i have two 7 year old brothers (same litter) that were neutered at the normal early age. to put it bluntly they often engage in incestuous behavior. they hump each other! there is no discharge but it sure looks like they're 'getting off'. they get along wonderfully otherwise. if one is sleeping or just curled up the other will come up, approach from the back and .... yeah. and they both do this. usually there is a little squealing going on. frankly it's obnoxious to see and i break this up when i see it. but i know they must be doing this when we're not at home. my question is, is this normal? should i NOT be breaking it up? i've had cats for many years and i've never seen this before. then again i've never had two from the same litter either. these boys are himalayans. they have great temperments and a slightly older maine coon sister who is never involved in this. what should i do (or not do)? thanks for your time.
Hi,
Melina here from All About Cats behavior team.
This is a great question! although it may be embarrassing, mounting and humping is a natural behavior that intact male cats engage in.
Neutered male cats may also exhibit humping for several reasons:
- Humping may be related to social stress and anxiety due to environmental changes.
- Health-related problems may be a cause which warrant a veterinary health check.
- Frustration motivated due to boredom/under-stimulation.
- Competition for resources.
- Territoriality associated.
The best way to tackle it is to engage or redirect your cat in another activity such as a game with DaBird, or toss a favorite toy. Engagement in interactive play twice a day will also be of great benefit, whilst when you’re home stop it all together before it begins.
Intensify mental and physical stimulation and introduce reward based training. Furthermore reduce anxiety and stress with the aid of Pheromone therapy and enlarge your cats territory by increasing vertical space with elevated walkways and high cat trees.
Lastly, provide multiple resources in several locations to reduce competition for all three cats with the addition of hiding and calming spots.
Ultimately try to distract and refocus the cat's attention before he engages in the behavior and avoid any type of punishment.
Hope this helps, keep us posted, Melina
anyone here?
@idseer Sorry about what happened there; technical issues prevented our cat behaviorist, Melina, from replying to your post. If you look again, you'll see that her reply has finally appeared. Hopefully, we will see more replies and engagement in the future.
- Mallory