Problem behaviors in cats, such as aggression and fighting, can occur suddenly or gradually. When fights happen, it can be stressful for you and your cat.
Any sudden change in your cat's behavior could be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Conditions such as hyperthyroidism, osteoarthritis, dental disease, and central nervous system problems can cause aggression. Contact your veterinarian to make sure your cat is healthy.
If your veterinarian has ruled out medical problems, you will need to determine the cause of the aggression in order to develop a behavior modification plan.
Types and causes of cat aggression
If your cat has no medical reason for aggressive behavior, one of the following may be occurring:
Aggression of fear
Fear aggression can occur in situations where your cat feels threatened or trapped. If your cat is afraid, she may act aggressively to protect herself.
Maternal aggression
Maternal aggression can occur when an animal or person approaches a mother cat and her kittens. A mother cat may growl or hiss, smack, chase, or even try to bite another cat that gets too close, even if they usually get along.
Maternal aggression usually subsides after kittens are weaned. If a cat is showing too much maternal aggression, then it may be worth not allowing her any more time until the kittens are born.
Aggression game
All cat play consists of feigned aggression, so rough play is not unusual. Cats may chase, stalk, sneak, sneak, pounce, kick, ambush, and even scratch or bite each other while playing.
However, play can lead to overstimulation, which can develop into aggression. This usually occurs between cats with significant age differences.
Territorial aggression
All animals can be territorial, and cats are no exception. When cats see their territory being invaded, they may hiss, clap, growl, and even chase and/or chase the "intruder" - be it another cat or a human.
Cats are not pack animals
A cat is a predator that walks on its own. If you have several pets living in your home, make sure that everyone has personal items: a bowl, a scratcher, a scratching post and a pad. They don't tend to share with their siblings, so sharing the same toy or cup of water will most likely end in a fight.
If you add a new kitten to a cat you already have at home, then remember that fights are inevitable. The old resident will definitely show the new one who is boss here. This time must be endured. You should not artificially “introduce” cats to each other by pushing their faces together. Let everything go naturally.
Read the article about the most evil cat breeds.
According to experts, well-socialized cats (those who have had experience interacting with other cats as children) will be more sociable than those who have not had such experience.
By the way, “street cats”, which have a habit of fighting with other cats in order to protect their territory and food, can quite easily get along at home with several four-legged animals.
Understanding cat body language
Your cat's eyes, ears, body and tail are trying to communicate their feelings to you and other cats and animals. Some postures and cues to pay attention to include:
- If your cat's ears are turned back, to the sides, or lying flat ("airplane ears"), they are likely irritated, angry, or fearful.
- If her pupils are dilated, she may be nervous, submissive, or aggressively defensive.
- If her tail is down or tucked between her legs, she may become restless. If she's pacing back and forth, she's probably agitated.
- If her back is arched and her fur stands on end, she is scared or angry.
Cat sounds also convey their feelings:
- Growling and/or hissing indicates that your cat is irritated, angry, fearful, or aggressive.
- Howling or growling means your cat is in distress. They may be in pain, trapped, or afraid.
Don't break up a fight with your hands
The first reaction when a cat fight starts is to immediately disperse the bullies by pushing one away from the other. But doing this is dangerous. Instead, act quickly and find a way to distract the fighters from each other. A toy, treat, or anything else they like. Sometimes only a sharp sound or a tub of water poured on the opponents at the epicenter of the battle helps.
If you try to separate the fighting with your hands, you risk getting serious, poorly healing wounds. Unlike your cat, you don't have fur to protect your body. And even your usually sweet and kind cat can hurt you without even realizing who she is attacking.
How to help cats live together
Treatment for aggression or fighting between cats varies depending on the type of aggressive behavior, but may include desensitization, counterconditioning, or drug therapy.
Methods for managing cat aggression include:
Castrate cats and sterilize cats.
Fighting often occurs between intact (non-spayed) male cats, and intact female cats are likely to have litters, leading to aggression on the part of the mother.
Provide additional perches and hiding places such as boxes and cat trees
This allows your cat(s) to run away and/or hide when they feel threatened or afraid.
Have more cat supplies
Having several food and water bowls, toiletries, perches and toys can prevent competition for resources.
Emphasize incompatible behavior—any behavior that cannot occur at the same time as the problem behavior. Praise them and give them cat treats to reward your cats.
Try using pheromones
There are products that mimic a cat's natural odor that can be effective in reducing aggression.
Keep cats separated, especially when eating
The separation may only last a few days, but if the aggression is persistent and severe, it may take several weeks before you can gradually bring the cats back.
