Is this unusual?? Dominance by Floor?

[darcifinn]

Is this unusual. I have 2 cats - 18 months. They are the a bro and sis from the same litter. I got them as kittens. In the living room Finn chases Darci around and intermittently chases her off the top level of the scratching post - not because he wants to sleep there just because he feels like it. Upstairs it is just the opposite. Darci will chase Finn off the bed and if he doesn't even fight her. I have a big bed so there is plenty of space for both of them but Darci is bothered by Finn anywhere on the bed. I think it is slightly amusing but I did not think cats could be dominate by floor. I know they are territorial but once again is this a by floor thing?

I think I am supposed to just let nature take it's course but I feel like I am always telling them to be nice to their sister or brother (this is the only place I would admit that).

Thanks!

 

[larke]

They've chosen separate territories (keeps things fair anyhow) to be in charge of - I wouldn't get a third cat unless you have another floor!

 

[darcifinn]

Thanks - no way I am getting a third cat. I don't even date men with cats for that reason

.

 

[callista]

It really sounds to me like they have separate territories! Cats aren't inherently social animals (as opposed to "group-oriented" animals like dogs and horses, for example), and they really only want to interact on their own terms. Each cat has an area they "own" and are acknowledged by other cats to "own". There are probably neutral spots in your house like the feeding area and litter boxes; but if you have cats with strong territorial instincts, they will definitely divide the space up between them!

House-cat territories can be nebulous (like one cat owning one cat-tree perch, and another, another perch); or, like your cats' territories, they can be pretty clear-cut. Don't worry about it--it's natural. If they fight with claws out, you might have to separate them and/or use various methods to calm them down; but these two have known how they fit together since kittenhood and the chances of real conflict are pretty slim.

 

[carolpetunia]

Nothing to add except that Finn and Darci are precious, and that's an excellent photo of them. You should send it to one of the cat calendar publishers!

 

[goldenkitty45]

They probably had a conversation and decided who gets to be boss on which floor/level of the house. I think its kinda cute - weird, but cute

 

[alleygirl]

As long as they don't start fighting mean and try to hurt eachother I wouldn't worry about it.

They are SO adorable in that picture! What a couple of cuties

 

[seppolina]

It is totally normal for two cats in a household to choose seperate territories. My two have different rooms that they are "in charge" of. Darci & Finn are doing normal cat stuff by "protecting" their chosen territories and unless you fear that they are going to hurt one another, it's OK to let them behave that way. Felines playing with each other don't usually vocalize too much (they communicate most frequently though body language & save the vocalization for communicating with us "dense" humans) so if you hear a loud, growly, or hissy arguement, you would want to break that up.