Jealousy is a feeling that is usually not associated with animals but in fact, many pet animals are known to experience jealousy for various reasons.Whether it be a new pet in the house or some random toys, cats can get jealous and act in an aggressive manner with one another. It is important for the owner to amicably handle the situation, otherwise, it can get out of hand.Domestic cats often litter or urinate in the house. A cat before sexual maturity is called a kitten or kitty. Many people like adopting a kitty as they are small and cute. A cat or a kitty requires less maintenance than a dog. Cats get jealous when they feel they are being excluded from their environment. Some behaviors noticed in a jealous cat are when they feel threatened by another cat. If you are a pet owner of two pet cats, a lack of space, bed, affection or other belongings can spike the jealousy in the new cat in the same household. Seeing a new pet, cats gradually or suddenly become possessive over their human owners. Cats need the full attention of their owners to calm them down. Pet owners could reward their cats with food treats or by petting them. It is observed that most male cats are more affectionate than female cats.You can become a cat’s favorite human just by socializing together while respecting the personal space of a feline. They quickly become an important part of the family. One of the most convincing of all signs is when a cat dozes off on your lap. This shows their feelings of trust towards you. Surveys show that cats are the second most popular pet in the world after dogs. After taking naps, getting groomed, and eating their cat food, cats love playing with their toys. After understanding everything about the article if cats can get jealous, why not check out Siamese cat facts and do cats feel love?How can you tell if a cat is jealous?Cats do get very jealous. Cats behave in a certain way to establish their dominance. They can get jealous of other additions to the home, other cats or even the other people in the household. Cats, similar to dogs or children, form emotional attachments to their owners. Usually, a cat’s behavior with other cats is due to territorial aggression which can be found in dogs too.Cats may show signs of jealousy. Some of them are hissing and growling. If you’re their favorite human, cats might go to the extent of biting and scratching out of jealousy. Growling indicates that your cat is annoyed, frightened or angry. You might want to leave your cat alone for some time as this is only temporary behavior. Sometimes such jealous behavior physically comes in between the pet owner and the object they are jealous of. Most cats get on the laptop and tend to sit on the keyboard when you are trying to type. Such an act displays that the cat really likes you and wants you to stroke them and give them food.Do cats get protective of their owners?Despite the popular belief that cats don’t care about their owners and act aloof, while dogs are more friendly to humans, this is not always true. Research published in 2017 known as the ‘Feline Five’ studied five behavioral traits of cats towards their owners. The researchers showed that the relationships of cats with their owners are surprisingly similar to humanly bonds, similarly the same goes with dogs.Cats watch their owners closely and are aware of what they do and where they go. They tend to keep their owner safe from what they perceive as a potential danger by using their sharp hearing and sense of smell. When they perceive something as dangerous, they’ll get aggressive against the threat. This is because cats are territorial felines and their instinct tells them to protect their family and its territory. That’s why they also show aggression to strangers because, despite being fierce predators by nature, they are small in size as compared to humans and can be considered a danger for their owners.An overprotective cat often gives subtle hints which its owners can notice to better understand their behavior. Cats demand the attention of their owners as it is necessary to provide them with what they need. A cat can have dilated eyes or pointed ears which can show its feelings towards us. At times, they move quickly and have a crouched stance when they are ready to pounce, and hissing and biting are signs of aggression in order to warn of a threat. It is important to calm your cat when they show aggression.Do cats get jealous of other cats?A cat’s behavior isn’t that different from ours as humans. When a home has lots of pet cats, they form bonds with each other, they can play and have fun or even argue and fight with each other. Sometimes, they come together in an understanding or they can develop jealousy amongst each other. If a cat thinks another cat is getting more attention, it will become jealous, meaning it might need more love from its owner.It is easy for cats to become rivals, especially when a newer younger cat is brought into the household when there is already a cat in the house. The older cat might feel jealous of the younger one and might not like that the new cat is getting more attention than itself. Due to their territorial nature, cats don’t like to share resources with other cats and they can act jealous or annoyed when they have to share their stuff. This can cause the older pet to become aggressive towards the younger and more energetic pet.In nature, this jealousy helps male cats to compete for scarce resources like food and water and makes females defend their territory and fend off others who could potentially harm their baby. These traits are also carried by housecats when multiple pets compete for their owner’s attention, especially if they are in the same room at the same time.A jealous cat shows distinct behavior which can be identified easily and given proper attention to. An angry cat will tip food bowls upside down and knock down as much stuff as it can. Cats also mark their territory by urinating and marking areas with their scent. This means a jealous cat can pee on the floor and they also don’t hold eye contact or sometimes they even hide. Cat rivalries can be solved by spending quality time with your cats and giving both cats enough time to get used to each other and come to a truce.Do cats get jealous of new kittens?The way that an older house cat will interact initially with a younger kitty newly brought into its house shows that cats care a lot about their owners and are more hungry for attention than their owners think. Despite what most cat owners believe, older cats can become jealous of smaller kittens in their homes.A cat can see a new kitty as a challenge to its position in the home and its natural instinct is often to fight for its territory. When a new baby cat is introduced in a home, the older cat will show dominant behavior until the feline accepts its place by submitting or until human intervention. Sometimes, human interaction is what drives the jealousy forward, your older cat might not like the fact that you are giving more attention to the younger kitten than the older. Sometimes giving the older cat more attention is quite difficult as the kitten needs extra care, and this can hurt your cat’s feelings.The older cat will try to mark its area using the scent of its urine or by showing aggression like hissing at the new kitten and maybe even attacking it. The cat will try to block your path or try to bring itself between the new kitten and you. It can gently bite or brush up against your leg showing that it wants some affection.It’s wrong to punish your cat if it is acting jealous because the cat might attack the smaller feline as a result. Any time that the two cats spend together should be supervised!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do cats get jealous? Definitely! Curious kitty behavior facts revealed then why not take a look at what causes snow? Fascinating weather facts for curious kids! Or do all mammals have hair? Know interesting animal body facts for kids!
Jealousy is a feeling that is usually not associated with animals but in fact, many pet animals are known to experience jealousy for various reasons.
