Matriarchs of the Pride

Published on by Service Cats U.S.

Meowllo evewypawdy hope yous havin’ a gweat week. Well da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge modewators wuz here yesfurday and weez not been kicked out. Whew (runs paw across forehead) So we covewed 2 letters in one day, K fur Kittens and L fur Law. So today’s letter be M. Well lately there seems to be gweat discussion amung ow bloggin’ counterpawts on Facebook ‘bout whedder or not cats have a hierarchy; or as da doggy peeps call it…an alpha. So we fawt dat we wuld tackle dat subject today. Hmmmm this bloggin’ challenge sure has us duin’ a lot educational stuffs, huh?. Anyways, anypawdy hoo has evew owned a doggy knows da hooman needs to assert themselves as da alpha or there’s gunna be lots of purrawllems at their house. So duz da same hold twue wiff cats? 

 dw Dezi1383

As you know there’s just Lexi and me. But before me mommy had sis Lexi and her 2 bwofurs. And mommy also fostered and always had a house full of kitties, so she can tell ya’ ‘bout whether or not cats have a hierarchy. But first lets take a look at the history of cats, both large and small. Even as late as the 1970’s scientists thought that the only social cat was the lion pride. Held together by it’s close matriarchal leadership where all the females share the duties of raising the young, hunting and feeding the pride and even fighting off intruders when their male is away. The only standard used to determine the results were those of the dog pack. But as anyone who has ever owned both cats and dogs know they are completely different and one can’t study cat behavior based on that of a dog.

dw Lexi lunge look1
I’z da Top Cat heer. I’z took oweber frum minez brofur Lucky when himz went too hebben.

More recent studies have shown that like lion prides the feral cat colony has a similar matriarchal hierarchy. So now we move into the house and look at the altered cats living under your roof. When all cats in the house have been spayed or neutered less attention is placed on the sex of the cats in determining who will be in charge. The humans in the house can also play a role in determining who gets to be Top Cat; we’ll tell ya’ more about that later. More often than not the top cat in the household is the one that’s been there the longest. In our house mommy makes sure that sissy remains in the top spot as she has been here longest. Cats living together will divide up territory within their house. That’s not to say that one cat won’t go into the territory of another such as pawdee boxes, water bowls, cat trees, beds, etc.. However these things are typically surrendered quickly when the top cat wants to claim them.

 dw Dezi3676

Typically the top cat is given a wide berth. Play time is a great time for watching the behavior of your cats and observing who is the head cat in your house. The lower cats look to the top cat for approval. The top cat usually is deferred to in every thing. All subordinates recognize the authority and experience of the top cat. Sometimes these behaviors are subtle. So subtle you might not even see them. When the top cat walks by a subordinate might flatten their ears, divert their gaze downward or drop on their side or belly to show submission. Subtle changes in the household can affect the fragile hierarchy of your little pride of house lions such as an illness in the cats (top cat especially) or a family member, a move, a new cat or kitten, or any number of other changes. You humans can help to keep the hierarchy in tact. How you ask? Well let me tell ya’.

 0dw Lexi cat tree2

It’s something mommy’s been doin’ for years to keep order in our house and make sure we get along. Mommy says it makes for introducing new furries and changes a whole lot easier. First recognize there is a hierarchy in your feline family and determine who is top cat. It’s not always the meanest or biggest. Mommy says she likes it to be the kitty who has been ‘round the longest cause subordinates will learn appropriate behaviors from them. Always refer to the top cat first in everything. Top cat gets fed first, petted first, greeted first, talked to first, and so on. We think you get the idea. And first does not mean that subordinates have to wait till the top cat is finished, it just means their plate is filled first, or set down first, they get the first treats and so on. Mommy says it’s sometimes hard especially if a subordinate is friendlier or more outgoing than the top cat because we’ll be the ones meeting you at the door. But mommy says ignore that and go straight to the top cat to greet and then everybody else. If you have a large feline family it helps to identify the rank of all cats and do the above in that order. It’ll for sure help keep the peace in your house. So we may not be called Alphas but we do have a hierarchy. It’s a fragile one but it exists. 

 APRIL-CALENDAR [2015]

Till da next time………………………………..Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses  

Dezi and Lexi

 

cat-animated

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-unmistakable-hierarchy-of-cats

http://www.catchat.org/hierarchies.html

Mommys personal experience after years of being a cat owner, trainer, and rescuer.

