We have always had multiple cats in our house and for us it is important that each one is a happy cat. There are many different things that go into having a happy cat in your home. In our experience, if one cat is unhappy they all are, so we focus on making sure all of the cats are happy in their environment individually, so as a group they can be happy together.
If you are new to having cats, then you might not know what to look for when you are making sure you have happy cats in your house.
If you walk into our home you are going to notice that we have plugins in every room of the house, many people ask what they are when it is their first time coming to our house. I tell them they are my “magical cat happy diffusers”. Really they are the FELIWAY® CLASSIC Diffusers, and the FELIWAY® MultiCat Diffusers, but to us they are magical.
FELIWAY® CLASSIC provides “happy messages” to cats and makes them feel calm and comfortable at home. FELIWAY® CLASSIC may help decrease urine spraying, scratching and hiding. FELIWAY® MultiCat sends “harmony messages” to cats and restores harmony between multiple cats living together.
They are simple to use, each month I just put a new bottle of FELIWAY® CLASSIC refill into the diffuser and it does its thing. So simple!
Although I do get a chuckle every month when I change them out, because all of our cats know exactly what is in the boxes. They see them and they come running. If I put the boxes on the floor, they all come running to rub all over them! That tells me, they love them in the house just as much as I do!
Signs of a Happy Cat
Healthy Appetite. If your cat starts to skip eating then it is a sign that they are unhappy, it could also be a sign that they are sick as well, so if you start seeing your cats stop eating beyond a day or so, make a vet appointment for them.
Purring. If you are snuggling with your cat on the couch and they start purring that is a sign that they are a happy cat.
Playing. Cats like to play, while they might slow down on the play time when they get older if they are playing it is a sign that they are happy. Having fun toys for your cats is important, and cats just like us enjoy getting new toys.
Using the litter box. We know all too well in our house about how cats will avoid using the litter box if they are stressed or anxious. Before Tucker passed away, he hated moving. We moved multiple times over the course of 10 years and every time we moved he would let us know he was stressed by peeing outside of the litter box as soon as he saw moving boxes.
They are friendly. Of course anyone who is a cat owner, wants to have a nice and friendly cat. If your cat is unhappy they may stop coming to you for playtime, or rubbing up on you like they normally do. Hiding could be a sign of stress. With Tucker, he hid under blankets making the quietest meow ever until I picked him up. No one else could pick him up to calm him down, it had to be me. Your cats may have different signals that they give to express their emotions, so you need to also learn why your cat would be doing these things.
They show you affection. If you walk in the door after being gone for a bit and they come running to you, it means you cat is happy to see you. Rubbing against your legs and “kneading” (using their paws and pushing on you or a blanket) are also signs that you have a happy cat.
It is also important to know how to make sure you have happy cats when you have more than one cat in the house. All cats are different, they all have different personalities so each one needs to be treated as an individual instead of as a group.
How to have a Happy Cat in a Multi-Cat household
Individual time. It is important to spend time with each cat individually. While they might want to all play together, the one-on-one time with you is important. Make sure each day you are giving them some time alone with just the two of you, whether you are playing or snuggling doesn’t matter it is the one-on-one time that is important.
Food they all enjoy. Not all cats will like the same cat food, but we have found that all of the cats are happier when they are eating a food they enjoy. Instead of giving each cat a different type of food, we found one they all love. Also giving them each their own bowls, having cats share a food bowl can cause you to have unhappy cats while one has to wait to eat.
Individual toys. It might seem like a great idea to have them share all of the cat toys, but we have found that all of our cats have loved certain types of toys over others. Tiger loves the toy mice, while the kittens love the rolling balls with bells in them. We make sure to have the toys that each cat prefers and we buy 1 toy for each cat when we buy new toys.
Multiple scratching posts. Cats like to scratch, if they do not have their own place to scratch they will scratch your furniture, door frames and other things that you do not want them to. If you are having issues with cats scratching your furniture, make sure you check out how to stop cats from scratching your furniture by using FELISCRATCH by FELIWAY®.
Their own litter boxes. I know it sounds easier to have just one litter box to clean, but that will actually make for unhappy cats. Cats need their own space to go to the bathroom. You may run into a situation where one cat refuses to use a litter box another cat uses, or you might have a situation where one cat will only use a litter box their friend uses too. We have had both situations in our house, and the important thing is to accommodate your cats preference and give them the ability to have their own litter box.
Keeping your cats healthy. Making sure all of the cats in the house are taken care of and healthy is important in having a happy cat household. Making sure you take them to the vet when needed and giving them treatments for fleas and ticks is vital to keeping cats happy. A sick cat or one who is uncomfortable with fleas is going to be unhappy, that in turn they will make the other cats in the house unhappy cats too. If you are looking for an awesome flea and tick preventative, we love Catego® For Cats. You can check out our video on how easy it is to apply Catego® For Cats.
FELIWAY® MultiCat Diffusers. We have always had multiple cats in our house, and thru the years had times where we didn’t have FELIWAY® MultiCat diffusers, such as when Logan and Alyssa were first born. Our cats were very stressed with the change in environment. When Hannah was born we were using FELIWAY® MultiCat in our house and it seemed to play a big role in how different the cats reacted to welcoming a newborn. The time it took for Tucker to get back to “his normal baby loving self” was much shorter than previous situations when we weren’t using FELIWAY®. We noticed the cats remained calm and happy during a stressful time of change. I say “baby loving self”, he seemed to assign himself as the babysitter, and never left their sides. If a baby was in the swing, Tucker was laying next to it, if a baby was on the play mat then Tucker was on the play mat too. Once the initial stress of welcoming a new person was gone, he was at their side, and I really believe using the FELIWAY® MultiCat Diffusers played a role in how quickly his stress went away.
If you have life changing events that you know are going to happen in your house, I highly suggest using the FELIWAY® MultiCat or FELIWAY® CLASSIC diffusers during that stressful time. They are so simple to use and will make a big difference for your cats.
If you have never used FELIWAY® MultiCat or FELIWAY® CLASSIC diffusers, you can get in on an awesome deal right now! When you buy a FELIWAY® CLASSIC 30 Day Starter Kit or a FELIWAY® MultiCat 30 Day Starter Kit, you can get an $8 Rebate! Get all the details here!
If you are already a fan like we are, then check out the awesome Buy 5 get 1 FREE promo they have going on, that includes lots of different FELIWAY® products! Get all the information here.
Need more information on taking care of your cats? Check these out!
- How to tell when your cat is stressed
- How to get a cat to stop scratching furniture
- What do Kittens Need
- How to introduce a new cat to your home
We also have some great printables to help you too!
- New Kitten Checklist
- Cat Owner Monthly Checklist (to keep track of what needs to be done each month!)
- Kids Pet Responsibility Chart
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by FELIWAY®. All opinions are 100% my own.
Follow Us For More!
Be sure to share your review in the comments below and follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok for even more food + family fun!