Packs of wolves,murders of crows,and colonies of ants are familiar to almost everyone,but what do you call a group of cats?It's not a pride like lions,but a clowder of cats.This term may remind you of clam chowder,but it actually comes from the same root words as several other terms that you likely know.

Etymology of Clowder:Why is a Group of Cats Called a Clowder?

According to Teresa Keiger,a self-proclaimed word nerd and Creative Director for the Cat Fanciers'Association,clowder is an English word derived from the original word"clotern"and is related to many commonly used English words today,including clutter,cluster and clot.

"These words all describe a bunch of things that are mixed together and lying around or just hanging out there,"says Teresa Keiger.

In addition to clowder,some refer to groups of cats as glarings,particularly when there is tension between the cats.Glare is used when cats are unsure of one another.Think of it as awkwardness at a high school reunion.

How Many Cats Make a Clowder?

The word"clowder"refers to a group of three or more felines and makes sense as a word association;colloquially speaking,we refer to any combination of three cats(or more)as a clowder or cloud.Putting aside the joke aspect of this definition,a clowder is primarily characterised by being made up of two individual pairs and if a cat is by itself it is simply referred to as a"cat".

In contrast,the term"litter"applies when multiple kittens are together and does not have the same connotation as clowder does for adult cats.

Typically,cats are solitary animals;however,there are occasions where they will congregate together.According to Kieger,"In the 1500s,cats were not kept as pets.They lived in yards,barns and other outbuildings,and through food.Both the need for survival was applicable to domestic as well as feral cats,as seen in current feral cat colonies."

Feral colonies are commonly referred to as a type of clowder because of the way they interact with each other through grouping and protecting one another;however,unlike a pack of dog(s)or wolf(s),the members of a clowder do not work together to hunt food,but rather each will do his/her hunting,while living in a group for protection and for social bonding to one another.In fact,some clowders of feral cats will help raise other cats'kittens to give the mother cat a better chance of survival;this is one reason why it is important for feral cats(and even domestic)to be spayed/neutered,in order to prevent the going"wild"and becoming a part of the feral cat population.If you own three or more domestic cats,they can also form a clowder,and domesticated cats tend to be a lot more social than their more primitive ancestors.Keep a watchful eye on the hierarchy that develops in your cat(s),so that you,as cat owner,can maintain the peace among them.