If you’re worried your cat will get lonely when you’re away from home, you might consider getting her furry companion.
This can be a very good idea, and having two cats means having more love and fun in your home!
However, there might be one obstacle here. Your resident cat and your new pet might not necessarily approve of each other. They could even get into severe conflicts, causing you to always have to supervise their interaction.
There are some common signs that cats don’t like each other you should be able to recognize. Let’s check them out.
1. Hissing And Growling At Each Other
Hissing and growling are one of the most common signs a cat doesn’t like another cat.
PetMD explains how a cat’s hissing looks like a forceful breath out, with her mouth wide open and her showing her teeth. A growl, on the other hand, starts with an “mmm” sound, and then becomes long and low.
Cats might hiss and growl at each other when they’re feeling threatened or a sign they simply don’t approve of each other's presence.
This behavior is especially common when a new cat comes to the household, and the resident cat wants to assert her dominance.
Cats are territorial and will hiss at other cats to assert dominance, especially when a new pet is introduced to their surroundings.
Check the video below to get the idea what a cat’s growling and hissing sounds like.
2. Extended Eye Contact
If your cat stares for too long at the other cat, this also indicates that she doesn’t feel comfortable having her around.
Cats typically engage in prolonged staring with unfamiliar cats and new felines in their territory as a way to intimidate them and establish their dominance within the household.
This behavior indicates that your cat wants to keep a close watch on the other cat, making staring a form of communication between felines.
Interesting Read: Why Do Cats Stare At Nothing – 10 Reasons For It
3. Problems With Litter Box
If your normally litter-box trained cat suddenly starts pooping outside the litter box, on your floors, for example, this might also indicate that she doesn’t like and disapproves of the presence of another cat in her territory.
A change in litter box habits can be caused by stress, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Your cat can be stressed over things you don’t think of as traumatic, such as having an additional pet in the house. Any kind of change can cause this negative emotion in a cat.
Another possibility here is that cats simply don’t like to share their things, especially their litter boxes.
If your resident cat notices the new cat is using her litter box, this can make her dislike the new family member even more.
4. Avoiding Each Other
You were expecting for the new cat to make nice company for your resident cat, but now you almost never see these two hanging around and playing together?
Well, this is an obvious sign your two cats don’t like each other. They will do everything to avoid each other, and they have probably marked different areas in your home as their territories.
Things don’t always go as planned, so, two cats can actually never get to like each other, not even if they live together for a longer period of time.
See Also: When To Give Up On Cats Getting Along?
5. Fighting Behavior
This can sometimes look like playing behavior in the beginning, but there are signs that will help you understand the difference between play aggression and real fighting behavior in cats.
If you two cats like each other, you’ll notice their play fighting is silent, gentle, and reciprocal, according to Cats Protection.
This means that, even if there will be some bites between the two cats, they should be gentle, and their claws will be retracted. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any injuries here.
On the other hand, showing aggressive body language and sounds, such as flattened ears, swishing tail, and screeching and hissing, most probably indicate that your cats really don’t like each other.
This fighting behavior can lead to injuries if not stopped on time.
Can You Get Two Cats To Like Each Other?
It would be a shame to miss having multiple cats in your home, but, sometimes their conflicts can be too much to handle, and this is why some people might consider rehoming one of their pets.
But, is there any way to get the two cats to like each other?
Well, there are some steps you can take. To start with, you need to make sure both of the cats have their own items, and that they don’t need to share anything, especially something like litter boxes.
You can employ positive reinforcement in this situation, such as rewarding your cats with their favorite treats each time they exhibit friendly behavior towards each other.
Having your cats spayed or neutered can also be helpful here, since these procedures greatly reduce the possibility of feline aggression, as explained by the Human Society.
Another important thing is to ensure both of your cats get enough of your time and attention, as well as physical and mental stimulation, as to avoid boredom and jealousy between them.
If nothing seems to be helpful, you might want to consider contacting a professional cat behaviorist.
Conclusion
Knowing how to recognize signs that cats don’t like each other is an important part of understanding feline behavior.
In some cases, a furry companion is helpful for people who hate leaving their cats alone while they’re away from home.
However, sometimes, a cat might simply dislike the other pet, and will show this by hissing, growling, staring at her, or even physically attacking her.
Any kind of aggression is, of course, highly undesirable. There are some things to try here, such as separating the things for you two cats, rewarding them with treats for good behaviors, and making sure they’re receiving your love and attention equally.
Sometimes this won’t work, and this is a situation where you would want to ask a veterinarian or a professional cat behaviorist for advice.
Read Next: 10 Confident Signs Cats Are Starting To Get Along
