Aggression in cats
We all know that cats, those cute, fluffy, and purring creatures, can scratch you so badly that it's truly ugly. Why does aggression occur in cats, and how can you properly train a cat to stop it? To understand what to do if your cat is aggressive, you first need to understand the reasons behind this behavior.
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Reasons
Why does aggression occur in cats?
Fear and danger
Cats most often display aggression when frightened. They don't assess the situation, because in a real emergency, doing so could cost them their lives. Therefore, they prefer to attack first and then see what happens. Aggressive attacks by cats on dogs illustrate this reaction well. Of course, if a cat sees a dog in advance, it will retreat, somewhere far away from harm. But if a dog suddenly appears in front of a cat, even a very large dog will most likely scratch it.
A cat instinctively understands that escape is impossible in this situation, but a sudden display of aggression or a furious attack will temporarily demoralize the enemy and give it an opportunity to escape. Therefore, if a family member unexpectedly frightens a cat (for example, if something is dropped noisily while it's sleeping), it risks being severely scratched. Avoiding such a situation isn't always possible, but scolding or punishing the cat for aggression is futile in this case. Self-preservation is the primary instinct at work here.
The reaction of the mother cat
A mother cat, believing you pose a threat to her kittens, may become aggressive and attack. However, she doesn't do this suddenly; she'll warn you with growls and meows. It's best not to tease her in this case and leave the kittens alone.
Defending your territory
Of course, territorial aggression is primarily directed at the cat's fellow cats, and they are the ones who can suffer when wandering into someone else's territory. But there are also cases of cats attacking people who enter their territory. Of course, they don't attack without reason. Most likely, the cat sees the intruder as a threat to its owners or itself. There are many cases of cats displaying aggression and attacking burglars who have entered their home or garden.
Game
The most common reason kittens fight is play. After all, cats are predators, and kittens acquire their basic skills of stalking, sneaking, and attacking through play. That's why it's recommended to play with your pet as much as possible. And if a kitten is getting too playful and acting aggressively, don't just sit there and tolerate it. Give them a gentle slap on the nose, say sternly, "No!" and carry them by the scruff of the neck to a place where they can be alone and calm down. Kittens are like children, and they generally don't know how to stop playing right away.
Displaced activity
The pronounced aggression in cats that many families encounter is very interesting. The gist is that someone has wronged the kitty, but for some reason, it can't fight back, and the resentment boils within. So what does the cat do? Quite simply, the offended cat seeks someone to vent its anger on.
For example, a cat's owner has offended it (didn't give it a treat, scolded it, kicked it out of the room, etc.). The cat, of course, wouldn't risk hitting its owner. So, after running out into the hallway, it might scratch the owner's little son or an elderly grandmother. The risk of them getting hurt is unlikely, but it's a way for the cat to "let off some steam," so to speak.
Here, the only way to stop a cat's aggressive attacks is if the victim puts up a worthy fight. Otherwise, the family member, perceived as weak in the cat's eyes, could become a constant punching bag.
Disease
A cat in pain may become aggressive toward its owners. In this case, it's best to leave it alone. If medical procedures are necessary, take precautions.
A cat may simply be in a bad mood, and when you try to pet it, it may "unleash its claws." To avoid such aggressive attacks, you need to learn to "read" its mood. Without this, conflicts will arise from time to time.
Castration is a solution to aggressive behavior.
One of the reasons for cats' aggressive behavior towards humans is hormonal imbalances in the animal's body associated with the need to satisfy sexual desires and needs.
A sexually mature male cat who doesn't find a female cat in the house begins to "serenade" their owners, mark their territory (carpets, floors, and furniture), rush around the apartment, and bite and scratch. In this case, neutering is the best solution. Neutering for male cats and spaying for female cats—the removal of the organs responsible for producing sex hormones—helps to reduce the production of hormones responsible for aggressive behavior directed toward humans.
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and causes little discomfort to the cat. Your cat will feel fine and return to their normal routine the day after surgery. Cats require more time to recover, from 3 to 7 days, during which time they should be covered with a blanket to prevent licking and scratching the scar. Along with the removal of the gonads, aggression will also subside: a couple of weeks after the surgery, you'll notice your pet is significantly calmer, less irritable, and no longer leaving unpleasant marks all over the apartment.
