Cat vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat

by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Thinking about adding a second cat to the family? This essential guide on managing multi-cat households will answer all your questions and maybe even prevent a kitty apocalypse—now in an expanded and updated edition.

America's favorite cat expert and award-winning author shows how adding another cat to your home does not have to be the start of a cat vs. cat war zone. Although cats are often misunderstood as natural loners, you can readily introduce new members to your family, and keep the fur from flying. Johnson-Bennett shows how to plan, set up, and maintain a home environment that will help multiple cats--and their owners--live in peace. Cat vs. Cat will help readers understand the importance of territory, the specialized communication cats use to establish relationships and hierarchies, and how to interpret the so-called "bad behavior" that leads so many owners to needless frustration. Offering a wealth of information on how to diffuse tension, prevent squabbles and ambushes, blend two families, or help the elder kitty in your family, Cat vs. Cat is a welcome resource for both seasoned and prospective guardians of cat families large and small.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Reference, Self Help, Science, Psychology

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2004

About the author

Pam Johnson-Bennett is the host of the TV series "Psycho Kitty" which airs on the Discovery UK channel. She is the best-selling author of 7 books on cats and is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. Her ground-breaking book, Think Like a Cat, is considered the cat bible among owners, experts, and shelter personnel worldwide. She is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and a clinical member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants as well as being the Founder and former long-time Chair of the IAABC Cat Division. She has been the behavior expert for Friskies for over a decade and also served on the Advisory Boards of the American Humane Association and Tree House Humane Society. She is a frequent expert columnist for WebVet. She was formerly the behavior columnist for Cats Magazine, Cat Channel, Yahoo, ivillage, Catster and the Daily Cat.

In addition to career in cat behavior consulting, she has also co-authored a book about motherhood. About her non-cat book, she says: "My 8th book is a total departure from cat behavior and delves into the scary, messy, embarrassing and alien world of being a mother of two kids. "Cookies for Dinner" is where I and my co-author fess up about how your breasts basically become the fast-food take-out window at lunchtime and how, at some point, it's a rite of passage for mothers to end up at the supermarket check-out line while still in our pajamas. Oh, and then there's the time I was locked out of my house while wearing less-than flattering swimwear... but I digress."

Reviews

[Veronica Noechel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, even for those who have a fair amount of cat knowledge and experience. Great resource for solving cat conflicts in the home. She gives intelligent answers that make you go, "of course!" after reading them, they make so much sense. When I read this book, we were having some problems integrating a new kitten into our already 2-cat home. One of ours had some kind of vendetta against the little guy, even though we'd tried to follow good introduction protocol. The adult female would attack him on sight, causing the kitten such distress, he would actually urinate and deficate all over himself in fear. We had to keep a door between them at all times or she would sneak attack him--it was a giant mess. With the help of the advice and techniques in this book, the kitties in question have been living in (relative...I mean they're not in love on anything, but they tolerate each other, the way cats do) peace for about 10 years now. One suggestion was as simple as putting a collar with a bell on our female so she couldn't sneak up on him anymore (what he wanted) and he could have time to get out of her way (what she wanted). We used several other techniques in the book as well, and it wasn't overnight, but the situation improved greatly and definitely reduced the drama in our home.

[Katie Winkelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person who studies ethology, this book is mostly excellent, but is highly outdated. I suggest skipping this book altogether and going straight to reading her more recent book, Catwise. If you do read it, disregard any part that suggests using a “water pistol” or “squirt bottle” as that is outdated and inhumane. Also, if she has anything to say about dog behavior, ignore her because she has no idea what she’s talking about. In this book she attempts to give dog behavior advice when introducing a dog and a cat on page 69. She uses the term “correction” which is also an outdated practice that implies punishment. (“Corrections” can actually have adverse effects. Ex: The dog having negative associations with the cat bc punishment happened in the cat’s presence). However, she follows that part up with using clicker training with the dog, which is appropriate. Just be mindful that this book is outdated and semi-confusing because the author suggests both rewarding for desired behaviors (she mostly suggests this throughout the book which is good bc that’s up-to-date, appropriate information) and punishing for undesired (or “bad”) behavior which, like I said, is an outdated form of training, can be confusing (to the animal), and is inhumane in almost all situations.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd call this required reading for anyone who has more than one cat in the house, even if you've been cat parenting for years and your cats seem to, for the most part, get along. I think that you should read it even if you have only one cat, if you want to truly understand its behavior, but perhaps this author has other titles that don't focus so much on the interaction between multiple cats.

