have a hierarchy, with one as the more dominant. It can be observed in pets if they are allowed to run free outdoors and in feral dog packs and cat colonies. They will fight over being the dominant one if challenged, but once the hierarchy is established, they don't terrorize each other as far as I know.
When cats are indoor pets, they will work out territory rules and sharing of space and other issues among themselves. I once had an "only cat" with no others in my home, just him and me. He tried to enforce territory rules on me about where I sat and when. I do some of my reading, online time, and other seated activities at a specific, comfortable chair at my kitchen table. When I was not in that chair the cat would curl up on it. But there were times when he refused to get down so I could sit on it. If I forced the issue, he clung to the sides with his paws. After I was seated, he jumped onto the chair behind me and tried to push me off. He could not understand why I did not agree to a schedule for shared space.
My current cat, a female, accepts that that chair and the couch are my territories. She gets down as soon as I approach. But she has her own space on her cat tree and a few other places that I don't go, e.g. under the bed, the arms of the couch, the windowsills, and the space between the top of my kitchen cupboards and the ceiling.
= new reply since forum marked as read
