Dear Cat agony aunt/uncle
My two kittens Nikki (white tabby markings) and Blackie (black with white bib) are brother and sister and must be 9 or so months old! They're both neutered and have a very happy and playful relationship!
Nikki's always been the dominant cat because although slightly smaller she makes up for it in attitude but recently I've noticed Blackie becoming more bold and their play fights are getting more the serious end of play fighting. There's hissing here and there now too.
They usually end with him sitting down ears back and her sitting on her hind legs looking down but neither cat seems to be giving in much.
Does anyone know the body language used by the dominant cat, and also if the power balance is likely to change in two young kittens growing up together and who have always been together?
Thanks!
You might not necessarily GET a dominant cat! Motley is top cat here by default cos she's been here the longest (and won't let the others forget it!).
Sparkle is too laid back to try and take over - he's pretty much a free spirit and just lets the others get on with it! And somewhere along the line Ruby has overtaken Rosie in the pecking order - not sure how that happened.
The only experience I've ever had of brother and sister cats has been Rosie and Spike - and the times Spike was staying here they stayed pretty much on the same level - although that could be cos they both knew that Motley was the boss anyway!
As Nikki and Blackie have ALWAYS been together, you may only find out who is more dominant if and when you get another cat! :)
From my experience, dominance does not change unless you possibly enter in a new cat. Our first cat, Tinkerbell, is the dominant one in our household and everyone else accepts that. As for body language, she tends to take the lead on things and everyone follows her. She's also the first one to jump up and defend another cat if something is going wrong.
As for the fighting and hissing - I would say if it doesn't get violent, I wouldn't worry about it. My sister's two cats are both laid back and there's not really a "dominant" one between them, and when they fight it normally leads to hissing...but then they're best friends 10 minutes later.