Research overview: social housing and group management of captive big cats

Felid sociality varies from the solitary tiger and most small cats to the group-living lion, and captive social management must respect these differences. This overview surveys research on housing cats socially: the welfare benefits and risks of group housing for lions and of pairing or grouping normally solitary species, aggression and stress from incompatible or forced social contact, the role of space, complexity and escape routes in allowing animals to manage social distance, and introduction techniques. It examines how social housing can enrich or stress depending on species and individuals, and how breeding management interacts with social grouping. It also considers single-housing welfare for solitary species. The synthesis frames species-appropriate social management as a core, sometimes underappreciated, dimension of big-cat welfare.