Can cats pick up bad habits from other cats? (sleeping, food, UTI)

[alixjack]

My husband and I are moving back home, and by back home I mean cross-country, and in with my parents... wee...

Anyway, my mom has two cats. One of them started peeing on the floor two years ago when he had a UTI and never really stopped. He pees on the tile, and he's pushing 20, so they aren't too concerned about doing anything about it.

However, as we will be moving in with my baby kitty [he'll be a year old in either June or October], I fear that he'll pick up some bad habits by these two crazies. Is this a possibility? Do cats pick up behavior patterns from other cats?

Her second cat meows and slams doors at 6am every morning until he gets fed, so thats another one I don't want my silent little pal to latch onto...

[=^..^=]

... but not all do. The one urinating on the floor would concern me most. Your cat may see and smell it and think it's the place to "go." Better to get your own inexpensive apartment nearby or keep your kitty in your bedroom.

[StarlaJane]

I doubt that your kitty will begin peeing on the floor b/c of the elderly cat. Most cats like going in a litter box and will only not do so when one is not available or there is a health issue.

Your cat may pick up some behavior but I doubt it. I think he's old enough now to not be so impressionable. My thought is that he will have an opinion similar to your's regarding these two cats (:

[Catrick]

I agree with the peeing on the floor although when my old dog started having accidents, the cat and other dog didn't start. Could be they were tired of my grumblings about having the cleanest floor in the universe.

I would try and keep your kitty as isolated from them as possible until she is trained the way you want. I know it's a tough situation.

And cat's behavior issues can cross right over to dogs. My dog Ben always quietly waited for feeding time. Katie the Kitty come to live with us and she makes the major decision on her own to start screaming for her food exactly one hour before feeding time. (she is doing it now.) Ben says, bah. I am the good pet. Charlie the Dog comes to live with us and decides the cat has the right idea. He joins her. Ben is sick of being good since it isn't getting him anywhere so he joins in. Yes, right now I am surrounded by dogs and being yelled at by a cat with 54 minutes to go.

I'm not making light of your situation. But they all do pick up things from each other.

Best of luck to you.

[TKramar]

My room mate's cat was a quiet one--until I moved in with her. In response to me meowing at him all the time, he now meows frequently.

Then again, he also spends about 20 minutes a day playing like he's hopped up on speed, and about 23 and a half hours sleeping, or at least laying down.

[contentwriter]

Yes I do think cats can pick up some habits from other cats. Our cat hardly ever made a sound until we went on holiday and put her in a boading place where there were other cats. She learned to meow there and now she's the most vocal cat we know. Like the post before mine, we talk back to her meows and have entire "conversations" with her now! :-)

[catman]

I know that cats influence each others' behavior. When I have had more than one, sometimes I felt that they were ganging up on me! I meow to my cat too, and he knows what I'm saying. I hope that isn't too 'Looney Tunes'.

[FiveHorses]

I've found that much (all?) of it depends on whether the cats get along in the first place. If the cats don't like each other, they don't - you hardly go around imitating your sworn enemy, do you? But if they're chums, they're more likely to.

[Minervah]

Sure, where do you think the term "copy cat" comes from?