Cat Bullies: Spotting Tension in Your Multi-Cat Household
Published date: 03 July 2025
Sometimes, it can be tricky to tell if your cats love or hate each other. The subtle signs of tension can be difficult to spot, but we are here to help you understand the relationship between your feline friends.
The Solitary Nature of Cats
As much as it’s joyous to keep many cats together, it is important to acknowledge the nature of our felines.
Cats have evolved from solitary animals and have a desire to maintain an independent territory. This means cats don’t necessarily need company from other cats to feel contented.
Understanding this is key to keeping a harmonious multi-cat household. Each cat must be treated as an individual and offered their own resources.
Sharing resources (food bowls, litter trays, scratchers, beds) is more likely to result in tension.
So, to set your cats off on the right paw, ensure they have their own places to sleep, scratch, eat and toilet.
What are the signs of bonded cats?
Cats will get along if they believe they are part of the same ‘social group’ as each other. Nothing is more adorable than two cats that love each other.
Although it is unrealistic to expect all cats to be this close, here are the signs your moggies are bonded:
- Sleeping together
- Frequently grooming each other
- Rubbing against each other
- Spending time together happily in the same room
- Play fighting
Keep in mind that even bonded cats can turn on each other, and tension can still be simmering below the surface.
Are my cats fighting or playing?
The line between love and annoyance seems to blur sometimes with our cat companions.
Play fighting and real fighting can sometimes look similar. Here are the signs your cats are just playing:
- Your cats will be gentle with each other. Biting isn’t hard and claws are normally retracted
- Play fighting is normally quiet, if your cats are yowling at each other this indicates they are genuinely unhappy
- Cats will change roles frequently during play fighting, if one cat is continuously chasing another it indicates tension
- There will be calm after playtime. Your cats will continue to act normally with each other
If your cats are fighting this is what you can expect to see:
- Aggressive sounds such as loud meowing, yowling, growling and hissing
- Aggressive body language such as an arched back, a big bushy tail, and flattened ears
- Aggressive motions such as sitting on their haunches and swatting their paws at each other
Why have my cats suddenly started fighting?
Even cats that get on and seem happy can get angry with each other.
There are many reasons why your peaceful house is suddenly a place of conflict.
- Redirected Aggression- this is when your cat is aggressively agitated or frightened by an outside source. It could be a pigeon on the fence outside or something scary like building work. They redirect this emotion onto pets and people in the home. Learn more about aggression in our blog Why Does My Cat Bite Me?
- Changes in home or routine- maybe you decided to upgrade your sofa, or a new person has moved into the house. Cats HATE change, and the smallest one can trigger a lot of anxiety. Unfortunately, with anxiety comes a higher chance of conflict. Read our top tips for reducing Cat Stress.
- Long-term vet or cattery visits- if your cats have been away from the home for a while, it can trigger some tension when they return. This is because cats share a common scent and spread this around the home. Extended times away from the house diminish this scent and make cats wary of each other again.
Remember the key with a multi-cat household is to never expect your feline friends to share resources and to ensure their needs are met.
