female cat keeps stealing male cats bed

by ruth
(ottawa, ontario)

i have 2 cats, female and a male, both fixed.i have had the female for 5 years. the male moved to our house from the neighbors, where it wasnt getting very good care, so adopted us. the female knew this cat in and around the area.the male has been inside the house now for about a month. she tolerates him.now she has taken over his bed and when i give him a new bed , she takes that to. he has no bed, she takes every one of them .. why is she doing this , she gets all kinds of attention and affection. how do i stop her from doing this. ps.. she is very over weight.

Answer from Kate
It sounds to me like she is trying to make her position clear in the house to this other cat. I have two brothers and one is always taking the others one bed and then after awhile he moves somewhere else allowing the other cat to take back his bed.

Cats have their own ways of getting along and sometimes this can seem rather unfair and selfish but it is normal behavior for cats to sort these issues out for himself. If the male cat was not prepared to allow her to take his bed he would soon tell her. As it is it sounds like he is happy to allow her to be top cat.

This should settle down in time and they will find their own places in the home.

As for your fat cat, well it could be playing a part in her behavior towards the other cat. It can't be easy for her to get around as she used to and this may be making her feel a little less secure and so more inclined to try and be dominant in other ways.

i have a few pages about cat food and fat cats etc which you may find of further interest here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/fat-cat.html

best wishes Kate

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