Familial Cats?

[Togath]

Even since one of my two pigmy cats had a kitten(only one kitten).. both of it's two parents have been looking after and playing with it.. is this normal for pigmy cats? I'd thoughts cats were non-social animals, and that even lions didn't curl up together to sleep in a pile.

[Asta Kask]

I don't know if it's normal for pygmy cats, but remember that our pet cats never really grow up. They live in perpetual kitten-hood with humans as their provider. So infantile behavior isn't strange.

[WarKitty]

Domestic cats can often be quite social, actually.

[Asta Kask]

My semi-longhaired one demands at least 30 minutes concentrated attention and grooming per day. Otherwise he walks beside me and whines to get my attention.

[Mando Knight]

I have a shorthair that does that, too. She and my family's long-ish-haired cat also know roughly when it's time to be fed, and will whine incessantly when they think we're ignoring them.

[WarKitty]

My semi-longhaired one demands at least 30 minutes concentrated attention and grooming per day. Otherwise he walks beside me and whines to get my attention.

:smalltongue: We're lucky to get 30min when the cat is awake and NOT demanding concentrated attention. Needless to say, he doesn't get it.

[Asta Kask]

:smalltongue: We're lucky to get 30min when the cat is awake and NOT demanding concentrated attention. Needless to say, he doesn't get it.

"When awake" are the key words here. And he spends a lot of time outside.

[Ashtagon]

Even since one of my two pigmy cats had a kitten(only one kitten).. both of it's two parents have been looking after and playing with it.. is this normal for pigmy cats? I'd thoughts cats were non-social animals, and that even lions didn't curl up together to sleep in a pile.

Pictures are required for evidence and general squeeing.

[WarKitty]

"When awake" are the key words here. And he spends a lot of time outside.

And "awake" of course typically occurs during human sleep time, or dinner time, or other times that are NOT for the cat.

[Coidzor]

Even since one of my two pigmy cats had a kitten(only one kitten).. both of it's two parents have been looking after and playing with it.. is this normal for pigmy cats? I'd thoughts cats were non-social animals, and that even lions didn't curl up together to sleep in a pile.

The cats I have are either a pair of siblings or a pair of cousins (they're related in some fashion) and the daughter of one who was nursed by both of them as they had their kittens within 3 days of one another.

The aunt cat and the daughter cat regularly snuggle up in a pile on my bed, clean one another, and in general "hang out," with one another. Sometimes the mother cat and daughter cat do as well, though it's rarer as the momma cat is more aloof with everyone. Though the mama cat did follow the aunt cat home while my dad was out walking with the aunt cat and our dog, which is how we got the mama cat in the first place.

One kitten from the litters of both SB(aunt cat) & JZ(mom cat) were adopted by a family friend and they routinely snuggle up together and act like they think they're brother and sister due to having been raised together and lived together all their lives.

My understanding is that domestic cats form loose matriarchies where standing is a rough amalgamation of personal physical power and dominant personality and number of offspring, male cats exist at the fringes or outside of it depending upon their standing and where in the reproductive cycle they all are. Neutered males seem to fall in about middle status as they don't get singled out for bullying by queens and mostly are targets of convenience if one of the colony is in a foul mood or wants a fight.

[noparlpf]

Domestic cats are pretty social. Also, don't most mammals contribute to the raising of their young?

[Coidzor]

Domestic cats are pretty social. Also, don't most mammals contribute to the raising of their young?

Male cats are more hit or miss and usually discouraged from being around kittens by the mama because sometimes they kill kittens to get the mama ready to breed again sooner, but in this context the cat seems like he didn't have any doubts about it being his progeny, so that seems like it could have an influence on the cat's behavior.

Our neutered male cats were a bit scared of our kittens when they were little and discourages from getting close by that and the mama cats, but about the point where the kittens were able to leave the nest and explore the house freely some of the friendlier neutered males started to interact with them a bit. They'd made cat-friends with some of the already adult cats before they were fully grown at least, though the oldest cats generally didn't have much to do with them.

[Elemental]

Male cats are more hit or miss and usually discouraged from being around kittens by the mama because sometimes they kill kittens to get the mama ready to breed again sooner, but in this context the cat seems like he didn't have any doubts about it being his progeny, so that seems like it could have an influence on the cat's behavior.

Actually... That's not the case. The truth is more disturbing in a way...

[Bhu]

http://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/cat-family-structure