Cats are lovable creatures and people really love their pet cats. It really distresses them when their loving and content cat suddenly turns aggressive and seems to turn against them for no reason at all. Actually aggressiveness is a part of a cat’s natural behavior. Cats can sometimes cause injury when they turn aggressive especially if there are children in the home. Hence cat owners must understand the various types of aggressive behavior shown by cats and how to prevent or handle such behavior. If such behavior becomes frequent and chronic then you might need the help of an animal behavior expert to handle the problem.
Fortunately cats are less aggressive than dogs but nevertheless they can cause injury on becoming aggressive. Most cat bites and scratches are not very deep but in case of injury they should be treated properly as it may become septic to prevent infection by Bartonella hensalae that causes scratch fever in humans. In most cases this is not dangerous as it causes only temporary enlargement of lymph glands. On being scratched you must immediately clean the wound and use an antiseptic cream. The different forms of cat aggression are play aggression, predatory aggression, anger aggression, fear aggression, territorial aggression, aggression due to over excitement, aggression due to petting, protective aggression and redirected aggression.
Play aggression.
Cats usually show play aggression behavior when less than two years of age. It is natural for kittens to practice their hunting skills for survival. Kittens like to explore and investigate new areas and things especially, anything that moves. They tend to pounce upon and bite things that seem like prey to them. They will sometimes pounce upon the owners feet or hands playfully especially if they are encouraged by their owners. While doing this they scratch or bite which rarely is deep enough to cause injury. However, they may sometimes cause injury especially if they have been taken away from their mothers too soon before they were taught how to withdraw their claws while playing. In such a case you must use a stick or other objects so they cannot reach your hands. Try to anticipate the attacks and clap your hand or make a loud sound to stop it in its tracks. Encourage your kitten to play with toys and dangling things. If it becomes serious you may have to de-claw it.
Fear or defensive aggression.
Cats may show aggressive behavior when they are fearful of a person, object or place. This part of their defensive mechanism is needed for survival. They do not take to strangers easily and are usually afraid of them. They mask this fear by turning hostile. They may turn aggressive towards veterinarians if they are associated with needle pricks and jabs. Cats demonstrate their fear by assuming postures similar to those of dogs. Like putting their ears back, couching, tucked tail and sometimes rolling over slightly to their side. These are usually submissive postures but they may attack out of a defensive reaction.
Anger aggression or petting and biting syndrome.
Sometimes a cat can get angry and show aggressive behavior when it doesn’t like to be petted or when it doesn’t want to be petted any more. The anger may also be triggered by anything like being disturbed from a comfortable position. They may also get aggressive when strangers try to pet them. Actually cats don’t like to be petted and they have to be taught to enjoy petting. In the early years of its life when the cat has not had much human contact, it feels threatened when someone tries to pet it and bites and scratches instinctively. They may get aggressive towards strangers who try to pet them leading to a scratch or bite.
Cats assume certain body postures before actually biting or scratching. When the cat has had enough petting and is getting angry if it gets restless, starts twitching its tail, turning back ears or flicking them back and forth, moving or turning its face towards your hand frequently. If at anytime, while petting, your cat tenses up or shows any of these signs stop petting immediately. Treat your cat when it has allowed you to pet it for sometime. Keep increasing the duration of petting gradually until it gets into the habit of being petted for long durations.
Predatory Aggression.
Cats are born to hunt and the hunting instinct is inborn. They have to hunt in the wild in order to survive. Even if you feed them all they need they will still show some predatory behavior. As they cannot hunt anything inside the home they redirect their instinct towards the owners hands and feet. Without any warning they will suddenly pounce upon the owner’s feet while descending the stairs, coming out of the bath, turning a corner, etc. The best way to tackle this is to use a collar and bell so that you are forewarned when the cat is approaching. You can make a loud noise to scare to stop it on its tracks. After a few times of doing this your cat will stop pouncing on you. Also encourage it to use a toy or a dangling plaything, instead of your hands and feet, to pounce upon.
Territorial aggression.
Unlike their canine counterparts, cats do not show territorial aggression towards humans. A cat will show territorial aggression towards another cat. Your cat will show this kind of aggression if you bring another cat home. They need their own space and thus you must keep both the cats in separate rooms until they get used to each other. Give them separate litter boxes, water and food bowls and toys. You can get your cats neutered to make them less aggressive towards each other.
Redirected aggression.
In this type of aggression a cat may feel aroused by an animal or person but it redirects its aggression towards another person or animal. For example two cats in a family may have a spat and the cat that loses may redirect its aggressive feeling and attack a child in the family.
Aggression due to over excitement.
A cat can become overexcited and become aggressive as a consequence. When the cat is having a lot of fun and gets excited it may scratch or bite out of excitement. A sexually stimulated cat may also manifest aggressive behavior.
Protective Aggression.
A cat may become possessive about some toy or object and may bite or scratch if it perceives that you are trying to take it away. Mother cats also get very protective about their babies. If someone approaches its babies or it perceives that they may come to harm the mother may become furious and attack the person who is approaching.
Aggression due to medical reasons.
A cat that is not aggressive normally may become aggressive if it is feeling any pain or trauma due to some unattended medical condition. In such a case the cat can get aggressive when anyone tries to touch it. While petting if you inadvertently touch a sore spot your cat may become aggressive.
When you encounter aggressive behavior in your cat immediately contact your veterinarian to rule out the possibility of any health problem. If any health problem is ruled out then contact an animal behavior specialist. Make sure that other members in the family, especially small children are kept away from the aggressive cat until a professional has handled the problem. Don’t try to handle the problem yourself if it is persistent. Punishment is counterproductive and usually makes the problem worse. Also punishment will make the cat even more aggressive due to fear.