The reader learns all about cat behavior from why they sit in a particular spot, how to tell if they're annoyed, why and how both male and females spray, and most importantly, how to correct/change their behaviors and how to make your cats feel safe, happy, and secure so that they exhibit fewer undesirable behaviors.

I read this with my mother and we were AMAZED at all the stuff we didn't know, and there were answers to every question we had and every problem we had ever had with our cats was explained. Unfortunately, however, you WILL learn that cats are not low-maintenance and easier to care for than dogs. Johnson-Bennett believes that this myth has caused suffering among cats nationwide, and sadly, I am part of that camp. I didn't realize that so much work was required to raise my cats, and they have now become more like a part-time job, but I will do what it takes. I see my cats (and my mom's) with new eyes; I understand everything they're doing and I'll be less upset or judgmental when they do things that upset me.

P.S. You also learn completely how to train cats with the clicker, both to change their unwanted behaviors and to do tricks, if you'd like!

I highly recommend reading this, and it's also an important one to purchase so that you have it as a reference when new issues occur (especially if you want to introduce a new cat or anything changes in your household).

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are considering adding another cat to your family, read this BEFORE you get the new cat. It might actually help.
Strangely enough the author didn't address some scenarios that I am experiencing now with my newbie and his older sister but we'll figure it out.
It's a good guide (I guess) and most likely will help those who are at a complete loss but absolutely must have more than one cat under their roof (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

Kind of disappointing that she waited until almost the end to inform us readers that she is NOT a certified animal behaviorist because then the reader has to wonder how much of what they s/he read should be taken with a grain of salt (or catnip).

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book three stars because it was on a topic that currently interests me. I learned alot about the behaviour of cats. Hopefully my cats will read a book on the behaviour of humans sometime soon.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cat of 16 years passed away a little over a year ago, and silly as it sounds, I guess I must still be mourning him. Although it probably stands to reason. I knew everything about that cat. His likes, dislikes, and where he could be found in the house at any given moment. I remember waking my husband from time to time in the middle of the night and telling him the cat had been hunting or ill. And sure enough, the next morning we'd find evidence of the same. I don't attribute this to any special telepathy, it's just that I knew the sounds he made at night because his noises were a major part of the soundtrack to my homelife for 16 years and any changes would wake me up. It took months after he died for me to stop waking up and straining to hear him in the dark. In any event, this past April, I decided enough time had passed to maybe get another cat. So I started volunteering at a shelter, in part, so I could observe some cats and find "the one." Turns out, he found me by repeatedly crawling into my lap to be petted. And he couldn't be more different from my long-time friend. Where my first cat was extremely smart, demanding, a tad agressive, and only had time for me, my new friend is sort of simple, mellow, a little shy, but friendly after a short time to all, and constantly yearns to be let outside where he never attempts to wander away from our fenced in enclosure. After bringing him home, I continued to volunteer, and as luck would have it I was doing so when a 3-4 week old kitten was brought in. The rest of the litter had died and Mom was missing or dead too. The staff was scrambling to find a foster home for him until he got big enough to be put out on the shelter floor and asked if I was interested. After getting the OK from my long-suffering husband I brought home 6 oz of loudly screeching fuzz (it's probably that incredible lung power that got his rescuer's attention). We knew there might be problems as he had to be bottle fed every three hours for several weeks. And after some rocky times, including a bout with worms, he's now doing fine and developing into a real character. He's not as aggressive as my first cat, but he's full of confidence and swagger and simply afraid of NOTHING except running water. And he keeps bum rushing my other cat. Playfully, of course, but incessantly. Which brings me, at long last, to my book review. What I have found is that although I knew my first cat inside and out, I didn't know that much about cats in general, and certainly didn't know what it takes to live with more than one. So this book was a real boon. I first liked the way the book was organized. For instance, the chapter on aggression was divided into subtopics about types of aggression (e.g., intercat, fear, territorial, play, re-directed, etc.) and how to recognize which one you might be dealing with, and then a "treatment" plan for dealing with whichever one you've got. The chapter that was most helpful to me was "Let's Play," which explained the import of play, different types of play, and the benefits of each type. Using that chapter, I purchased sets of appropriate toys and have been using "diversionary play" to keep the kitten from incessantly attacking the cat with some success for a few days now. I'm hoping it continues to work and plan to refer to the book if other issues arise. I guess what I'm trying to get at with this meandering stream of consciousness, is that even if you have had a close companion for a long time, there may be more that you can learn, especially when going from one to two. This book may help you too.

[Grumpybookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

While most of this was already pretty familiar to me having had 2 cats who haven't always gotten along for the last 13 years, much of what was in here is very helpful information. My 2 cats had major issues about 7 years ago after moving to a much smaller space and dealing with an outdoor cat I couldn't control tormenting them through the windows. I learned much of what is talked about in this book on my own just by having the right instincts and taking the time to get them through it and redirect their fear. If I had had this book back then it would have helped me immensely to manage not only their situation but my own worry about what would happen. The author offers very clear, precise, and do-able solutions to lots of different issues and causes of those issues.

I did learn a few new things and while my cats are old now and no longer have the same energy to take out their anxiety on one another, they still show some passive aggression and I learned a few things that will help me understand them better.

Highly recommend this book for cat owners, especially new ones.

[Erin M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me, because I am about to start fostering cats from a local shelter. Even though I have been a cat owner for 10 years, and had two cats most of that time, I found this book to have a lot of helpful information, especially when trying to decode cat behaviors. I had a lot of 'Aha!' moments while reading through various chapters. Johnson-Bennett gives a lot of really useful information and product recommendations, but also does so in a way where you don't feel like a bad cat parent if you don't follow everything exactly. I would definitely recommend this book if you are thinking of making changes to your household - be it an additional cat, a dog, or moving.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was helpful with some tips on cat behavior, most especially when I integrated the last cat (with a stormy past) to my home. There were a plethora of misspellings and grammar errors in the copy I read. But, the information was helpful perhaps even more so if you didn't have a behavioral background. Most of the material was a refresher for me and therefore I stopped reading the book halfway through. Only a day or so ago did I decide to finish it in order to clear it off my goodreads. Recommend if you have no background in cat behavior and/or are stuck with issues within your multi-cat household; it may give you some ideas to try out. Will keep the book for a reference.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who has more than one cat. While it would take extreme amounts of time & effort to use all of the techniques mentioned in the book, it really is jam-packed with useful info. This book sheds light on the motivation behind feline behavior.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great companion to Ms. Johnson-Bennett's Think Like a Cat. Cat vs. Cat adds to the cat owner's understanding of cat behavior by explaining how cats relate to each other. This helps tremendously when you have more than one cat living in your home.

My husband and I have five cats who get along quite well. Cat vs. Cat has helped us understand our cats' hierarchy and their schedule, and allows us to respect and appreciate them.

One thing I love about Ms. Johnson-Bennett's books is that she expects cat owners to dedicate some time to their pets each day. It's why we have pets in the first place - for companionship - and she makes a great case for the good it does the human and the cat.

I highly recommend Think Like a Cat for anyone who has a cat, and if you have more than one cat, this book is a great next step. The writing is clear and entertaining, the examples are easy to relate to, and the advice is terrific.

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book full of great ideas for keeping peace in multi-cat households. While much of this I've heard elsewhere (like on My Cat From Hell TV show) there was really other gems I picked up that I put into place. We just introduced two new cats - so far the two cats (got them from the shelter but they were not related or bonded) are doing great. Our older cat girl - not so much. Ah well. Very worth it to learn more about cats and their behavior!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering a multi-cat household!! I am happy and proud to have 10 indoor cats from ages 6 months to 14 years who get along very well about 99% of the time and I truly feel that I owe the harmony in our house to the excellent advice dispensed by Ms. Johnson-Bennett.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just the type of book I was looking for to help me deal with the feline mini-war going on under my roof. If your cats appear to hate each other, this is the book you need to read.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any multi-cat family, or anyone thinking of turning their home into a multi -cat one.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, although I knew much of the cat behavior described beforehand. Still, a helpful book to prevent or avert many cat-astrophes! >^.^<

[AcademicEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having more than one cat in a household changes everything, and this is THE book for the multi-cat home. The author goes deep into both the instinctual behaviors and power dynamics at play, with suggestions on how to handle them, as well as many of the products on the market that can help. Some suggestions can seem counterintuitive, but are worth a shot.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative!

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of useful information, if a little repetitive at times.

[Morgan Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newest edition of the book is great, I have a better idea now of how to manage the relationship between my two cats.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had picked this book up way back when, as I wanted to adopt a purportedly-difficult senior calico I had befriended at the Kitty Cottage, an adoption agency in Norristown. I have owned cats all my life that my parents adopted from the SPCA in Brandywine Valley.

