Domestic cat benefits from being more social

The domestic cat is basically a solitary creature because they inherit their natural behaviours from their wildcat ancestor, the North African wildcat; a solitary wild animal. But domestic cats have adapted to life with humans and in doing so, as a by-product, become more sociable. I think it is fair to argue that the domestic cat is a sociable animal, almost diametrically opposed to their wildcat ancestor. Although, the domestic cat reverts to the wild not infrequently especially if allowed outside unsupervised. Instinctively the wildcat within emerges and they become a solitary animal.

The reason for this introduction is that "Being more social is associated with some tangible benefits." That's according to Professor Rob Salguero-Gomez, the lead author of a study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B which found that "more social species live longer". Animals that naturally form cooperative, organised groups enjoyed a boost in longevity, according to The Times newspaper's report.

Alternatively, animal species that are naturally solitary such as tigers, reptiles and some fish tended to live shorter lives and reproduce during brief windows according to the same report.

There are pluses and minuses, however. The benefits of living in a society i.e. sociably is a sharing of resources and being better protected from predators and having support to raise offspring. But the downside is the increased chance of contracting a contagious disease. However, overall, social species "live longer, postpone maturity and are more likely to reproduce successfully."

It is interesting for me that the domestic cat is almost both a social creature and a solitary one at the same time. In multi-cat homes, for example, the domestic cat is forced to become social and accept a much reduced home range and overlapping home ranges in the presence of domestic cats in very close proximity all the time. This can, however, lead to stresses which can lead to fights which can on the face of it reduce longevity as can of course as mentioned contract contagious diseases which are more likely to be present in multi-cat homes.

Humans living alone are living a solitary life but I don't think this automatically reduces longevity. If it causes depression then that may reduce lifespan.

The point of the article is that it is likely that the domestic cat's lifespan has increased as they become more sociable because they are cared for more intimately by humans and because, lately, there's been a steep rise in the number of full-time indoor cats. A modern trend. This, in homes where there is more than one, will force sociability upon the domestic cat.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.