Causes of aggression in cats
Very often, owners can see cats fighting. To understand the cause of aggression in a pet, you need to be patient with the current situation. It is necessary to analyze which factor causes this and, if possible, eliminate it. Animal psychologists identify a number of main causes of aggression in cats, which can lead to a cat fight.
Cats fight each other for many reasons.
Why do cats fight among themselves? The first reason is the cat’s desire to take dominance in the house and show that she is the main one in the family. According to their psychology, they are designed in such a way that they defend their territory, regardless of whether it is within the boundaries of an apartment, a favorite chair or a couch. If a new furry pet appears in the family, the cat that previously lived in the house begins to actively protect the house. Because of this, cat fights most often begin.
Important! To prevent this situation, many animal owners advise buying their own feeders, bedding and houses for their new pet. This will avoid a fight.
Territorial aggression is caused primarily by the presence of other cats in the animal's field of view. If a pet attacks people, then, as a rule, these are people who have come to visit, in whom the cat sees a threat to the owners. This type of aggression is no less common. The pet hisses, hits with its paw, and rears up. As a rule, territorial aggression is shown by uncastrated cats, which are unlikely to be kept in friendship and harmony.
The second significant reason is cats fighting for food. A cat is designed in such a way that attacks of aggression are caused by other animals that carry out some active actions towards it. Protecting your food is an instinct that is inherent in nature and allows it to survive in difficult conditions. Sometimes four-legged pets are aggressive, even if the owner approaches their feeding trough, not to mention a new tenant, and even a competitor. Cats do not allow anyone to approach their bowl; they can hit with their paw or bite if someone approaches their feeder while eating.
During a fight, pets may bite and tear shreds out of each other.
The third reason is the manifestation of instincts that are inherent in nature. Most cats are domesticated, but they still have instincts, although they are no longer afraid for their lives, they understand that they will get food anyway, and there is no need to conquer their territory if there are no other relatives nearby. But when a furry animal is sleeping, it is better not to disturb it. Cats are often aggressive when they are scared. They are not aware of what caused their fear and can attack an innocent feline or even a weaker family member.
The situation is similar with a cat that has small kittens. The cat protects the babies and can attack if it feels danger to its offspring. She begins to growl and meow anxiously, warning that it is better not to touch the kittens.
Note! New scents that come home with, especially if it is a new pet, can cause aggression and a “beware the enemy” reaction. To avoid anything like this, you need to transfer the smell from one cat to another, wipe them with the same towel and change their beds. Thanks to this simple procedure, animals quickly adapt.
A new pet can cause jealousy in an old pet, since they spend more time with it, play with it, and the former resident feels useless. You need to try to replace jealousy with mercy and goodwill.
Another reason for aggression may be an unrealized hunting instinct. Thanks to him, animals survive in a normal environment, so the kitten is interested in balls, toys and all kinds of play equipment. Aggression during play is a fairly common phenomenon, especially when the kitten is too small and likes to throw itself at its owner’s legs.
Kittens don't always fight for real, that's how they play.
Another reason for aggression can be the presence of pain. If the owner touches the disturbing part of the pet, then he instinctively begins to rush and rush at the person.
Often cats can be found during a fight due to the fact that their mating season has begun, and females at this time are actively fighting for the cat’s affections. You may not be able to see the male up close, but the females smell him, which is why they put on a show. It is at puberty that cats begin to actively show aggression.
What to do at home?
In cases where it is not possible to identify the cause of hostile behavior on your own, a number of steps should be taken.
Comprehensive examination
- Take your pet to the veterinarian to rule out dental diseases.
- As recommended by your doctor, use blood tests and ultrasound to rule out or confirm kidney and liver failure.
- After undergoing an X-ray examination, identify the presence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Creating optimal conditions
The ideal environment for cats is an opportunity to hide. If she does not have her own house, then an ordinary cardboard box, basket, or carrier can be used as a shelter.
The main thing is that no one disturbs the pet there. A calm environment is also important when eating and going to the toilet.
Medication assistance
If aggression is associated with behavioral factors, then “first aid” to relieve an attack can be provided by the drug Feliway, which is rightly called a behavior corrector. It contains an artificial analogue of the pheromones secreted by cats in a calm environment, and helps an excited animal quickly calm down.
Changing your diet
If the cause of stress is hormonal changes in the animal’s body, then experienced veterinarians suggest changing the diet, reducing the amount of food in one serving, but at the same time increasing the number of feedings.
