Cats are territorial animals and may mark their territory with scent glands located on their face and paws.
You on my street?!
Cats establish their home hunting ranges by scent marking them, using special glands located in their forehead, cheeks, tail base, and paws.
Male cats physically defend their ranges from other males, while females usually share or overlap their home range with other females.
A cat's home range or territory can be up to 6km2, roughly equivalent to about 20 city blocks.
Cats tend to lead solitary lives in the wild to ensure each cat gets enough to eat, but they may live in small groups of 2-25 individuals, mainly consisting of females, if food resources are plentiful.
Male cats generally live alone regardless of food source, as they also compete with other males for mates.
Cats can be aggressive when defending their territories, fearful when threatened, engage in play behavior (especially as kittens), and groom each other throughout adulthood.
Mothers and other females in a group raise the kittens, which start to sample the mother's kill while still nursing and begin hunting alone at 8 to 16 weeks old.
Kittens generally rest and groom together with their mothers until they are 6 to 12 months old, after which they establish their own home territory.
Adult males patrolling the mother's home range usually evict juvenile males, while juvenile females may leave if food resources are low.
Sometimes, cats may play too rough and scratch or bite. You can teach your cat to inhibit this behavior by leaving the area when they are not playing nicely.
