Bonded Pairs
It can be hard to tell if your cats are bonded.
There is no definite way found to establish bonded pairs, however there are behavioural indicators which point to a preference. What must be discerned is whether the cats are bonded, or whether one of them is just a friendly cat who would get along with any cat. This is why kittens cannot really be deemed bonded, because most kittens show affiliative behaviour with all other kittens.
TCR does not adopt kittens out as bonded. If you think your foster kittens should be adopted together, write your bio stating that they have siblings and they would be great friends.
As a general rule, cats that come from hoarding situations are not considered bonded. They come from homes with many cats and as such generally get along with any cat.
Most behaviourists agree on five main characteristics of bonded pairs.
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Cats frequently rub their bodies and faces on each other. This creates a common scent, which is how they recognize each other. They are creating a colony together.
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Cats will stand next to each other, lean against each other, and intertwine their tails.
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Cats will often sleep together even when they have multiple choices of bedding. They will usually be touching.
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Bonded cats may play rough with each other, but they don't cause injury and don't fight.
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Allogrooming (to clean and maintain the appearance of an individual of the same species) is the number one indicator that cats are bonded. You can tell which of the pair is more dominant by keeping track of who is more often the groomer. Dominant cats do the majority of grooming. If all the grooming is done by one cats, it is more indicative of a dominant/submissive relationship and it is usually better to separate these cats.