A Kitty's Point of View: 'There's Another Cat in my Territory'

I do love sitting up here in the window where I am master of all I survey! I know every hiding spot in my home, and with my keen eyesight I can see out into the garden too - and spot any insects or other things that I wish I could chase!

I really do feel safe and secure in my home territory but also regularly wander around to make sure all sights and smells are as they should be. I don’t mind my doggy brother sharing the home with me anymore. My human parents worked hard to get me and the dog to bond and we get along quite well now - he knows his place!

Miaow! Is Someone in My Space?

But, wait a minute, what’s that I hear? I’ve also got super-sensitive hearing - did you know that I can hear sounds that are very low pitched (much like my humans) but I can hear much higher pitched noises too - even better than a dog! That makes me a super-cat!

Miaow! Is that the cat from next door I can hear? I definitely don’t like him coming into my garden and up to the windows - this is my territory and I don’t like sharing it with strange cats.

Sometimes, if he comes too close, I have to hiss at him through the screen door to tell him to go back to his own garden. I don’t like to argue (it does stress me out sometimes) but if my
human hears us, she will come out and try to scare him off by clapping her hands loudly - that normally does it!

I’d better go around the house again and patrol the windows and doors. Sometimes I’ll scratch or spray at these areas - just to make sure that cat gets the message that this is MY TERRITORY!

I Love My Kitty World!

While I would love to be outside, I am very comfortable indoors, my people tell me it’s a lot safer this way! I’ve got lots of super hiding places and high perches to jump up to if I want some ‘me’ time. There’s a couple of specific areas for me to scratch and I like sitting on the windowsill and looking outside into my garden.

Apparently, my cat ancestors used to stalk their prey and then pounce and catch them for food - I don’t need to do that as my human parents feed me very well. However, I still like to stalk and pounce at my toys and the occasional bug that comes inside - it feels like a natural thing to do and it keeps me both mentally and physically fit and healthy! I get more exercise when the human children come home as they like to play with me. They’ve given me a toy mouse on the end of a string which I can chase - it’s almost as good as the real thing - and there’s a lovely toy that I can chew and it helps me keep my teeth and gums healthy.

But I sometimes get stressed - if I hear loud noises, or bangs (like fireworks - they really scare me) or, like now, when there’s another cat in my territory, it sets my fur on edge! My
human parents have put up some cat-proof fencing to stop them coming into my garden but it doesn’t always work - I think they come through by climbing the tree that overhangs my garden. But at least they can’t get into my house.

I have a feline friend!

Not all other cats are bad! I share my house with another cat and we do get along quite well. I think that’s because my human parents have made sure that we each have our own resources in the house - we have our own cosy beds, our own food and drink bowls and our own scratching posts and even our own litter trays. She marks and scratches hers, and I do the same to mine. They also introduced us slowly, so we got used to each other’s scent before we actually met which helped! She doesn’t seem as worried about that cat outside as I can be. I guess all us cats react to things in our own ways.

My human mummy has plugged in a FELIWAY FRIENDS diffuser into the room where we spend most time. It really makes me feel relaxed - just as if I’m still with my mummy cat and brothers and sisters so this helps us get along better. It also helps me to feel calm if I see that neighbourhood cat through the window. However, if she doesn’t refill it regularly, we can get a bit tetchy with each other! Miaow!