Pairing Off: Are My Cats A Bonded Pair?

Most all pets do well in a setting where they have others of their kind to interact with-especially cats. But, how can I tell if two cats are a bonded pair? We will try to figure out how you can easily understand and maintain harmony among cats.

Today, our domesticated cats like to interact with another of their kind, and many times two cats will bond together as a bonded pair that are just about inseparable.

Cats that bond in pairs is much healthier and happier and live longer lives because they are stress-free and have another partner to play with at all times to keep them in shape as they age.

Bonded cats may lead back to when they were all big cats in the wild that would live and hunt in groups or pride.

There was a certain hierarchy in the pride with a dominant male and sometimes a dominant female and the others in the pride would compete to find their place in the hierarchy.

What Type of Cats Can Create a Bonded Pair?

Any two cats can make a bonded pair. It may be littermates that have been together since birth, it can be two other cats that have been together since they were kittens or it can even be older cats that met in a household.

Some bonded pairs are a parent and a sibling. Some outdoor cats may even bond with another cat from a neighbor’s house.

There isn’t any rhyme or reason as to how cats decide to bond with each other. You may adopt one cat and then an additional cat a few years later and they become a bonded couple as well.

You will see bonded cats that are both female or male or one of each and they can be several years apart in age as well and have met after they were both adults.

Do sibling cats have a bond?

Cats will experience a lasting bond-like human brothers and sisters only when they have lived for about 18 months to four years.

Cats typically don’t become socialized until they are between 18 months and four years old, so even if they are good friends now, they may drift apart as they grow older

Pairs of bonded cats and dominant nature

The cats decide if they are bonded and we as humans can’t make them bond, as it’s just part of nature for them.

Pairs of bonded cats further vary in that one may be more dominant than the other or they may be on equal footing as a pair without a dominant or submissive counterpart.

Kittens will bond much more quickly, especially with their littermates, because they are together in the womb and then in the nest as very young kitties.

Older cats take longer to bond with one another if they haven’t grown up together and some may never bond, but merely co-exist in a household.

What Are Signs of Cats That Are Bonded?

Bonded kitties like to be around each other almost continuously, no matter what they are doing.

The most vulnerable time for a cat is when it is sleeping because it is more defenseless against outside forces.

Some cats prefer to sleep inside of an enclosed bed and in the dark to feel safe.

felines with bonds will sleep together in the same area and are most likely to cuddle up together in their dreams.

It shows how comfortable and safe they feel in the presence of each other when they sleep together.

Cats’ scent glands and Its Role in bonding

Cats have many scent glands on several parts of their bodies, this includes their paws, tops of their heads, and faces.

When you see a cat “washing” its face, it will lick a paw and then pass the paw over the face, top of the head, and ears.

This is their way of spreading their scent on themselves. When two cats rub against each other or one another, they are sharing their scent with the other in happiness.

This tells you that they are very comfortable together and they may even intertwine their tails together in an affectionate “tail hug.“

Bonded pairs of felines will play with each other with no signs of aggression whatsoever.

You will have to look closely to recognize this because they will still bat at each other with their paws and they may “mouth” each other, but upon a closer view, you will notice that they don’t put out their claws and don’t bite with their teeth.

Cats will even play with the same toys together in a friendly game of tug of war as dogs do.

Bonded cats will call out to the other of their pair if they don’t see them right away and this can be quite loud, as the phrase “catcalling” suggests.

They will also call out loudly if they sense that the other part of their pair is missing or in trouble or pain of some sort.

Bonded kittens are a great joy to behold.

They will play chase and run after one another while getting in precarious situations such as on the edge of a chair or couch where they lose their balance and tumble to the floor.

Pairs of kitties love to play with hanging toys as well as interactive toys such as wands with feathers on them. It’s also a lot of fun to play with them with a laser pointer as they try to catch the little red dot.

Bonde pairs of kittens do need a lot of toys to play with to keep them busy, as well as a scratching post of some sort.

This will help to protect your furniture from those tiny sharp claws and teeth as they learn what to do and what not to do in your home.

If you have hardwood floors, put a few of the cat balls with bells in them down for them to bat around together in playtime.

Do Bonded Cats Ever Fight?

Just as the happiest human couples on earth may have some disagreements, so do bonded cats at times.

This usually doesn’t occur too often and it may be that the submissive cat wants to continue to play and the dominant cat doesn’t, so he shuts down the play with a quick swat of a paw with his claws out.

If you have bonded cats, you should realize that even though they try to stay together at all times, they should have the option of some alone time as well.

