Social Behaviour of Cats

Cats are individuals and not as subservient as dogs that is why some folks prefer dogs. What we have in common with animals is the influence of parents behavior and other experience on the character. Jasmina (I mentioned her before) has raised 4 lovely kittens now approx. 8 months old and still very detached to their caring Mum. She surprised me with another pregnancy while still living with her 5 months old kittens. Two months ago she gave birth to 4 little ones,  of which 2 died for unknown reasons, the other 2 are fit. Jasmina continues to give milk from time to time to her older kids with which she made more fuss when they were still baby kittens, than which her second lot, a more relaxed mum now. Don't human beings behaved likewise? Experts say that is why the first born is often more intelligent than his/her brothers and sisters. They are a lovely big family who care for each other and Mummy is always prepared to defend all of them. Another cat mother, three-colored Amira (our first Tunisian cat, mentioned before) had 4 kittens, tomcat Tiger, his sisters Bijou, Sandy, Sollie. Though born on the same day, they presumable have different fathers (not a problem for cats), and look differently. Sandy has golden colored and white fur and amber colored eyes. She tends to panic quickly. Amira was a great Mum, yet once her children were grown up and she fell pregnant again, she changed her manners and now doesn't like her children all that much, I guess nature thus ensures that they'll be space for the new generation. When we had her operated (family planning forced on her), we were not aware that she was already pregnant again). Now Amira has problems with her son, tiger (looks a bit like one, but usually very gentle), who sees in her the "woman" while she doesn't want "an affair" with her son. So we try to separate them and now she spends most of her time with Sandy who unfortunately sometimes gets hit by her mum. This may explain why Sandy doesn't like other cats very much, nor people. She only loves me and would be very happy to live with me as my "only child". For years I did actually live with just one cat at a time, worked well. The way it is now wasn't planned, simply a changed situation, many  wouldn't be alive any more without my "asylum". But I must stress I've reached my maximum and my big cat family made it quite clear, we are many and can't accept any further additions. Besides, it's getting rather expensive, food, medication, vet, family planning........ while my neighbors appear to think I must be rich, plenty of savings in the bank so I afford to provide food for their cat or dog, help the poor..... I would like to support the stray cats, living in the neighborhood - my true neighbors - even more, but I am limited. Feeding them very early in the morning, I really enjoy, folks sleeping, no kids yelling and running around like lunatics, great, makes it worth getting up even earlier than during my working life. They all eat up - as parents tell their children in Germany, don't leave food on your plate and then the sun will shine - works well here. Later on it would be nice to keep a bit of food outside in a bowl, but the bowl gets broken by hooligans or stolen with the food to feed their dogs. Though I like dogs as well, they usually don't mix with cats and I can't afford to feed them as well, besides, hooligans like to use dogs to chase cats. Not easy to live among the ignorant. My 4-legged neighbors have increased in numbers, but they don't - perhaps being aware that supply is limited - accept new comers from further than a certain distance. Some are gentle with baby cats not belonging to their family, while others chase them away. As I said, cats are individuals!