A lighter meal is recommended before bed. The water in the drinking bowl should be fresh and clean.
Insulation
To calm your cat, it is sometimes helpful to isolate it from other animals and irritants. Having allocated a separate room, you need to provide her with the usual food and clean water, and put a heating pad under the bedding. In a hyperactive state, it is not recommended to let your pet outside, much less allow it to contact its relatives.
Music therapy
The beneficial effect of classical music on the emotional state is experienced not only by people, but also by animals, especially sensitive ones like cats.
Each pet has its own preferences, but the works of Mozart, Beethoven and other famous composers can restore the emotional background.
More attention
As with any restless creature, when stressed, a cat needs extra attention and affection. More often you need to hold her in your arms, massage or stroke her, and also “talk”.
Shock bath
Everyone knows that representatives of the cat family do not like to swim. Therefore, doing this will be the right decision in order to bring him to his senses.
After bathing, the animal will need time to dry and get its fur in order. All these actions are aimed at switching his attention, as a result of which nervousness decreases.
The real reasons for aggression in cats
The kitten's eyes do not open: the main reasons and what can be done
Living in freedom, cats fight and actively demonstrate their instincts. They take a tense posture and make active movements. They stand opposite the enemy, as if on their hind legs, and do not take their eyes off their competitor. They flatten their ears, grin and growl, hiss and paw. This behavior stops when cats stop seeing their opponent as a danger.
For your information! At their core, they are fighters and predators. Instincts play a fundamental role in their behavior. Sexual desire is the basic instinct that causes cats to fight.
If animals live in the same territory, then very often the cats fight due to isolation, aggression due to fear, and rejection of each other. During a fight, cats try to defend for themselves better conditions for existence. And during this fight, claws, teeth, blows, hissing and all possible tricks and tricks are used. Males who have not been castrated fight for territory, especially when there is a cat next to them, the cat feels like a gentleman. Thus, they defend their territory and try to prove that they are in charge there. The cats that are on the property belong to them and are at their disposal. They fearlessly defend their territory, subconsciously understanding that most of it belongs to them.
After such conflicts over territory, cats risk being left with torn out tufts of fur, scratches on their faces and bites, but they can be weaned off fighting and aggression by consulting a doctor.
A cat's aggressive reaction can be caused by pain when a person punishes him. An animal may associate the owner with pain, and then a defensive reaction is triggered. Excessive irritability can also be caused by pain, especially when it is an elderly individual and already has some chronic diseases. It is better to show your pet to a doctor and have it examined in a clinic for the presence of ailments.
Note! The animal always warns in advance about an attack; it begins to pound its tail, hiss, meow, arch and run away from someone who can cause pain.
Other reasons include the desire to protect your feeder from outside attacks and to protect toys. Very often, a cat can show accumulated grievances that its owners have caused to it. He cannot fully hit back at adults, but he will always take revenge on small children or helpless family members and the elderly.
Options to correct the situation
It is quite easy for a person to cope with the aggression of an animal. The main thing is to understand exactly what caused it. The cats need to be separated, given the opportunity to calm down, fall asleep, feed them, and only after that, after a while, start trying to introduce them again. The following tricks will work for this. You can build a transparent wall between the cats, which will help them see each other, but not get into fights. It is especially better to start doing this when the cats are friendly and relaxed. This therapy can take up to two weeks.
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You can also divide the room or apartment into zones in which cats will live separately. They can watch each other, but not enter someone else's territory. After a while, the new resident will not irritate the cat, and he will slowly begin to get used to him.
Important! It is not advisable to forcefully introduce a cat to a newborn baby. The animal itself must express a desire to get acquainted with it. The pet needs to get used to its smell.
Sexual aggression can be removed by removing the gonads, which secrete hormones that cause animals to be attracted to the opposite sex. Males are neutered until they are one year old, and females until their first heat.
Outdoor cats are more accustomed to harsh sounds. But the home can react strongly to a sharp signal. He will confuse her, and she will dramatically change her behavior. Here a bunch of keys, which at that moment were in your hands, can come to the rescue; you need to throw it on the floor, or you can clap your hands sharply.
Note! A proven way to influence animals is to spray them with water from a spray bottle. Over time, they may develop an instinct where the animals will scatter just at the sight of a sprayer.
You always need to remember one thing: you can’t forcefully shake animals with your hands and you can’t yell at them. Disorientation is considered an effective way - placing them in different rooms, different boxes or beds.
