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Common Types Of Aggressive Behaviors Between Cats
Territorial Aggression
This is usually the aggressive behavior you see when one cat feels
that another cat has invaded his personal territory, whether that
territory is his food dish, his favorite climbing tree, or even
"his" person. It usually includes behavior such as chasing,
hissing, swatting and ambushing the intruder. This sort of behavior
usually occurs when a new cat is brought into a home with another
cat already in residence, but it's not uncommon for a cat to be
territorial with one cat and tolerant of another.
Intermale Aggression
This behavior can be deadly among wild cats such as lions, where the
need for maximum strength and vitality of the pride depends on the
male being powerful enough to keep strange males away from his
females. But our domestic cats have their own version. In domestic
cats, this sort of aggression usually involves a lot of posturing,
stalking, staring, yolwing and howling. Usually one cat will back
down, but if an attack does happen, the aggressor usually jumps
forward and directs a bite to the nape of the neck, while the
opponent falls to the ground on his back and attempts to bite and
scratch the attacker's belly with his hind legs. They may roll
around biting and screaming, then suddenly stop and resume
posturing, only to jump into another fight or walk away. Unlike
their wild relatives, domestic cats usually don't inflict severe
injuries in such fights, but have your cat looked at by a vet to be
sure there are no wounds that might become infected. Neutering will
obviously help curb the frequency of this sort of aggression.
Defensive Aggression
This sort of aggression is quite simply a cat's last resort if he
feels that he is under attack and he believes that he can't escape.
In a home where the cat's owner inflicts improper punishment on
their cat, the animal may respond aggressively in self defense. But
most often it's a defense used against another cat, or even a dog,
if the cat is truly cornered and has no other option. A cat's
defensive posture is crouched down with the legs pulled in under the
body, ears laid back, tail tucked, and possibly leaning slightly to
the side. If an attacker were to continue to approach a cat crouched
in this posture, it is likely that the cat will respond
aggressively.
Redirected Aggression
This sort of aggression is usually directly towards another animal
that didn't actually provoke the behavior. Let's say you had two pet
cats, well adjusted and amiable, sitting in a window shelve watching
the world go by outside. Then one of the cats notices a third,
strange cat, walking across the lawn outside. Because he can't
attack the outdoor cat, your pet cat suddenly turns on his companion
and attacks him. That's redirected aggression, and can be either
offensive or defensive in nature.
Scratching Post or Cat Tree
Scratching is a normal
cat behavior, and one that cats are highly
motivated to display, so it’s unrealistic to try to prevent them
from scratching. The best thing you can do is offer your cat a place
specifically for scratching, and encourage her to use it. A good
cat scratching post that's tall enough for your cat to stretch out
full length against is a good buy, but make sure that it's sturdy
and doesn't wobble before making your purchase. If your cat is
anything like mine, that post will be well used, and should be
capable of supporting the full weight of your cat bouncing off it's
side in pursuit of invisible moths, or racing full tilt up it's
length to sky dive from the pinnacle at maximum speed.
Even better then a post however, is a
cat climbing tree. They'll cost you a
little bit more, but they offer your cat a greater range of play and
entertainment. A good cat tree will have more than one place to
perch or sleep, and maybe a hole or two that she can play hide and
seek in.
There are also cat houses, hammocks, window shelves and even cat sized
indoor gyms!
Discipline
Never, ever strike your cat! Discipline of this kind will only turn
your cat aggressively against you.
If biting or scratching is a problem, try to use aversive responses
to discourage this bad behavior. You can either use a squirt bottle
filled with water and a small amount of vinegar or a can of
pressurized air to squirt a cat or kitten with when they becomes too
rough. To use this technique effectively, you’ll always need to have
the spray bottle or can handy. You can either place one in each
room, or carry one with you as you move around the house. In some
cases, you may want to apply bad tasting cream or spray to your
hands. If you have sensitive skin you may want to wear gloves and
put the aversive on the gloves. The possible disadvantage to this
method is that your cat may learn that "hands with gloves taste bad
and those without gloves don’t."
The best way to help prevent such behavior is to redirect the cat's
attention to something else. If she wants to play rough, give her a
cat toy
to wrestle or chase. This will encourage her to direct such play
onto a toy instead of a person. If she surprises you with a sudden
bite, and you don't have a bottle available, a loud "YOWWW!" may
startle her enough to make her think twice about biting again.
Any attempt to physically punish your cat or kitten, by tapping,
flicking, or especially hitting WILL NOT WORK! You will only invoke
a fear response in your cat and teach it to be afraid of you. In
time it may become defensive aggressive just seeing you walk into
the room, the same way it would if you were a dog and it thought you
were going to attack it.
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