Neutering not only solves the problem of aggressive behavior in cats, but also prevents many diseases that affect unneutered animals, including malignant tumors, urolithiasis, and malnutrition. Neutering also has a positive effect on the condition of the animal's coat.
There's a common misconception that neutered cats become apathetic, inactive, lethargic, and gain excess weight. In fact, this is nothing more than a myth.
Yes, a neutered cat doesn't waste time and energy searching for a mate, but he does have time for play. To keep your cat in good physical condition, be sure to play with him. Fortunately, there's a huge selection of toys available for cat play, and proper nutrition will help prevent excess weight.
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7 comments
Svetlana
We found a sick cat with runny eyes and a runny nose. We nursed her back to health at about a year old. We spayed her, gave her gel, treated her, and put drops in her ears. Then the horror began: if the cat was lying on the couch, I'd pick up the remote control, she'd hiss, stand up, and start attacking. I'd walk down the hallway, and she'd be lying there, then suddenly start attacking. I wouldn't touch her, I'd just keep walking. And she doesn't care who she attacks (our child, my husband, or me). How do we deal with this? It's scary to leave our child home alone. The cat's aggression flares up several times a day, then she acts like nothing happened. Previously, she'd only attack in the evenings. She'd tear my arms and legs apart really badly, digging her claws in deep. All her vaccinations are up to date, and she's spayed.
Daria is a veterinarian
Hello! Were her ovaries removed during spaying, or did they just tie her tubes? Take her for an ultrasound, check for any remaining ovarian tissue, possibly due to a hormonal imbalance. Try some sedatives (stop-stress, fospazyme, and other homeopathic remedies). She might be frightened by sudden movements. But that could just be her personality. You'll have to live with it. My cat used to bite and scratch me for the first 7-8 years of her life, simply because she didn't like me walking by. In the last 6-7 years, she's become calmer; she doesn't attack unless she's really upset, but she's started meowing in the mornings. It's just her naughty personality, and unfortunately, nothing can be done about it. She's generally calm, but sometimes she gets a bit overwhelmed for a few minutes.
Olesya
The cat has a mental problem.
Kate
Hello, my cat is 4 years old. When he was little, he was fine with guests, sitting in our arms and letting us pet him. We lived with my parents for a while, where we had a nephew, who would tease and provoke him. Since then, he doesn't accept any guests. It's impossible to pass by, he hisses, throws himself at our feet, and even bites us when we try to get rid of him. As soon as the guests leave, he calmly comes into our arms and purrs. We're planning to have a baby soon, but we don't know what to do with this cat's behavior. How can we manage his aggression? We tried giving him a Bayun cat, but there wasn't much change.
Daria is a veterinarian
Hello! Something tells me your cat isn't neutered. Have you considered that this behavior might be due to a surge in hormones? Perhaps your guests also have their own cat, and the scent of a "foreign" male irritates your pet. And have you observed whether the cat reacts this way to all guests or to specific guests? Perhaps it's a personal dislike or intolerance? My old lady (spayed), for example, simply ignores all guests, but there's one she absolutely hates. He can never surprise me, because as soon as the elevator doors open and he takes the first step, my cat jumps up and starts hissing at the door. And I already know who's here =))) And no sedatives help either; it's simply a dislike for one person, a dislike at first sight. I have to move the cat to another room; this is the only way to avoid arguments between the cat and the guest.
Tatiana
First, the story from start to finish:
I have a cat; we've been living together for about 6 years. Until recently, she wasn't spayed.
There was never any aggression. We slept together, and she always came to the bed as soon as I lay down. She slept on me, on my stomach, on my arm next to me, on the pillow above my head. Basically, half the bed was hers.
Then one day I was walking down the street and saw a kitten (also a female cat) above the highway. Apparently, someone had thrown her out.
She was very small, definitely less than a month old.
Of course, I took the little one home.
In principle, everything was fine, we all lived together for 5 months, everything was ok.
But! The cats slept together, played, ran, and licked each other.
But! I began to notice that the older cat's behavior had somehow changed over time: she'd go off somewhere alone more often, she almost never came to sleep with me anymore, and she seemed to be on her own.
And the little one, on the contrary, climbed on me, slept on me, etc.