Now I want to order all the rest of the books this behaviorist lists in the back because this book genuinely helped me ease some of the micro-tensions between the two cat ladies who sleep like gargoyles on opposing sides of my bed. (I rarely notice - but my mother has peeked in and told me about the two fierce felines wearing matching grimaces ready to pounce on the perpetrator of any damage to me upon a moment's notice.)

I own three NF cat books so far - one is an encyclopedia of a few different types of cats, one I did another GR review of maybe a couple of months ago that details how to train cats (which boils down to how operative conditioning works - c.f. Skinner), and this one. (ETA a few hours later: I perused my personal library to find six cat books but what I have listed are all I have finished. Maybe also the French for cats one, but I don't remember enough about that one to write a good review about it.)

You see, I bought this book specifically so I could write notes in it such as what exactly idiopathic and hyperesthesia meant again. (The book was written by and for vet techs.)
Idiopathic is essentially "random" although the thesaurus did not offer that as one of the options and "hyperesthesia" is a skin sensitivity you'd better call your vet about - "often presenting as excessive grooming" but there's more and if you're curious, please read this informative book!

[Leigh Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for multi-cat households.

Full disclosure: I have four cats, and until I read this book, their interactions were mostly a mystery to me. They're two bonded pairs, one that was trained properly and the other that were raised by kindly, well-meaning wolves. I knew enough to introduce them to each other properly, but beyond that I was at a loss.

Enter Pam Johnson-Bennett's excellent book, which explains everything you need to know about kitty hierarchies, litter box issues, territory squabbles, aggressive behavior, scratching, stress, aging, illness, the whole nine yards. Once you have this information, everything clicks into place.

One thing that may surprise readers is just how much personal interaction time your cats want from you. It's commonly believed that cats are solitary creatures who don't need much, but the truth is that cats are pack animals, and YOU are part of their pack! They want lap time, playtime, treat time, all manner of face time....but on their terms. So grab this book, learn their terms, and look forward to increased harmony in your multi-cat house. Remember: all cat behaviors make sense to the cat. It's just a question of knowing how to interpret those behaviors. Recommended for all library collections and cat owners!

[Andriy Zinchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not great organization, but an easy read and definitely helped me with a problem.

I've had cats for more years than I'd like to admit. I usually have only 2 cats, company for each other. But now I have 4, all rescues...and as they says, rescues can be problematical.
One is a 9 year-old "gentleman" who loves the other 3: five year-old rescues (2 girl "cousins," 1 boy from Arkansas).
I've had all since kittens, about 3-4 months of age.

As far as certain gender combinations getting along, which I had been told about...fergetaboudit.
My tiny female likes to pick on my AR big guy (same age), swatting him in the face! Naturally the big guy is my fav, a big cuddly "pussycat," and I think she knows it. Both have small bruises on their faces near the ears...darn. Only occasionally does he return a swat, usually just runs or avoids her.

This book explains a lot and was a quick read. A cheap solution for problems...especially rescue cats.
I have to let each of the 2 problem kitties have enough time and attention, and a fav spot has to be rotated. In short, problem less obvious.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, well-written, easy-to-follow reference book. Even though most of her suggestions can be found on blogs or pet sites, the way in which she writes makes the tips "sink in." She really takes her time to get you to think from the cat's perspective, so it makes sense her other book teaches people how to think like a cat. Some of the suggestions, like litter box placement, are hard to follow for the average cat owner. And I'm a little shocked euthanizing cats is even considered a last resort to behavior problems.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice that is best read BEFORE you bring home a new kitten and discover that she will quickly grow to terrorize your previously tranquil feline kingdom. Some ideas helped even after the fact, and some ideas I suspect would have helped had we known them before we had a -- literal -- cat fight on our hands. But don't waste your money on the Feliway -- the author must own stock in the company!

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading. As a general guide for cat ownership and behavior, this is a fine book. But I didn't get as much info as I'd have liked about helping multiple kitties coexist peacefully. Also, sometimes I felt like this book was one big advertisement for Feliway (which we've tried, but doesn't seem to work) and other commercial cat products.

[Zgardenldy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of us with cats know many of these suggestions. The book is also a little heavy on advertising certain products which make me wonder if she is getting a kick back. There is a couple good sections about introducing new cat, babies and even boyfriends to your cats.

[Sue Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of useful insights into managing a multi-cat household. I've lived with cats for my entire adult life and I still found info that allow me to appreciate the whys of their behavior and hopefully to mitigate intercat situations.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some goo insight into dealing with cats getting along.. Time will tell.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written guidebook for multi-cat households.