How do cats determine social rank? And How can we tell their rank?

get rank
666 asked:

I know they smell each others’ ***** but what determines their social rank? How can we tell their rank, smelling their ***** is not an option, and I wouldn’t even be able to tell then.



Comments (5)    Posted in Cats    

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5 Responses to 'How do cats determine social rank? And How can we tell their rank?'

  1. LINDA D. - July 5th, 2010 at 10:35 pm

    In a group of cats that you have just fed, see which one waits for the others to finish eating first. That one is the queen, she’ll always allow others to eat first. A Tommy is not usually the leader, unless it is the only cat around. The queen watches out for the safety of all the younger kittens/cats and may send the oldest tommy to protect the pride.

  2. marginbuu - July 8th, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    they tell rank by sight not **** smell.
    I have 5 cats and their standing in our “colony” changes all the time. It doesn’t matter if we can tell who the big guy in the area is. as long as they know

  3. old cat lady - July 10th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    I have house cats. One female considers herself to be above all the others – the other cats don’t like her and don’t have interactions with her.

    The other cats go up to the dominant male and he will lick their heads briefly. The other cats do not do this with one another, only with Kinsey.

    The dominant cat will usually be found in the highest position in the house. On top of the refrigerator, the top of the cat tree, etc.

    Dominance is not an issue in my house. I don’t know how it was established in the first place. The dominant female is younger than the other cats. The three males don’t interact much with one another, just with me and share my attentions without conflict.

  4. sharon w - July 13th, 2010 at 8:19 am

    This is strictly determined by the cats themselves. It’s not OUR business to know, as long as they understand each other. If you have more than one cat, your female (queen) will usually be your Alpha cat. The queens watch out for all of the youngsters, and sometimes for an older sickly cat as well. The Toms can be helpmates (or not) to the queen, but they are much more laid-back and not nearly as “in-tune” with the pride as the queen is. You asked how WE can determine their rank. Watch them closely, observe how they interact with each other. It doesn’t take very long to figure out “Who’s the Boss”, and what order the rest fall into.

  5. michele_cat_cyprus - July 13th, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    Cats do not form hierarchical packs like dogs, they are more concerned about the size of their territory, than their place in the pecking order. A more dominant or assertive cat, may exert their right to a comfy chair, the best window seat or the warmest spot. Cats also timeshare, one occupying a favourite spot until another cat comes along. Territories are generally negotiated with minimal fighting – mostly with hisses, a swat or dab and maybe some yelling until one or other cat concedes the match. This division of territory is relatively peaceful and enforced by body language barely perceptible to observers.

    My two cats are close in age, and I think they are an equal match. Some days the female seems to have the upper hand and the next day it’s the male. They definitely make use of the furniture on a time-share basis.

    You might be interested in reading “The Unsociable Cat” which has lots of interesting information about their social structure.


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