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Aggressive Behavior In Cats
When Family Cats Fight
Many households have successfully adopted more than one cat. Other households have not been so lucky. What causes family cats to fight? Why do some multi-cat households live in peace while others are scenes of rivalry? What can be done to bring harmony back to your multi-cat household?
There are several possible causes for aggressive behavior between cats.
TERRITORIAL AGGRESSION: Both male and female cats are very territorial; much more so than dogs. In this type of aggression, one cat will stalk, chase and ambush the "intruder." This type of aggression may occur when a new cat is introduced into the household or when a kitten comes of age. It is not unusual for a cat to be aggressive towards one family cat, yet not towards another.
REDIRECTED AGGRESSION: This type of aggression occurs against an animal (or person) who did not provoke the behavior. An example of this sort of behavior would be when an indoor cat, seeing an outdoor cat in the yard, will attack another cat sitting nearby his window as a substitute to attacking the cat outside.
DEFENSIVE AGGRESSION: A cat who feels threatened or afraid may attack because he believes he cannot escape. In this type of aggressive behavior, the cat will crouch down, pulling his legs and tail underneath his body and laying his ears back. If you approach a cat in this posture, an attack is likely. Punishing a cat for this type of aggressive behavior will have the reverse effect.
MALE-ON-MALE AGGRESSION: This type of aggression usually involves staring, howling and yowling, and much ritualized posturing. The attacker will leap forward, trying to bite his opponent’s neck. The opponent will fall to the ground, trying to bite and scratch the attacker’s belly. These cats may roll around, biting and screaming, and then suddenly stop to resume posturing. Cats exhibiting this type of aggression seldom injure each other in these bouts, buy you should always check for wounds that may become infected.
What can you do?
· Don’t allow the fights to continue, hoping that the cats will "work things out" in time. The more often your cats fight, the worse the issue will become.
· Spaying and neutering, a great idea any time, will reduce some types of aggression.
· Separate the sparring cats, and keep them physically apart. Restart the introduction process slowly from the beginning. You should never expect the quarreling cats to become great friends, only to learn to tolerate each other without open combat.
· Discuss the matter with your veterinarian who may have helpful advice (from a referral to an animal behavior consultant to temporary medication). Make sure the quarreling cats have thorough medical examinations; in addition to checking for wounds, the aggressive behavior could possibly be the result of some underlying medical issue.
Cats that were well socialized as young kittens -- with positive experiences both around people and with other cats -- are more likely to get along well in a multi-cat family. However, as you choose to invite more cats into your home, you will become far more likely to encounter conflicts. Reflect on your intentions and motivations before bringing more cats into your household.
Ann Wamack is a freelance writer for Caitlyn's Two Paws Up Web Site. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and teenage daughter. Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
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Aggressive behavior in cat...?
I have a 3 year old cat (neutered - not declawed).
When my cat was 6 months old he went missing for a few days and when he came back he was limping. His behavior was radically changed and he was quite aggressive after. It took over a year and a half of solid work to get him to stop being so aggressive and be more comfortable around people. He still spooks easily and doesn't like a hand in his face.
I just moved in recently with my boyfriend as we are expecting a child. He also has a daughter from a prior relationship. She is 4 1/2.
Things were going okay for the last 2 1/2 weeks with the girl and my cat, he was even letting her pet him. But this morning she tried to pet him and he swatted at her. Then when she ran away, he jumped at her back. I was shocked! He hasn't exhibited this behavior for a very long time. And I know it scared my boyfriend.
Any "feasible" suggestions on changing this behavior? Euthanization and adoption are not an option. I would like help though.
Thanks everyone for your opinions. Please, I am looking for constructive suggestions. Of course, if other alternatives didn't work I would look at adoption...but not before trying everything possible first. Any REAL suggestions are, and have been, appreciated! Thanks to those who gave feasible responses with actual appropriate suggestions...
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How do I live with a cat that's aggressive towards me?
My boyfriend has two male cats that are about 2 years old and I have spent lots of time with them over the past year both as a cat-sitter and playmate. About 3 months ago my boyfriend moved to a new apartment and since then one of his cats has become extremely aggressive towards me. We read that a sudden household change can trigger aggressive behavior in cats, so we hoped it would be temporary until the cat got adjusted. It started with him constantly hissing, swatting and scratching me, though as of late it is primarily hissing. Examples: first thing in the morning I'll wake up and simply walk by him and he hisses. He hides in the closet and sits on top of my clothes and squats at me or hisses at me if I try to get my things. He will sit across the room ears back, eyes wide, staring at me for hours... when I move he hisses or makes this growling throaty sound. He will lay in doorways and hiss at me if I try to pass. He has also started hissing at me from under the bed even. Most recently he literally did all of the examples I listed within the 45 minutes it takes me to get ready for work. It was so bad that I virtually ran from the apartment, getting to work almost and hour early because I felt so upset, scared, and unsafe in the apartment.
Since I already have a fear of cats his hissing (though may not be physically painful) makes me feel attacked, uncomfortable, scared, and out of control. I have actually urinated into cups because he was sitting by the restroom door and I was afraid to approach. I've opted to wear dirty clothes because I didn't want to walk in the closet where he was. I walk through the apartment constantly looking for him and trying my hardest to stay out of his way. And I have a fear that he's going to attack me in my sleep. He displays none of this aggression towards my boyfriend who says, ?He wouldn't do it to me cause I don't react like you do. If you didn't react that way it wouldn't happen.? Is this my fault?
My boyfriend and I have been talking about me giving up my place, and taking the next step by moving in together. But I don't feel like I can live with this cat. Which has lead to repeated arguments which usually ends with me feeling like not only is the cat attacking me, but by getting upset about it I'm somehow putting a strain on my relationship.
We thought that if I started feeding the cat it would help, but most of my wounds came from him attacking me while trying to pour food into his dish. We bought about a dozen spray bottles and spread them across the apartment. But using them only made him more aggressive towards me leading to an incident where he leapt from top of the refrigerator onto my face attacking me. I tried ignoring him completely but he continued his behavior, and ignoring it proved to be a harder task for me than I had anticipated. I've tried giving him a ?time-out? and closing him in the closet, but when I let him out he's even more angry (how long should these time-out last?). I've tried slowly approaching him, letting him sniff my hand hoping to win his trust. I've made the mistake of engaging with him, staring back, or even yelling at him. Which obviously did no good. I don't know what else to do... please help!
forgot to add... he is already neutered, and unfortunately its a studio apartment, so its basically impossible to stay away from him, unless we are to lock him in the closet.
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