You can’t punish too much; you must always understand that any aggressive behavior of an animal is caused by some factors, and which ones, the owner must figure out himself and eliminate them.
It may take several days for your pet to get used to it.
Commands and tricks you can learn with your cat
Despite the fact that the mental and physical capabilities of cats allow them to carry out an unlimited number of commands, it is better to start training with the simplest, most basic ones. The process of training a cat involves a transition from simple commands that do not require any effort from the pet to more intricate ones - provided that the animal responds positively to training and makes progress.
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In a special article we will tell you in detail how to teach a cat the command “Give me your paw!”
Team "Come to me"
The command is quite simple for a cat to understand. In order for the animal to respond to it, you need to encourage it every time it pays attention to you. To begin with, you can call your pet by name or simply “kitty-kitty-kitty”, holding in your hands a tasty piece that attracts the animal. When the cat moves towards you, you need to say “Come to me”, then pet the pet, treat it with a treat, and repeat again “Okay, come to me!” You need to repeat the command five to six times a day. More information about the training can be found in the video.
Video - How to teach a cat the “Come to me” command
Commands “Sit-Lie-Stand”
It is not difficult to teach a cat this command. It is enough to bring a tasty morsel to the animal’s nose, lifting it up. At the same time, you need to gently press your hand on the cat’s rump and at the moment when she begins to sit down, say the word “Sit.” After the cat has sat down, she is given a treat, praised and stroked.
The commands “Stand” and “Lie down” are taught in the same way. The cat needs to be interested in the treat, then mechanically give it the desired position, treat it and praise it. These commands are easier to learn from a sitting position: to put the cat down, lower the treat below the nose and lift the pet with your hand under the tummy, to put it down, lower the piece lower and gently press on the back.
Video – Teaching the “Sit” command
Jumping through a hoop
You need to choose a hoop of such a diameter that the cat can pass through it freely. At the initial stage, the hoop is held close to the floor or other surface on which the animal is standing. A treat is held in front of the cat's muzzle (between the hoop and the pet), luring the animal and encouraging it to pass through the object. When the cat steps over the hoop, say the command “Up”. When the cat confidently steps over the obstacle, the hoop can be raised higher - a couple of centimeters each time.
Gradually the cat will learn to jump high
The “Up” command can also be used to jump over barriers, as well as from object to object (for example, from chair to chair). In the first case, they act in the same way as with a hoop - the cat is taught to step over a stick lying on the floor for a treat, pronouncing a command. Gradually the barrier is raised higher and higher. To make a cat jump from object to object, they are placed close to each other, the cat is placed on one surface, and a treat is placed on the other. Gradually, objects are moved apart to a greater distance. Then the command can be complicated by teaching the cat to simultaneously jump through the ring and from chair to chair.
Cats are great at overcoming jumping obstacles
Team "Gopher"
A very funny command performed by cats, which is easy to teach your pet. When the cat is sitting, you need to bring a treat to its face, and then lift it so that the pet reaches for the piece. As soon as the cat stands on its hind legs, they give a command, then treat and pet the pet.
Video – Training of the “Gopher” command
Advice from a zoopsychologist
Bad breath from a cat: causes of the disease and what can be done
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.
Mr. Cat explains: when is stress expected?
A visit to the veterinary clinic, going on vacation with the owner, or moving to another place are all situations that can make your cat nervous. To help the animal tolerate them more easily, a little preparation is necessary.
Suitable carrier
To move an animal from one room to another, it is better to purchase a carrier. It must correspond to the size of the animal, the floor is covered with warm material, for example, a blanket. You can also cover the top of the portable cage with either a cloth or, if it is cold, a blanket.
The carrier will ensure the safety of both the pet and the owner. After all, if an animal is in your hands, then, frightened, it can scratch a person, or even worse, break free and run away so that it will be difficult to find.
Medication support
The range of sedatives is very wide; you can buy any without a prescription at a veterinary pharmacy. The most common ones include: Kot-Bayun, Phytex, Stop-stress drops.
If a visit to the veterinarian or a move is planned, then it is very important to start taking medications two to three days before the expected date, since it takes time for the pet to feel the effect of taking them.
Specialized food
Dry food manufacturers have provided a special diet for cats that may find themselves in a stressful situation. In such cases, nutritional therapy begins ten days before the planned event and continues for two months. The best supplements are Kalm (manufactured by Royal Canin) and Urinari Stress (manufactured by Hills).
