3 ms·
Feral domestic cats form social organizations where adult males have their own territories, and defend them from other males, but territory fringes are neutral
by Sharlin 3y ago
Feral domestic cats form social organizations where adult males have their own territories, and defend them from other males, but territory fringes are neutral zones where cats tend to coexist and mingle more or less peacefully. But more interestingly, feral females and their juvenile offspring tend to form colonies (of typically closely-related individuals) where females share parenting duties and even bring excess kill to nursing, sick or infirm colony members.
I don't think any of the wildcat species has anywhere near this degree of social structure so it's quite likely a result of the (self-)domestication process which has obviously favored more social individuals. Given that kittenhood is the most social phase of the life of almost all felines, the shift of F. catus from a solitary to a more social lifestyle could be understood as a form of neoteny, like many other traits common to domestic animals.