37 thoughts on “Matriarchs of the Pride”

  2. I am glad you didn’t get kicked off the challenge 🙂 Very interesting post. Lucy is my oldest and has been here the longest and all the others fear her.

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  3. Very interesting Dezi. There is a hierarchy here too. Kali has the final word. Mom feeds Kali first…if she doesn’t, Kali gets in and eats my food. In most things Kali goes first but in others…I do. If, for example. I am sound asleep I will not give up my comfy position for Kali….she got quite ticked with me one evening and made me feel bad. Usually I let her sleep closest to mom and little things like that. She is older and can be sick so I let her go for it.

    (((Shoko)))

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    1. OMC Dat’s so funny Nissy. Wusn’t he like da last one ‘dopted? MOL Weez sure you llet him know fwum time to time hoo weally be in chawge.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

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  7. Thanks for this info! It is helpful and I am going to work on it with Ralphie and Marty since Marty is trying to make himself top cat right now.
    Marty’s Mom

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    1. Glad we kuld help. Hope there’s not too many squabbles. Mommy sez me had designs on bein’ top cat when me came here at a kupple weeks old, but sis Lexi set me stwaight wight away. MOL

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

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  8. Hello Dezi and Lexi, I have just caught up with you again 🙂 Well done on keeping up with the challenge! Re indoor v outdoor, here in Europe we have mostly cats who go outside unsupervised. It surprised mum when she found out that there was even a debate about it! But, of course, here we don’t have natural predators like in the US. Before she let me go out, though, she made sure I was well trained MOL. Re the guns. That’s another thing that is very hard to understand, why the right to bear arms is in the US constitution!! Mum hates loathes and detests guns and she’s even used one (once). Here handguns are illegal. Our cultures are so different! BUT if people want to hurt each other, they will find a way!!

    We appreciate that you pray for your friends 🙂 Blessings, Austin and Mum xoxox

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    1. Yep Austin it’s cwazy da way y’all fink ’bout cats goin’ outside and da way weez do here in da states. We fink yous purrawlly have just as many dangers there tho’. Weez lost a foo furiends fwum yous pawt of dda world to caws and wildliife and even cat thieves. We just not like to lose furiends. As fur guns, weez glad to have dat in da constitution, cuz cwiminals awe always gunna find a way to get them and so weez gotta be able to purrtect owselves. MOL We can’t magine a police furce wiffout guns. We fink it’d pawfully scawy to meet up wiff a cwiminal and no gun. (weez used to watch law and order UK)

      As fur purrayin’ fur ow furiends, we only want da bestest fur you all.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

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  9. This is a very interesting subject to me. Having had a Mama cat and 4 kittens here for their whole lives it was so neat to see the varied personalities of each one. Of course Mama, Missy, was head cat and all her babies gave her a wide path – she didn’t like them and they were afraid of her. Of the babies, Jasper (the first born) was alpha or at least he thought he was. He patrolled the house and kept the others in line somewhat. He was a no nonsense guy. Sonny (2nd born) was just a big ole softy. He didn’t care what any of the others were doing or what they said to him. He just did what he wanted anyway. He was my sweetheart. He would take the others food right out from under their mouth and never bat an eye about it. He used all the potty boxes but had one that was all his that no one else used. He was easy going guy. Ginger (3rd born) was more quiet than any of the others. She was just here – never rocking the boat. She was my good girl. Dusty (4th born and the last) was the mama of the bunch. She should have had babies because she would have been a really good mother. She always wanted to be near you. She was my loving one. Never having had all indoor cats before it sure was an adventure. We last Ginger at age 10 years, Sonny at age 16 years, Dusty at age 16 1/2 years, Jasper at age 17 years and Missy at age 18 years.
    Love you all so very much. Lots of hugs and kisses.
    Mary

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    1. It’s good to see yous awnty Mary, weez been a little worried ’bout ya’. We know yous miss yous babies, and we fink ’bout them offen too. You wuz vewy blest and we know you will be again.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

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  10. another grate post dezi & lexi…..round heer gram paw dude wooda been de alpha kitteh, but he came bee for everee one N wuz a “loner”….N frank lee…as much sass as uz boys like ta give dai$y, if it getz rite down two it, N yes her THINKS her iz alpha { sekrit lee we gotta agree } just dont let her noe uz boyz rited that commint !! ♥♥

    TO LATE…I SAW…GIRLS RULE !!!! =^..*=

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