Brotherly Love - Is it lasting?

I am currently fostering an abandoned cat and her four kittens. Of the four, the two boys, Aslan and Ollie, are definitely the closest (below are several pics of them cuddled up together). I'm curious - does this kind of affection last through their lifetime? I'm fairly new to cat ownership and I've seen lots of posts where cats seem to forget their housemates when one is taken to the vet or something. Can/do cats form deep abiding bonds between them? Or are their relationships fairly shallow (for lack of a better word) and easily forgotten and/or replaced? These two totally adore each other; it would be a sad thing if a simple trip to the vet could erase such a wonderful companionship.













and my very favorite...

Oh my god I am in love! I love your boys! They are so sweet! I don't know all about relationships in cats because they are all so different. My mom's cats will forget each other to the point of agressively attacking the one who is returning from the vet and spray all over the house, but mine couldn't care less. I take them places and bring new one's in and whatever.

Anyways, maybe when they need to go to the vet, take them together, like to be neutered or vaccinated or whatever. If one has to go without the other then use vanilla extract on both when they return and let them discover each other.

From past experience, the boys (as long as they are neutered) will form tighter bonds with each other and be more accepting. But only if they are neutered males

Sorry I can't help either but just wanted to say that is awesome. Love those pics.

I also don't have experience in this but I do highly doubt one trip to the vet would make them forget such an obvious bond. Those pictures are INSANELY cute. I too am in love with your boys. Thanks for the smile!

Those are the sweetest pictures, really... my heart melted!

I have two brother kitties, they are 10 months old now and I adopted them when they were 8 weeks old.

(Pictures:



They hate being separated. I have to put them in one carrier together or they start to cry and if I close the door on one of them and the other is on the other side of the door, I see them reaching from under the door to touch each other. In the whole time I've had them, they have been virtually inseparable. They don't snuggle as closely as they used to (but it's also been pretty warm here in Northern California), but they are always near each other at the foot of the bed with us.

So far, in my experience with Tucker & Aiden, they are the best of friends. They are protective of each other-- if Aiden starts meowing from the bedroom and Tucker's with me in the living room, Tucker perks up and runs to make sure Aiden is okay. It's precious.

Sometimes it lasts but frequently kittens who are close when young lose that bond to some extent as they grow older. Interestingly, there's been a similar thread on another forum I use and lots have people have noticed the same - that their cats were very close as kittens but seem to have grown apart as adults. When I got Jaffa and Magpie together as kittens they were inseperable but as adults they were never that close. Sometimes they'd lie side by side on the bed and they would groom each other, but they didn't cuddle up together like they did as kittens. Cats don't seem to have the same need for social interaction as kittens, which is probably part of the reason.

My two boys were inseparable until 18 months old, four weeks ago, when I sadly lost Napoleon from poison. Wellington is still not himself - he searched for his brother constantly for two weeks and then became rather isolated. He is just now beginning to be social again and want cuddles. As far as the vet visits are concerned, any aggression is usually because the cat smells different, and disappears as soon as the 'vetscent' goes.

I have 2 brothers, they love each other so much, they play, eat, sleep and bird watch together. When i take them to the vet i take them together, they got neutered together. They will be 1 years old next month and when one is sleeping somewhere the other makes these noises so he can find his brother its so cute and im glad i got both of them together. I couldnt imagine them going to seperate homes.

i don't know about other cats...but i had a siamese (sp) and his mom was a torti...and they were stuck on eachother like glue...and then she died...got eaten by a dog...and he saw the whole thing...and he wasn't the same after that...just kind of moped around and lagged around. so i think cats def. have special bonds.

The kittens are so cute.

I don't have any first hand knowledge about brothers...but I have Sister cats that are 6 years old.
We got them when they were 4 weeks old and they love each other to death...in fact they were very attacthed to each other as kittens and their bond has grown even closer over the years.

Thanks so much for your replies, everyone! Looks like cats can form tight bonds, but being best pals as kittens doesn't guarantee they will. Well, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed!

By the way, Monnielane, your two boys are just gorgeous!

I prefer to adopt littermates. I have Sage/Dakota and Muddy/Koko right now. I lost Pinky's brother (Ruby) a few years ago and lost Eightball's brother (Tigger) last fall.

Of all the littermate pairs that I've had, only Eightball/Tigger had a falling out and that was when they were much older (8 years old). In hindsite, it was probably because Tigger's heart disease started about that age and went undetected until a year later, when it was too late to really turn him around.

Sage/Dakota are 3-1/2 and still sleep together and groom each other. Muddy/Koko (male/female 3-1/2) have never been sleeping buds but they are still play buds. Muddy/Koko's brothers, Jake/Elwood were adopted to my best friend and they are very close, preferring each other's company over the 2 other cats in their house.

Cats in the wild form the strongest bonds with cats that are genetically related to them. Lion prides are mostly related females and lion coalitions (the male version of prides) are more often than not related males. Cats obviously have a sense that a cat is related to them and more often than not, will bond for life. The odds are in your favor.

The kittens are absolulately adorable btw!!

Wow, a thread about an issue I actually have experience with, LOL!

First of all...your pictures are amazing! What beautiful boys you have!

I have a mother cat and 4 of her kittens (they are over a year old now) Two boys, two girls. Let me tell you, it has been a real experience watching these babies grow up together!

Yes, they absolutely can have a bond that lasts. As mentioned before, neutering is critical. You must do that before they become competitive and territorial.

My boys are very, very close. Now, they do not snuggle all the time, like they did when they were babies. However, they still greet each other with a body rub and they still groom each other. And they love to play! As adults, they do not tend to like to actually sleep all wrapped up in each other like they used to. Only every now and again, when it is fairly cold. But, they always sleep near each other. Actually, all of the cats usually sleep at least int he same room as each other.

I think the only sort of sad thing I have noticed is that while they still see the momma cat as momma...she treats the boys a little bit different than the girls. She will sometimes groom them a little bit, but for the most part she does not seek their attention anymore and more often that not will snub them when they seek hers. But, with her girls...she is totally the opposite. She will groom them for hours.

I think that when the boys hit a certain age, even though they were neutered pretty young...it's like she sensed that they were males and to keep a distance. I dunno. That is the only explanation I can think of. I know that she loves them and they are part of her clan, but she is just not AS affectionate with them as the girls.

Cat behavior is amazing.

I think your boys will probably always love each other and be best buddies. They may express it in more subtle ways as they age. It's hard to say.

but, good luck with your awesome furbabies!