Then this happened: everything was as usual, the cats were running around, playing. My winter jacket was hanging on the door, and I had laces on it at the bottom. The little one started playing with the laces, then got her claws tangled in them, started running, and naturally, the jacket fell off, and the little one pulled it along with her.
I got up to get my jacket, and then the older cat pounced on me, hissed, lunged, and tore my pants. The wounds and bites were terrible.
It was the first time I saw her like this.
I barely managed to close the door to the room and she remained in the hallway, screaming and breaking into the room.
I spent the night locked in the kitchen. And it seemed to have passed. Or so it seemed...
But a day later, when I thought everything was fine, I put on my jacket and walked around the apartment getting ready. I moved my hand quickly a couple of times, the jacket rustled a little, and then it hissed again.
I thought that now she had this reaction to the jacket.
The next day she was already hissing and throwing herself at my feet, even though I was naked. I called for a consultation, and they suggested going and getting her spayed.
The next day we went to the vet, the spaying was successful, and I took her home. I took the little one to my friends for the time being. So, my older cat was now living alone. During the day while she was in the pump and recovering from the anesthesia after the surgery, everything was fine; she mostly slept and showed no signs of aggression.
But a day or two later, when I came home from work (and she was already walking around the apartment normally), I had just opened the front door when she stood in the doorway, started hissing and growling loudly, and didn’t let me enter the apartment.
I had to go outside, take some snow to scare her away and try to get into the apartment.
It worked out after all, I locked her in the kitchen. A couple of hours later, she somehow opened the door herself and walked into the room, and started hissing, growling, and lunging again.
They barely caught her and locked her in the kitchen again.
So she lived there for a couple of days, we came in for a minute, sprinkled food, poured water, changed the litter box.
But it also became impossible to live like this.
I went to a consultation at the veterinary clinic without her.
They said her aggression was caused by a hormonal imbalance. And that incident with the jacket, when she first attacked, was merely the trigger for this aggression. That it had been building up for a long time, and that incident merely set the wheels in motion.
They advised me to buy her a large cage, put a litter box, food, water in it, and make a sleeping place inside.
The next day it was done.
We put her in a cage from the kitchen. At first she screamed, I didn’t like it, but eventually she got used to it.
She lived there for two weeks, and everything was fine. She lay quietly, ate, slept, and used the litter box.
A couple of days ago, I decided to let her out to see how she was behaving (because she seemed to have calmed down). And yes, for about a day and a half, everything was indeed fine. She lay with me and slept all night on the bed.
But the day before yesterday, I heard the rustling of a jacket again and started hissing. But more quietly this time. She hissed, hid, and that was it.
Yesterday I decided to try bringing the little one. They seemed to be sniffing each other, and the big one was chasing after her. But after about 10 minutes, one of them started growling, and I couldn't tell which one.
And the eldest one somehow felt uneasy.
She decided that it was too early to leave them together, and took the little one back to her friends.
When I get dressed for work, etc., I simply close the doors to the room where the cat is. This way, she won't see my outerwear and won't become aggressive again.
But today, the cat was locked in the room again. I was getting ready in the bathroom, then went into the room for something, closing the door behind me, and the cat ran, sat under the door, and wanted to go out. I petted her, picked her up, and put her on the bed so I could quickly leave the room.
I go to the door, she naturally also jumps up and runs, I opened the door a little to quickly get out, and the cat started hissing again.
I went out and closed the door behind me. But I can see that her aggression hasn't really subsided. And she walks around the apartment, constantly scared, afraid of any rustling or sound. If anything, no one has ever been there, scolded, or punished her. It was a complete idyll.
What would you possibly recommend?
Daria is a veterinarian
Hello! Give her some sedatives! At least Bayun the Cat or Fospasim. The animal is clearly stressed. Cats are generally not stress-resistant. Another possibility is that it all started with jealousy of the kitten, who was getting more attention. Perhaps her maternal instinct kicked in, and when the older cat saw that the jacket was the cause of the younger one's entanglement, she "hated" the jacket and perceives it as a threat. But this is clearly abnormal behavior. Locking a cat who loves freedom of movement in a small space (cage) is likely to provoke another nervous breakdown. A vicious cycle. Start with sedatives.
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