Copyright 2000. Dumb
Friends League. All rights reserved.
Cat owners sometimes have
difficulty understanding why their cats seem friendly and content one
minute and may suddenly bite and scratch them the next. Aggressive
behaviors are part of the normal behavioral patterns of almost any animal
species. Cat bites are seldom reported, but probably occur more frequently
than dog bites. Aggressive cats can be dangerous, so attempting to resolve
a cat aggression problem often requires assistance from an animal behavior
specialist who is knowledgeable about cat behavior.
Types Of Aggression
Play Aggression
Play-motivated aggressive behaviors are commonly
observed in young, active cats less than two years of age, that live in
one-cat households. Play incorporates a variety of behaviors, such as
exploratory, investigative and predatory, and provides young cats with
opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival.
For example, kittens like to explore new areas and investigate anything
that moves, and may bat at, pounce on, and bite objects that resemble
prey.
Playful aggression often occurs when an unsuspecting
owner comes down the stairs, steps out of the bathtub, rounds a corner, or
even moves under the bedcovers while sleeping. These playful attacks may
result in scratches and inhibited bites which don’t break the skin. People
sometimes inadvertently initiate aggressive behavior by encouraging their
cat to chase or bite at their hands and feet during play. The body
postures seen during play aggression resemble the postures a cat would
normally show when searching for or catching prey. A cat may freeze in a
low crouch before pouncing, twitch her tail, flick her ears back and
forth, and/or wrap her front feet around a person's hands or feet while
biting. These are all normal cat behaviors, whether they’re seen during
play or are part of an actual predatory sequence. Most play aggression can
be successfully redirected to appropriate targets, however, it may still
result in injury (see our handout: "Managing
Your Kitten’s Rough Play").
"Don't Pet Me Anymore" Aggression
Some cats will suddenly bite while they’re being
petted. This behavior isn’t well understood, even by experienced animal
behaviorists. For whatever reason, petting which the cat was previously
enjoying, apparently becomes unpleasant. Biting is the cat's signal that
she has had enough petting. Cats vary in how much they’ll tolerate being
petted or held. Although people often describe their cats as biting "out
of the blue" or without warning, cats do generally give several signals
before biting.
You should become more aware of your cat’s body
postures, and cease petting or stop any other kind of interaction before a
bite occurs. Signals to be aware of include:
- Restlessness
- Your cat's tail beginning to twitch
- Your cat's ears turning back or flicking back and
forth
- Your cat turning or moving her head toward your hand
When you observe any of these signals, it’s time to stop
petting your cat immediately and allow her to sit quietly on your lap or
go her own way, whichever she prefers. Any kind of physical punishment
almost always makes the problem worse, because your cat is more likely to
bite either because she is fearful and/or because petting becomes even
more unpleasant if it’s associated with punishment.
If you want to try to prolong the amount of time your
cat will tolerate petting, use some food rewards. When your cat first
begins to show any of the behaviors described above (or even before she
does so) offer her a special tidbit of food like a tiny piece of tuna or
boiled chicken. At the same time, decrease the intensity of your petting.
Continue to lightly pet your cat for a short time period while offering
her tidbits. In this way, she’ll come to associate petting with pleasant
things and it may help her to enjoy petting for longer time periods. Each
time you work with your cat, try to pet her a little longer each time
using the food as a reward. Be sure to stop the petting before she shows
any aggression. If a display of aggression results in the petting being
stopped, then this unacceptable behavior has worked.
Fearful/Defensive Aggression
Cats that are fearful may display body postures
which appear to be similar to canine submissive postures - crouching on
the floor, ears back, tail tucked, and possibly rolling slightly to the
side. Cats in this posture are not submissive – they’re fearful and
defensive and may attack if touched (see our handout: "The
Fearful Cat").
Redirected Aggression
Redirected aggression occurs when a cat is aroused into
an aggressive response by one person or animal, but then redirects this
aggression onto another person or animal. For example, if two family cats
have a spat, the losing cat, still aroused, may walk up and attack the
family child.
Territorial Aggression
Cats are highly territorial, even more so than
dogs, however, they usually only feel the need to defend their territory
from other cats. Territorial aggression in cats isn’t commonly directed at
people.
What To Do
- Check first with your veterinarian to rule out any
medical reasons for your cat’s aggressive behavior.
- Seek professional help. An aggression problem won’t
go away by itself. Working with aggression problems requires in-home
help from an animal behavior specialist.
- Take precautions. Your first priority is to keep
everyone safe. Supervise, confine and/or restrict your cat’s activities
until you can obtain professional help. You’re liable for your cat’s
behavior.
What Not To Do
- You should never attempt to handle a fearful or
aggressive cat. Cat bites and scratches become infected easily. If you
do receive an injury from your cat, clean the wound carefully and
contact your physician.
- Punishment won’t help and will only make the problem
worse. If the aggression is motivated by fear, punishment will make your
cat more fearful, and therefore more aggressive.
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