I have 2 male cats, how can you tell which is the dominant one? One never seems are more "in control" than the other (sometimes one seems dominant, other times the other seems dominant). We feed them out of 2 different bowls at the same time, so I can't tell that way. Can someone tell me some other ways to determine this? I was just curious....
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How can you tell......?
- Thread starter drema445
- Start Date
Did you get them at the same time? are they the same age? there might not be a clear dominant one if they both came to your house at the same time or they might just be too good of buddies to worry about the dominence thing. The way I can usually tell (especially in dogs) is the door trick. Open a door to your room baack porch or somewhere they want to go behind closed doors and see who pushes through first that is usually the donimant one
Some researchers of cat behavior believe that cats show what is known as "relative dominance," i.e. the order of dominance among a group of cats can change depending on the situation, the location, the time of day, etc.
For instance, you can have a cat who is dominant at feeding time first thing in the morning, then retires for a nap or whatever, allowing a second cat to be the dominant one for playtime or feeding. Cats who are lower on the totem pole will sometimes stake a claim to a particular chair and behave dominantly toward other cats who want to sit in the chair. Or one cat might dominate a windowsill during the morning when it's sunny, and a different cat might dominate the same location later in the day.
IME, the one who most often demands to be fed first is the one who's the most dominant overall. The pecking order isn't always clearcut, however. I personally think one of the alluring things about cats is that they don't fit nearly into "cat"egories.
For instance, you can have a cat who is dominant at feeding time first thing in the morning, then retires for a nap or whatever, allowing a second cat to be the dominant one for playtime or feeding. Cats who are lower on the totem pole will sometimes stake a claim to a particular chair and behave dominantly toward other cats who want to sit in the chair. Or one cat might dominate a windowsill during the morning when it's sunny, and a different cat might dominate the same location later in the day.
IME, the one who most often demands to be fed first is the one who's the most dominant overall. The pecking order isn't always clearcut, however. I personally think one of the alluring things about cats is that they don't fit nearly into "cat"egories.
How to tell which cat is dominant:
Excerpted from this article: http://www.paws-and-effect.com/pawsandeffect73.html
I've often wondered that myself. Zakk is more dominant when it comes to eating then Rocky. He has to eat first and will eat out both bowls. Rocky eats after. Rocky is more demanding of attention.. He will also start most play fights, and zakk ends up on his back batting him off, until he's had enough. If Rocky wants to sit somewhere, Zakk will often leave. Maybe he feels its not worth the trouble. Rocky is about 3 pounds heavier, but is sick occ.... Hmmm. So far with the kittens Suzie is submissive to Rocky, and he likes her and grooms her. Jelly isn't staying, but sometimes I think he is testing dominance. Zakk doesn't like to visit too often, but doesn't put up with them bugging him.
