Cat Culture: The Social World of a Cat Shelter

This work contends that the anti-social cat is a myth; cats form close bonds with humans and with each other. In the potentially chaotic environment of a shelter than houses dozens of uncaged cats, this work reveals a sense of self and the build of a culture - a shared set of rules, roles, and expectations that organizes their world and assimilates newcomers. As volunteers in a local cat shelter for 11 years, Janet and Steven Alger came to realize that despite the frequency of new arrivals and adoptions, the social world of the shelter remained quite stable and pacific. They saw even feral cats adapt to interaction with humans and develop friendships with other cats. They saw established residents take roles as welcomers and rules enforcers. That is, they saw cats taking an active interest in maintaining a community in which they could live together and satisfy their individual needs.