Male vs female
Most often, owners are misled by the cat's behavior towards the cat. She seems to accept his dominance and fulfills his every whim. However, this is not the case. The cunning of females knows no bounds, and they successfully use it, “powdering the brains” of both the cat and the owner. This tactic of behavior allows the cat to achieve what it wants without open conflict, and fights between animals of different sexes are rather nonsense.
Yes, the male can afford to hiss at his girlfriend or lightly touch her with his paw, but this is not a full-fledged fight, but only a reminder of who is boss in the house. Serious fights between a cat and a cat break out extremely rarely, and only if the female ceases to obey and shows leadership qualities. Usually cats go crazy because of this behavior of cats and find no other way out than to give the presumptuous “madame” a beating. In this case, short fights can break out out of nowhere; they proceed loudly, but not for long.
It is worth noting that the war between a cat and a cat is a fight to the last drop of blood. As soon as one of the pets obeys, peace and grace sets in in the cat kingdom.
What not to do when cats are fighting
When you're trying to help your cats get along, it's important to pay attention to whether they're playing or actually fighting. If the fight is real, you want to stop it and then react accordingly.
Don't let them fight!
If there is a real, bloody fight, try to separate the cats, but not with your hands, otherwise you may get seriously hurt. Try to distract them with a loud noise or sudden movement to break their concentration on the fight.
Don't punish your cat
Never punish your cat for acting aggressively towards another cat. Punishment can make fearful or aggressive behavior worse.
Protracted Kotov battles
Male fights are a phenomenon that is caused by the habitat of their ancestors in wild conditions. As already noted, cats, being solitary, have vast territories in which females live. And the main goal of their life is to take possession of large lands and have many cats for procreation.
But if cats fight brutally and bloody wounds are not uncommon during their clashes, cats use slightly different tactics. Being in a state of protracted war, at the first convenient (and inconvenient, especially for the owners) opportunity, they begin to yell and hiss at the enemy - for a long time, waving their paws for a long time... And when tired, they take a short break to resume the fight.
Peace will not come here even if one of the participants surrenders. Surrender will be counted if the defeated purr leaves the winner's territory. Naturally, in the conditions of human habitation this is an almost impossible task. Therefore, reconciliation between two males requires a serious approach and enormous patience.
If your cats keep fighting
If your cat's aggression is severe or becomes uncontrollable, seek the advice of a certified animal behaviorist or board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
These professionals can provide more detailed information and recommendations for behavior modification for your cats.
Unfortunately, some cats simply cannot live peacefully together. If you've exhausted your resources, time and energy in hopes of dealing with aggression or fighting between cats, it may be time to consider finding a new home for one of them or keeping them separated forever.
There must be one monarch in the apartment!
The interaction between two cats is quite an interesting sight. It's nice to watch pets lick each other, sleep in a ball or play. But most often, completely different pictures appear before the owners - the cats “go crazy”, begin to growl and attack, and the fur flies in different directions. In this case, not only the animals themselves can suffer, but also everyone who comes under the “hot paw” and interior items.
Naturally, this behavior upsets the owners and raises a completely reasonable question: “What are these darlings missing? What are cats trying to achieve by staging military battles?” The answer can be found by considering the character of these animals.
Inside everyone, even the most affectionate and docile cat, lives a real tiger - capricious, domineering, and intolerant of objections. Almost all cats, including wild ones, are essentially loners. They do not like to be in noisy companies, accept intrusive affection and show kindness to everyone they meet.
This fact once again confirms that fights are a completely normal occurrence in a cat’s life. After all, they are confident that they are the main ones on their territory, and this dominance must be constantly confirmed and not by talking.
The owners are perplexed why their little furry girl, who has never offended even a child in her entire life, suddenly turns into an angry fury... In fact, cats do not consider people as rivals and do not show aggression if they do not offend them. They consider man to be a huge individual, incapable of ordinary activities - climbing trees, catching rodents, etc.
But another representative of the species is already competition, requiring action from the cat, since otherwise there is a risk of losing its “place in the sun.” It doesn’t matter what the fight is for - a comfortable chair, a soft pillow, a cup of food or the affection of the owner - there will be no truce until one pet recognizes the leadership of the other.
Advice from a zoopsychologist
Animal psychologists recommend analyzing the causes of unprovoked aggression. It is possible that the animal may have a mental illness that requires medication correction. But before making such a diagnosis, it is necessary to exclude standard causes that cause aggression.
Note! Cats convey a lot of information to their owner through their body language. Most of them try to avoid collisions, and they attack, as a rule, when they feel in danger and begin to defend themselves. If the owner does not have the opportunity to cope with the problems of aggression in an animal on his own, then a good way to change the situation is to turn to a professional, that is, animal psychologists. They will professionally advise you on how to correct your pet’s behavior.
