Cat Who Is Jealous Of Cats

People believe that a cat who is jealous of cats that he/she/it lives with may attack them or fight with them. Some people believe that a cat can become jealous of a cat that is perhaps favored by a human. It is hard to tell if this is real jealousy or just part of the peeking order.

I think it has been established that cats feel emotions. Vets refer to depressed cats, for example. And cats can look depressed or happy (this is subtly indicated in facial expression and demeanor). These are basic emotions but jealousy is a high grade emotion that has not yet been established to happen with cats. That is not to say it doesn't happen.

When cat keepers say, "My cat is jealous, she chases the boy cat all over the place", they probably mean she is the alpha cat asserting dominance. But cats are not pack animals (as dogs are) so this is not long term behavior necessarily. A cat may hiss and chase another cat in the same household but this may happen initially when a new cat is intoduced but will probably fade in time when the "family" becomes more settled. I have seen this happen a lot.

My thoughts, for what they are worth, are that cats don't get jealous but do react instinctively on a survival basis (first in pecking order), which can result in aggression. Also some cats are more defensive or aggressive than others either due to poor socialization as a kitten (nurture) or inherited (nature). A cat who is jealous of cats or looks like it, is possibly an alpha cat.

Cat Who Is Jealous Of Cats to Cat Facts