Are cats territorial? How cat territory works

Cats naturally want to protect their home and garden from intruders, and do so by spraying scent markings around prominent features of their preferred area, or by leaving poop in an obvious place, such as the middle of the lawn, as a territorial marker.

Other cats will smell this and tend to leave that area alone.

Cats usually like to think of their own house and garden as their personal territory. They don’t like it when other cats start to encroach on their area.

However, they don’t necessarily view fences as territory boundaries like we do, but instead tend to use them as walkways. They may consider several gardens to be part of their core territory.

While this varies between cats, they generally like to have an area they can roam around – between 40 to 200 metres from their house.

Cats that live in rural settings, such as farms, tend to roam the furthest, while city-dwellers have much smaller territories and often timeshare these with other neighbouring cats.

Cats use a variety of methods to scent mark their territory. A cat marking their territory may rub their head against you, the furniture and other objects when they are happy, using scent glands in their face and head.

Scratching is another method of scent marking, as they have additional scent glands between the pads of their paws. They may spray and defecate around their territory to warn off other cats.

Cats love their home as much as we do, and if a strange cat suddenly moves in nearby and comes into their garden, your cat is likely to find this very threatening and stressful (much in the same way we would if we had an intruder in our homes).

Some cats may become aggressive and try to fight the intruder, although it is more common for the stress to go unnoticed, as cats are very subtle in their behaviour. Fighting – due to the personal risks involved – is often a last resort.

Introducing a new cat or kitten into your home can also trigger your cat’s territorial instincts. Read our helpful tips on bringing a new cat home.

In general, male cats are more territorial than females if unneutered. However, once neutered, both male and female cats can be equally territorial.

Of course, all cats are individuals, so you may find you have a home-loving, cuddly boy and a roaming, territorial female – or the other way around. It depends on their personality and previous experiences.

Neutered cats are generally less aggressive and territorial altogether, as well as tending to have smaller territories and being less likely to roam. Unrelated and unneutered cats usually only want to get together to mate. If you’ve ever heard or seen an unneutered stray tom cat hanging around your home, you’ll know they can be noisy and persistent!

If you are concerned about behaviour, consider speaking to your vet about having your cat neutered.

Some cat breeds may be more territorial than others, although as with moggies, it depends on their personality, socialisation and previous experiences.

Breeds such as the Burmese, Bengal, Sphynx and Scottish Fold cats are thought to be among the most territorial.

It’s a common misconception that cats are possessive over their owner if they get a new partner or have a baby. However, the behaviour changes often seen are because cats are creatures of habit, and introducing new members to the household changes things – especially a noisy unpredictable baby.

The most important thing is to try and gradually adjust routines in advance to help prepare your cat. Ensure that they have their own sanctuary where they can retreat to, as well as plenty of resources, such as a hiding place or a higher place to climb to, and food, water and litter trays etc all over the house.

Hopefully, the answers above will help you understand how your cat feels about the area they call home – and help you to understand cat territory.

Don’t forget that to have a cat who is well-protected, you should ensure their cat insurance policy is up to date.