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'''Despots''': These individuals may deliberately monopolise resources and create opportunities to intimidate other cats in, and outside the home.
'''Despots''': These individuals may deliberately monopolise resources and create opportunities to intimidate other cats in, and outside the home.
==Multi-Cat Households==
There is no reason to provide other cats as play mates for a single, happy cat that has outdoor access and plenty of toys and resting places in the home. It is important to remember that cats are [[feline Predatory Behaviour|solitary hunters]] and they do not need to associate with other cats in order to survive. This means that cats can live alone perfectly happily. Provided that they have a sufficient supply of [[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|safe territory, food, shelter,]] affection from their owners and opportunities to play and exercise, then they will cope very well. The cat is free to mix with cats outside and, if it is a sociable individual, it can find friends there. If, however, the cat is not particularly sociable then it can avoid other cats and live a happy life alone. Some cats definitely prefer to have their own home, without other cats in it, so it is important to think carefully before getting another cat.
Some urban areas have a very high population density of cats and adding extra ones simply causes more tension and stress for all of them. New cats may not be able to carve out their own territory and could end up living indoors because they are too frightened to go outside.
If you intend to keep several cats indoors, without outside access, this can also cause problems. You will need to [[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour|adapt the house]] to provide the cats with space and a whole host of resources and activities to save them from becoming bored or stressed by the absence of privacy from other cats.
In the wild, cats do often live in groups, but these mainly consist of related adult females and immature cats. They are extremely intolerant of outsiders and unwilling to live with a cat they are not related to. So if the desire is for two cats to live together, it is best to get them as littermates. If this is not possible, very young kittens can be raised as if they were from the same litter, provided that this starts at a very early age i.e. before they are seven weeks old.
If an adult cat or older kitten is to become an additional cat in a multi-cat household, then [[Effect of Environment on Feline Behaviour#Introducing a Cat to a New Home/Environment|the new cat must be introduced very carefully]]. Apart from introducing the new cat correctly, it is important to make sure that the resident cats have plenty of the resources they need so that they feel comfortable to coexist without competition.
===Suitable Multi-Cat Household Cats===
Research has shown that resident adult cats are more likely to accept the introduction of a new cat if it is much younger than them. They are far more intolerant of same-aged or older new cats. Research also suggests that resident cats are more likely to tolerate a new cat of the opposite rather than the same sex and that, in cases of same sex pairs, two males are slightly more likely to be compatible than two females. Some older cats do feel intimidated by kittens, as they may feel unable to stand up to physical play. So, getting two young kittens reduces the pressure on the older cat because the kittens can play together.
===Replacing a Housemate===
Friendships between cats are unique and individual and they cannot be replaced by bringing in a new cat. If a pair of littermates has been raised together, their bond is particularly strong and irreplaceable. The remaining cat may experience genuine grief and may search for and call out to the missing one. This kind of grieving can go on for several months and is certainly not a good time to bring in another cat. Any new cat may be met with intense hostility. Even if the new cat is introduced well after grieving has ended, the bond is unlikely ever to be as strong as between the previous pair.
==References==
==References==