Owners must remember that aggression and jealousy do not just appear in an animal. If cats do not get along in the same apartment, you need to love, pamper them and be sure to praise them if they coexist peacefully. You cannot kick out an animal while the owner is playing and petting another pet. It is necessary to show your love and favor so as not to cause rivalry among them. Good owners always remember that it is pointless to show your authority in front of a cat, since the animal may become embittered and stop trusting its owner. The most important thing is a kind and equal attitude towards pets and, of course, love, which will help eliminate hostility and rivalry among furry friends.
Cats don't fight at home if a person loves you
As you know, there are no rules without exceptions. Let's remember our heroine Anya and her cat Greta. Perhaps none of the above cases are suitable for them. All of Anya’s animals are healthy and, as we remember, sterilized. The conditions in the house are good and seem to be equal for everyone. But not every living creature feels comfortable in a hostel, and it seems that Greta is just such a cat. It may be that she does not like going to the common tray or is categorically not satisfied with eating from a common bowl. Maybe she thinks that Anya pays more attention to her than to others. And this is also a very likely reason that a cat finds itself at the epicenter of conflicts.
Owners who find themselves in such a difficult situation should create the most equal conditions for their pets - even to the extent of arranging for them beds located at the same height. You cannot scold either the weak or strong sides of conflicts. It is worth spending more time “talking” and playing with animals so that every cat feels loved. Love and patience can work real miracles. And Anya has these qualities beyond measure—the mistress of seven cats simply cannot be any other.
Svetlana Mosolova
Cats vs dogs
The most common picture is a dog chasing a cat, and the cat runs away. In real life, cats themselves often begin to attack dogs. But, regardless of the situation, we are not talking about the same thing, and conflicts arise due to misunderstandings. If we consider all dogs, they can be divided into 2 types. The first category includes dogs that are distinguished by their sociability, who strive to make new acquaintances and are not averse to communicating with other animals, including cats that are not very sociable.
In this case, the pugnacity of the latter is caused not by aggression, but by a completely understandable desire to protect one’s own person from intrusive attention. Felines do not particularly like physical contact and try to explain this to dogs. At first they do it softly, as if brushing it off. But if the dog doesn’t understand, then they can release their claws.
The second category is dogs that have a pathological hatred of cats. Whatever this feeling causes, the meeting of such an animal with a cat often turns into a tragedy. Large dogs can not only injure a cat, but also cause fatal injuries to it.
If such hostility occurs in the house, then the issue should be resolved immediately. Either resettle the pets or seek help from a dog handler. A specialist will not teach a dog to love cats, but will make him ignore her.
List of drugs
When treating wounds, the following groups of medications are used:
- Hydrogen peroxide 3%
- Aqueous solution of Furacilin.
- Alcohol essence of Diamond Green.
- Fucoricin.
These drugs are used for minor defects, as well as when it is necessary to prepare the damaged surface for other dosage forms. An aqueous solution of Furacilin has the mildest effect. It effectively removes crusts. Useful in the treatment of purulent wounds, minor scratches, cuts, burns.
Brilliant Green is used for minor wounds, applying a small amount to and around the defect. Hydrogen peroxide is good at removing dirt and germs. When applied to the skin, the drug boils, the resulting bubbles carry the impurities out. You should not get carried away with this medicine. It burns and slows down wound healing.
Fucoricin is applied to minor skin defects. Effective against fungal infections, furunculosis and dermatitis.
How to break up a cat fight
When your cats are aggressive towards each other, it is likely that a fight will break out at some point. There is no need to physically separate animals. You will get scratched and you may lose the trust of one or both cats.
Distraction is the best way to stop a fight between cats. Loud noises can help, but only if you are out of sight.
Try clapping your hands, knocking on a potty, or throwing a large soft pillow-like object near the cats. If this scares the cats, they will run away to hide.
When training turns into war
If cats living in the same territory quickly change their anger to mercy, it means that all the fights were “make-believe.” Sometimes one of the murkas may show an emotional outburst, suddenly jumping away with a hiss or using its clawed paw. But this is only a counter move. The animal probably felt psychologically disadvantaged or experienced short-term pain. A slight demonstration of aggression does not mean that the friendly relationship is broken, and the cats will seriously fight in the future.
Enmity. However, relationships between pets can become tense, developing into a long-term feud. Signs of real aggression are:
- battle cry in the form of low howling cries;
- angry hissing and growling;
- static tense poses;
- ears pressed to the head;
- point-blank gaze;
- clawed feet;
- raised hair on the withers and back;
- fluffy tail, raised up or nervously whipping at the sides.
