I think they do. Consider feral colonies. And timesharing common routes and territories is complex social behaviour, however one looks at it - as is the fact that cats respect common areas and pathways between territories. Moreover, whilst they are territorial, cats are far from asocial; within their parameters, they are quite socially gregarious.
And when cats have been forcedly in awfully overcrowded conditions, they develop social hierarchies - one or two top cats, various strata beneath, and a few scapegoats at the bottom - all too recognisable from human society.
Not for nothing is the image of the archetypal cat owner someone who lives alone and in defiance of conventional social expectations; I have a nagging feeling that cats regard such people as having been successfully liberated from captivity. I'm not at all sure they're wrong, either.
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branchandroot
purrhaps drifting a paw or two off-topic here...
Date: 2015-07-02 05:58 pm (UTC)And when cats have been forcedly in awfully overcrowded conditions, they develop social hierarchies - one or two top cats, various strata beneath, and a few scapegoats at the bottom - all too recognisable from human society.
Not for nothing is the image of the archetypal cat owner someone who lives alone and in defiance of conventional social expectations; I have a nagging feeling that cats regard such people as having been successfully liberated from captivity. I'm not at all sure they're wrong, either.