How does a cat knows it's rank among other cats living together? Is it by age? How does their rank come and how does it affect them living together?
It is quite complex, and there is a lot to read about this. Basically a neuter is always lower than a fertile, no matter age. A pregnant queen is higher than a cat that is not pregnant, but a queen with kittens is higher than a pregnant queen. They can sence this the same way they do with all in life, their sences are highly developed because they communicate different from us.