by Donna Mccay

Created on: March 25, 2008   Last Updated: August 13, 2009

Cats and their sense of territory can be so strong that they will let you know that this is their turf and why are you bringing other animals in as I was here first. This is exactly what our petite feline cat called Patches did.

This is my turf. What are you 2 kittens doing here? That is what "Patches" said. I was here first and you don't belong here so she would hide under the couch peering out at our 2 male kittens, Bandit and Shadow as they romped and batted a ball of yarn.

Patches chose to eat by herself and not with the kittens. This was her space and she did not want any animal invading or sharing it.

Bandit was named because he would take his paw and steal an unattended bacon or other food. Bandit was a gray and white cat. Shadow was all gray and would hide in the shadows and was always hard to find.

Patches gradually accepted Bandit and Shadow but it took a very long time. She attacked the kittens fighting for her territorial rights.

We had been given Bandit and Shadow from a nurse who was moving to Florida. She lived in the country and had 30 cats. She tried to give them away as she was afraid the neighbor would kill them. So she gave us 2 kittens so they would have each other to play with. .

She had packed her van and was on her way to Florida with 3 cats. Two days later she found another cat that had hidden in her van while it was beiung packed. This was a smart cat who picked her own territory and wasn't about to be left behind. That was a cool way to sneak in the van and now that cat had a special place in my friends heart.

Then we got a dog named Daisy and Patches let us know this was her territory and turf. What is Daisy doing here? Patches chased the dog up and down the stairs, jumps over the couch through the doorway and comes to a sliding stop in the kitchen. This is really funny because you would think that the dog would be chasing the cat but Patches is telling us again this is her teritory and we had no business bringing a dog in the house.

My husband said that a young man was out walking 2 dogs and when they went by our house Patches was on the door step and snarled, hissed and jumped at the dogs. The young man told my husband that every time he walked by our house if Patches was out the dogs would not go near but turned to go the other direction. Again patches was telling those dogs that this was her territory.

Patches chose her territoral rights by sitting with a quiet person on their lap or near them. She also did not like noisy streets and stayed in the house.

So cats do have a sense of territory and will fight and stand up for those rights. I wonder if your cat does the same?

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