What gender should I get a second cat?
The best friend for any cat would be an animal of the opposite sex
, who is between three and seven months old. However, cat breeders should consider spaying and neutering if necessary.
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An adult cat attacks a kitten. What to do?
Help me please. I have a rather difficult situation with my pets. A Persian cat, Marisha (13 years old), and an Alabai cat, also a girl (10 years old), have been living together in a country house for many years.
My cat is not neutered and has never been castrated, she has a very complex character, she doesn’t listen when you call her, she won’t give in to your arms, but at the same time she is affectionate and loves to sleep next to me. Cats came running to her site, but she did not let them near her. He behaves very aggressively towards other people's cats.
And some time ago a young cat came running to us (we assume he is not even a year old yet) and we decided to keep him. The cat is very affectionate and tame. Now the following is happening: Marisha attacks the new cat and does not let him into the house or even onto her half of the property.
I personally punished her for attacking him, but this punishment did not lead to anything, she continues to provoke fights. The dog doesn't pay any attention to them. Tell me, please, what should I do? How can you show Marisha that this cat is yours? After all, winter is coming and I’m going to move the new cat into the house (now he lives in the gazebo).
Sincerely, Veronika Kutsenko
Good afternoon I want to say right away that you are faced with a difficult task. Your adult cat is used to living in the house alone and feeling like a full-fledged mistress in it, but you want to convince her that the new pet also has the right to freely walk around her territory.
However, if you are firm in your desire to make friends with your pets, please have a lot of patience, the process will be long. Your task will be to accustom the animals to each other gradually, in small steps. If possible, first place them in adjacent rooms and separate them with some kind of translucent partition or mesh - so that the animals can see each other, smell the neighbor, but at the same time they cannot fight.
They need time to adapt. They must have separate bowls and litter trays. You can periodically change their places. Marisha must understand and realize that the new cat now also lives in this house as a member of the family, and the newcomer must get used to it.
At the same time, under no circumstances show greater affection for any of the animals; show equal care and attention towards them. The day will come when, under supervision, you will be able to remove the partition between the cats, and after some time, when you are sure that they are not trying to sort things out, you can gradually leave them alone.
But under no circumstances should you show aggression towards your adult cat, since by doing this you achieve the exact opposite of what you want: Marisha associates the new tenant with receiving punishment and her own discomfort, and this makes her even more angry with the cat.
You can ask your questions to Dmitry Kuklachev about the health, training and education of animals at
Can a cat kill a kitten - The arrival of a new kitten
Whatever the character, gender or age of your cat, the appearance of a kitten in the house will always be a problem for him. Indeed, your cat will be worried for several reasons:
- Dividing the territory
- Fear of another cat
- Mood incompatibility
- Jealousy problem
- His habits have changed...
But even if the first few times are difficult, we still work through it patiently so that the cats accept each other and sometimes even get along well! (see: How do I get my new kitten to accept my older cat? ).
However, there are times when an adult cat may launch a kitten, kick it and attack by scratching or biting.
Causes of aggressive behavior in cats
When a pet begins to hiss and growl at the sight of a kitten and tries to drive the baby under the sofa, you should not yell at her or punish her, because this will only aggravate the problem and in the future it will be very difficult to make friends with animals. The owner must understand that this behavior of the cat is quite natural and in this way it shows its dissatisfaction and resentment.
If a cat has been the only pet in the apartment for several years, then it is natural that it perceives its home as its sole possession and does not want to share the territory with anyone, be it a dog or another cat.
We should not forget that cats are very jealous creatures, so the appearance of another animal is considered a betrayal on the part of the owner and will try to get rid of the rival in any way. This aggressive behavior is especially typical for cats that came into the house from the street or from a shelter. Animals are afraid that they will again find themselves unwanted and abandoned, and this is the reason for their hostility towards the stranger.
