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→Domestic Cat Territory
==Domestic Cat Territory==
==Domestic Cat Territory==
The natural organisation of territory in cats poses some problems for domestic pet cats.
The natural organisation of territory in cats poses some problems for domestic pet cats. In a domestic setting, the difference in area between the home range and core territory may be minimal, and for indoor-only cats that have a view of a garden, the boundaries of the indoor space are the absolute limits of territory, leaving no opportunity for conventional territorial organisation or distance maintenance from neighbourhood cats that are easily visible from indoors.
Pet cat groups are made up of unrelated and neutered males and females with widely differing rearing backgrounds. Some may come from a genetic and rearing background that does not favour [[Feline Social Behaviour|sociable living in a group]]. From the owner’s perspective, the expectation is that the cat’s core territory will match the internal living space of the home, so that facial and flank marking are seen indoors and spraying or claw marking is only performed outdoors. However, instead of being one large contiguous area, each domestic cat’s territory may consist of several small patches that are distant from each other. Each cat is forced to travel across several other cat’s territories in order to get to a latrine or hunting site. This increases the amount of feline traffic through gardens and increases the likelihood that each cat’s core territory will be overlooked by cats outside. If underfed, despotic or intact male cats enter the homes of resident cats then this further undermines the perception of the owner’s home as ‘core’ territory. These issues may lead to [[Indoor Marking - Cat|indoor marking]] behaviour that becomes problematic for the owners.
In urban areas the density of cat populations may be high, exceeding 50 cats per square kilometre. <font color="red">In a study by Bowen (xxxx)</font color>, 81% of 734 UK cat owners whose cats were allowed outdoor access indicated that their neighbours also had at least one cat that was allowed outside, and 66% reported seeing a neighbour’s cat in their garden at least once a week. Owner reports of the number of different cats regularly seen in the garden and the frequency of cats visiting the garden were both correlated significantly with the frequency of injuries due to conflict with non-resident cats.
In urban areas the density of cat populations may be high, exceeding 50 cats per square kilometre. <font color="red">In a study by Bowen (xxxx)</font color>, 81% of 734 UK cat owners whose cats were allowed outdoor access indicated that their neighbours also had at least one cat that was allowed outside, and 66% reported seeing a neighbour’s cat in their garden at least once a week. Owner reports of the number of different cats regularly seen in the garden and the frequency of cats visiting the garden were both correlated significantly with the frequency of injuries due to conflict with non-resident cats.