Why Don’t My Cats Cuddle With Each Other? 8 Interesting Reasons

There are few things cuter than the sight of two cats snuggling together. When those snuggly kitties start grooming each other, your heart melts. Unfortunately, not all cats will cuddle with each other.

It can be disheartening for your cats not to cuddle with each other, especially if they previously did so. There are multiple reasons that your cats may not cuddle with each other, though. The good news is that they aren’t all negative!

The 8 Reasons Cats Don’t Cuddle Together

1.  They Don’t Share Well

Just like with small children, not all cats like to share their stuff. If your cat has a special bed that they particularly like, they may not want to share it with your other cat. Cats can be picky creatures, and it may be the case in your home that one or both of your cats simply aren’t interested in cuddling with each other because they don’t want to share the space with the other members of the house.

2.  They Have Set Territories

Cats are known to jealously guard their resources, and they can be quite territorial little beasts. If you have one or multiple territorial cats, then they may not want to cross party lines to cuddle with each other.

Territories can have a specific meaning to your cat, but they may also be seemingly nonsensical to you. For example, your cat may consider an area with specific resources, like food, water, bedding, or your attention, to be their own territory. On the other hand, some cats may just choose to spend time in separate areas, setting their own territories for no reason in particular.

3.  They Want Personal Space

There’s nothing worse than wanting to have some personal space, only to have someone in your face. Just like how you might not always want your kids or significant other to cuddle with you, your cat may feel the same way about your other cat.

Sometimes, cats may just want to have a little bit of space to themselves. This may be a consistent thing for your cat, but it’s also possible that one of your cats may choose to not cuddle with the other cat in order to have some personal space.

4.  They Weren’t Socialized

Socialization can occur at any age, but it’s extremely difficult for a cat to become fully socialized beyond their first year or so of life. If your cat wasn’t socialized when they were still young, they may be hesitant to cuddle with another cat.

Lack of socialization can occur for multiple reasons. If your cat was taken from its mother and littermates too early, this can result in poor social skills. Socialization with members of your household and other pets while still young can help your cat more easily integrate into new situations.

Just like with people, there are some cats that may have all the advantages for proper socialization, but due to genetics or specific environmental factors, they may not become properly socialized.

5.  They’re Hot

Cats have a higher base body temperature than humans, which is why cats seem to enjoy spending time in the warmest parts of the home. That doesn’t mean your cat can’t get too hot, though.

This is likely if you keep your home extremely warm or if you don’t have air conditioning and live in a warm climate. Regardless of why your home might be hot, cats can get hot enough that they may choose not to cuddle with your other cat.

6.  They Feel Safe Apart

One of the reasons that some cats like to cuddle with each other is because it provides a sense of safety and comfort for them. For cats that are confident and feel safe in your home, they may not feel the need to cuddle for comfort and safety.

If your home environment helps your cats feel safe and confident, then this is a fantastic and healthy environment for them. The desire for safety isn’t the only reason that some cats cuddle, but it can be common, especially in high-stress homes.

7.  They Don’t Like the Same Spots

Territory aside, it’s possible that both of your cats have very particular preferences for spaces in your home. Maybe one of your cats is social and outgoing, often spending time in the living room with the family, while the other cat prizes quiet spaces and loves napping in the empty guest bedroom. Your cats may get along well and enjoy spending time with each other, but when it comes to downtime, they may simply have very different preferences.

8.  They Don’t Like Each Other

This might not be the answer you’re hoping to hear, but there is a chance that your cats simply don’t like each other. This could be because of feeling like the environment is generally unsafe or uncomfortable, having negative experiences with each other or other animals, trauma, not liking the competition for resources, or any combination of these.

While there are steps you can take to make your cats more comfortable with each other, it may not be realistic for certain cats to get to a point of liking each other.

How to Get Cats to Cuddle

Try to focus less on getting your cats to cuddle with each other and more on creating a happy, healthy, low-stress environment for your cats. By providing your cats with safe places to spend time together and apart, ensuring they have access to all necessary resources, and working with them on socialization and spending time together, you’ll set your cats up for success and happiness in your home.

Happy and healthy cats may cuddle with each other, but some cats will never feel the need or comfort level to cuddle with each other. Don’t try to force cuddling on your cats, though, since this can lead to stress.

Conclusion

There may be multiple reasons that your cats don’t cuddle with each other, and some of them are issues that you can remedy. It’s important to recognize that some cats simply aren’t cuddlers, though.

It’s possible that your cats aren’t cuddling because of a problem, or maybe because they simply have different preferences for where they spend their time and how they feel most comfortable.

Featured Image Credit: Raw Singapura and Pedigreed Singapura side by side by Straits Singapuras licensed by CC 4.0