In addition, owners often make the common mistake of paying all their attention to a small kitten, forgetting that it is at such a moment that the cat needs the love and care of the owner. And it will be much simpler and easier to establish friendship between a cat and a kitten if you show the adult pet that with the birth of the baby, the attitude towards her will remain the same, so that she does not feel deprived of the owner’s attention and affection.
Can a cat kill a kitten - Deadly attacks
Fights between a cat already installed in your home and a kitten that comes to live there usually do not result in death. I have not noticed. In no case , there are no indications on sites specializing in cat behavior or on forums.
The only rare cases where a cat can kill another is when a female kills her cub or (seen on the Animogen forum) when a (non-parent) cat from outside has entered the house. where there were 5 little kittens. He killed four kittens and fought with the mother, who wanted to protect her babies, but to no avail.
Otherwise, I have not heard, either from my veterinarian, or from those around me, or on blogs or scientific sites in the cat world, of cases where a cat accidentally killed a new kitten with whom it was supposed to share a home.
Causes of cat fights
Cat fights can occur for a number of reasons. Most often, cats living in the same territory are prone to conflicts due to the following factors:
- temporary isolation;
- aggression provoked by fear;
- social pressure due to the large number of individuals;
- unsuccessful acquaintance with each other.
Why do cats fight?
The reason for male conflicts lies in the nature of the cat's origin. To take a place in the sun, small predators made their way to it with teeth and claws.
In most cases, cats are called to fight by the instincts of the hunter, and sexual desire also plays a big role. Therefore, fights for territory are organized by mature, uncastrated males, especially if there is a “walking” cat nearby.
Most often, fights between cats are caused by defending the territory in which they live. This applies to a greater extent to outdoor cats. The cat defends its territory, following instinct. The more land under his paws, the more satisfying he will eat. In addition, the cats living in this territory will be exclusively at his disposal.
Most often, cat fights are caused by a struggle for territory.
When we moved to a private house, we inherited a cat. He lived somewhere in a barn, walked exclusively on the roofs, and ate what we gave him there. He was absolutely unkind, I was even afraid of him. But nevertheless, all around was his territory, which he fearlessly defended from uninvited guests. We sometimes observed these fights with our own eyes, but more often we saw the consequences in the form of scratches on the brave man’s face, torn out shreds of fur. We realized later how important defending this territory was for us personally, when the cat died. The yard was filled with cats darting here and there, each of whom considered it his duty to mark the territory. All this, to put it mildly, smelled unpleasant, and we just had to get a new cat - a yard guard.
Why do cats fight?
There are frequent cases of fights between females. Of course, for a lady it’s an unworthy occupation, but you can’t escape from nature. Cats, due to genetics, are much less prone to aggression and, it would seem, they have no reason to start fights. But if cats are seen fighting, then the reason for this is the mating season. Females can compete for the attention of a cat, even if there is no one in sight.
Another reason for fighting between two cats is motherhood. This instinct gives rise to aggression not only towards its fellow tribesmen, but also towards the owner.
I have 4 cats: a mother and her three daughters. Naturally, they all grew up together. We also got pregnant at the same time. I have never seen any signs of aggression between them. They even gave birth in the same box, although a separate place was prepared for each, and together they fed their babies indiscriminately between their own and those of others. But after sterilization, fights began between them. It is not clear to me what they shared among themselves, but two cats had to leave their common house for a while. And only the coming cold brought them together again - together, apparently, it was warmer.
Why does a cat fight with a cat?
If you carefully consider the hierarchy of the cat family, it will immediately become clear that the male occupies the dominant place. A cat is always more flexible, since nature dictates that the male is stronger. But, just like in human families, cats often have discord and fights can break out.
Most often this happens if the cat strives to take a leading position. The male will not stand on ceremony with such disobedience. Fights between cat and cat rarely continue for a long period. Often they are not taken seriously.
The kitten scoffs at the big cats. How to deal with this?
A child is playing. Everything is fine. An adult cat will not allow himself to be psychologically traumatized; cats are not human.
