Animals are curious, lovely beings, but most of the time their behavior is more alike with ours than we would like to admit. Of course, I refer to our instinctual behavior, as we can control our expressed behavior. Our pets have feelings too and they aren’t ashamed to express it. As well, our pets are animals after all and we mustn’t forget about their territorial aspect.
Pets, in general, don’t dislike other pets just because they feel like it. They have a reason behind it. Therefore, in today’s post, we’ll explain why your pets don’t like other pets in your home.
It’s a Territorial Matter
Most of the time, the main reason why your pet doesn’t like another pet in your home is because of the territory they meet on. You see, when you have a pet or more, your house is no longer just yours, at least that’s how a pet perceives is.
Your home is their safe space, the place where they can rest assured that nothing bad can happen to them, and the place where they’ll always find food, water, and affection. Therefore, they’re very possessive of these crucial aspects of their life. As a consequence, when a new pet encounters their safe space they enter in defense mode to protect their survival needs.
They are Jealous Too
Jealousy isn’t an emotion that only humans experience. Our pets can get jealous too. For instance, it’s common knowledge that the older sister or brother tends to get jealous of their younger sibling in their first years of life because they get the most attention. If that was your case, you probably remember how you disliked it and acted accordingly. Our pets can feel the same – jealous that they no longer have your whole attention.
In most of the cases, a pet can get very jealous when you bring a new pet at home, especially if the pet is from another species. Therefore, you might want to consider this aspect and make sure that when you have other pet-guests or bring new pets at home you don’t neglect your baby.
Some Pets Don’t Like Change
Some pets just don’t like change. Therefore, if you have a pet – usually cats – that doesn’t like change, then bringing another pet in his home will be a major change. You can imagine how welcoming your pet will be in that case. Some pets simply thrive in their routine and adore to feel in control over their environment.
Cats, for instance, if they don’t like where you place that vase, they’ll make sure to change its place – to knock it off. For that reason, it’s not a matter of disliking the pet, it’s a matter of changing a crucial aspect in the environment.
It’s Can be a Matter of Species
We all know that by nature cats and mice are enemies by nature as one is supposed to hunt the other. The same goes for cats and dogs. Today, as they no longer need to hunt, they started to become friends, especially cats and dogs, but under controlled circumstances. Anyhow, even if pets, in general, started to accept other species more and more, it’s not something you can apply to any pet.
Some pets still have that instinct to run and hide from another species or to hunt it. Usually, the older your pet is, the most unlikely it will be to accept another species in his house. At the end of the day, our pets are still animals who act mostly instinctively.
Some Pets Simply Dislike Each Other
Have you ever disliked a person without having any particular reason to dislike it, considering that you just meet that person? I bet we all did at some point in our life. It can happen to anyone to just feel like they dislike another person without even knowing that person. Therefore, our pets can be the same – they can dislike some pets for no particular reason.
If you have a dog, maybe you already notice that they don’t usually play with any other dogs and that they simply avoid others. The same goes for other pets too. For instance, my mother already had a cat when she adopted 2 more and the older cat accepted and liked the girl but she never liked her brother.
Conclusion
Our pets don’t control their behavior as we do. If they feel threatened they act accordingly; if they feel jealous they’ll make sure you know it. But, sometimes, some pets just don’t get along. They aren’t so different from us. The same way you don’t like every person that crosses your path, your pet won’t either. Of course, even if they have reasons to dislike each other this doesn’t mean that you can teach your pet to get along with other pets in their home. But, if your pet is very stressed and uncomfortable, even if you just wanted to bring a play partner, the best would be to let it go.
Bio Susan Saurel is a full-time digital marketer and now and then she offers essay writing help. She lives in Huston, Texas, but she travels around the globe whenever she has some spare time. Susan enjoys discovering the secrets of other cultures and meet new, interesting people. Because she is a very passionate marketer, Susan always liked to share her professional expertise with her readers.
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