It’s best to keep two litter boxes, two beds, and two sets of food and water dishes so that each can have a bit of independence if they wish.

The two will most likely not claim just one of each of these items and they will share them equally, but they can both choose to eat out of different bowls at the same time or sleep separately if they want to.

What Are The Benefits of Bonded Cats?

Bonded pairs of cats tend to live longer because they have someone to play with, so there is less chance of them being overweight and they are more stress-free to be healthier as a whole.

When you leave the house, your bonded cats will have someone with them at all times to reduce any anxiety that they may otherwise feel.

Can Bonded Cats Be Separated?

Separating bonded cats can be devasting to both the two cats in the pair. It’s like losing part of themselves or a soulmate.

Separation may cause, each cat to go into a deep depression and stop eating, cry loudly all the time, and have destructive behavior towards your furniture.

Separating them can also lead to litter box issues in which they urinate all over the house even though they have had prior litter box training all their lives.

A separated bonded cat can also be self-destructive in over-grooming and pulling out their hair to scratch very hard and leaving abrasions on their skin, which can then lead to infections and the need for veterinary attention.

It’s best not to separate bonded cats for any reason, although when one passes away it’s inevitable.

Many times at a rescue shelter, they will insist on adopting both cats in a bonded pair, and many times it’s on a buy one, get one free program, so you only pay the price for one cat, but get a pair of them.

This isn’t some scheme to get rid of two cats at once but is a solid act of caring and knowing that the pair need each other to be happy and healthy.

How do you know if two cats like each other?

Cats In Bonded pair head-butt each other but not aggressively.
They lick and groom one other.
They snooze and hang out together.
Cats Often touch noses.
Cats having a rough tumble.

Are my Bonded cat’s friends or Foes?

If they are friends, they will groom each other, rub one another, cuddle, and sleep together.

If they are foes, they will not share resources and space like food, water, beds, and litter boxes. and will Timeshare it.

How To Introduce Two Cats In Hopes of a Bonded Pair

Knowing all the benefits of having bonded cats may make you start thinking that you wish your cat had someone to hang out with and be friends with.

First take into consideration that you will need double the amount of food, toys, beds, litter boxes, and veterinary care when you have two cats in one household.

If you choose a new cat to introduce to your cat, keep in mind all cats are not going to bond together because your existing cat may be territorial and see a new cat in the home as an enemy.

You must introduce them to each other very slowly to get both kitties to at least co-exist in your home without arguing and then go from there to possibly being the best of friends.

The best way to do this is to choose a new cat and take it to your vet right away before bringing it home.

You want to make sure the new cat is parasite-free and has no infectious diseases that could be given to your existing kitty.

Then you need to set up a private room for your new cat. The best idea is to put it in a room with a door, such as a bathroom or a laundry room, and close the door.

Room setup forBonded cats

Set up the new kitty room with a litter box, bed, food, water dishes, and toys, and kitty proof it so the new cat can’t get hurt in any way.

When you go into the cat room, pet your new cat and play with it to get its scent on you.

Your existing cat will learn to associate that scent with its new sibling when you play with him.

Leave the new cat in the room with a closed door for about 3 to 5 days so it can calm down from the stress of a new habitat.

After 3 to 5 days, you can open the door to the cat’s room and put a tall partition in the doorway that neither cat can jump over.

Two doggie gates with one on top of the other work well or any type of a wire partition, or a screen door that they can see through.

This allows each cat to see the other before the actual physical introduction. Let each of them see you play with the other so they understand they are on equal ground and neither is a favorite.

You can put the existing cat’s food bowl outside the door of the cat room and feed them at the same time and then move the bowl closer to the door a bit each day. This will show them that the other cat is okay with them.

doggie gates and wire from the door

Eventually, when both cats are calm around each other, remove the doggie gates or wire from the door and open the door to the room slightly.

Each cat can begin to experience each other in person to speak and the new cat can run back into the cat’s room if it’s scared.

If it does this, shut the door so it feels safe and your other cat can’t follow it. Keep this process up until the door is entirely open and the cats can roam the home freely together.

Be aware that you may need to monitor the cats when they are together for quite some time until they figure out if they will bond or simply co-exist with each other and don’t leave them together alone when you leave the house.

It takes time for adult cats to get to know each other and become roommates, but it can be beneficial to both if they do become bonded.

Final Thoughts

If you have the chance to adopt a bonded pair of kittens or cats, it’s truly a pleasure for you as the owner and both felines to keep them together.

When you are away from the house for work or school or just running errands, you won’t feel guilty about leaving them at home because they will have that unbreakable bond between them and keep each other company while soothing themselves at all times.