and the daughter likes the mother, but mother cat definitely seems to think that daughter is long overdue for leaving home! She gets a bit swipey and grumpy with her, and if daughter comes around licking her face it's likely to end in a cuff around the ear. It's understandable really because in any sort of natural setting mother cats do have to encourage their kittens to go off and found territories of their own, they wouldn't usually stick around in the same place once they were grown.

code · 28/04/2015 12:36

Aah I luffs that picture, how cute are they?
So mine are twin burmese brothers and only 9 months so probably a bit early to judge. But so far they are best of friends. They sleep together, wash each other and if one is out of sight for too long the other will call for him. They always cuddle each other and wrap their little paws around each other. They choose to share a litter tray and ignore the other one and play and play fight like loons. They mirror each other with regards to their sleep-wake cycles. They are very endearing. The breeder said they were unusually very bonded. Fingers crossed they stay that way once they mature.

miaowmix · 28/04/2015 12:37

Brother and sister 6 month old kittens, adore each other. Also an elderly male cat, they kind of worship him, he swipes them. Same as you op .

teenagetantrums · 28/04/2015 12:42

I have two brothers, they sleep curled up together and generally get on ok, occasionally play fighting gets out of hand but they always seem to sort it out. they share food bowls and cat tray and have done since i bought them home years ago at 8 weeks old. Mind you they are indoor cats so maybe thats why.

tomatodizzymum · 28/04/2015 13:12

a 7 month old boy and a 6 month old girl. Farm cats from different mothers but probably the same father. Our boy loves everyone, he's really affectionate. She spends most days looking like she's plotting to kill both him and the dog. When she's in the mood she'll snuggle up with them, as long as they don't move, if they do she usually swipes them.

isseywithcats · 28/04/2015 14:39

four cats here jasper and jo jo are brother and sister ten years old and its like one cat with two heads they go everywhere together, curl up to sleep intertwined, and never have a cross word or swipe each other, biscuit is eight years old from yorkshire cat rescue and blue is four years old and from the same rescue though they have the odd swipe at each other its like they know they came from the same rescue they are very comfortable with each other and team up as a pair, i also foster kittens for the rescue sometimes and not one of my lot hisses or spits at the kittens its usually the other way round the visitors are the ones doing the hissing to start with till they realise my lot wont hurt them then they generally follow my mob around like swoony little children doing hero worship of the big cats

CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 28/04/2015 14:42

Unrelated boys - ranges from love to tolerance to alpha male dominance / submissive behaviour... But generally they are happier together than apart, especially in traumatic or difficult circumstances eg they always share a run at the cattery

Tiptops · 28/04/2015 17:00

Lots of different relationships here - some love-love, some love-hate, some hate-hate and a lot of tolerance.

All unrelated except for two who were rescued from the same household and appear to be siblings. Generally siblings will get on well. Mother and kitten rehomings never a great idea as shown on this thread, as after a few weeks the mother does shun the kittens to encourage independence. If they're then forced to live together unnaturally it can cause a lot of bad feelings and tension.

One of my cats was part of a mother and three kittens group. I adopted the one kitten and the rest of the family went to the same home. I was surprised the rescue centre allowed it tbh, and always wondered if the rest of the family lived 'happily ever after'.

ChocolateCherry · 28/04/2015 17:10

Yes. Two boys aged 5 and 4. There's a bit of biffing goes on and older cat putting the younger one in his place. Sometimes clumps of fur fly. They've never really hurt each other though. Left to their own devices they are usually curled up together for hours.

wanderings · 28/04/2015 17:12

Two cats: one senior (been with us 8 years) lady cat, and a male cat we got as a rescue kitten four years ago.

After the initial hostility from the older cat to the kitten, they tolerate each other. We took care to introduce them to each other slowly: firstly separate rooms, then kitten in huge cage while the other cat was allowed into the room, then freedom for both. He sometimes tries to play with her, but she'll have none of it. She used to swipe and hiss whenever he came within a few feet of her, but now they co-operate a lot more, and sometimes sleep about a foot apart, although I doubt if they'll ever curl up together.

Stealthsquiggle · 28/04/2015 17:19

Mine are not siblings, but their relationship is very much like that of human siblings - they do love each other really, and each would be lost without the other, but you wouldn't know it sometimes. We have had to point out to BoyCat a few times recently that using his superior physical strength (he is about 5 times the weight of GirlCat) is really not on, especially when he corners her.

BlueKarou · 28/04/2015 17:21

I have three girls with about 4 years between them.

The middle one in age is friends to all, and is always curled up with one or the other. The oldest and youngest do not like each other very much and tend to steer clear. Usually the eldest cuddles up to the middle cat and the youngest flirts with the dog.

girliefriend · 28/04/2015 17:26

I have a boy cat who is 5yo and a 1yo girl cat, I would say they tolerate each other most of the time they will play fight but have never been affectionate towards each other.

thecatneuterer · 28/04/2015 17:38

My house is like a cat soap opera. I have changing alliances, bullying, friendships, love affairs, love triangles, love quadrangles, partner-swapping, loners, those that love all cats, those that hate all cats, jealousy, bereavement ... It's endlessly fascinating.

I've just taken in two middle aged cats from a neuter/return site I'm working on. They're both too friendly and old to go back and not the sort of cats people really want, so they now seem to be mine. I'm keeping them both in one room for a while to get used to things before letting them loose in the house. For the first couple of days they hid from each other. Now they are sleeping in the same basket and grooming each other. And it's only been about ten days. It's lovely. It will be interesting to see if they remain close when they become part of the larger household.

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