Cat and aggression
Aggression is, besides uncleanliness, one of the most common behavioral problems in cats. Cats not only use their teeth but also their nails and each year a lot of people come to their GP or in the hospital due to cat bites and scratching.
Types of aggression in catsThere are different types of aggression and your cat can show more than one type of aggression. Aggression is classified into the cause of the aggression. Thus we distinguish: play aggression, fear aggression, pat aggression, status aggression, displaced aggression, territorial aggression, pain aggression, irritability, maternal aggression, aggression between males and prey behavior. Because aggression can also be caused by pain if it is wise to first contact your veterinarian if your cat shows aggression regularly, to exclude medical causes of aggression.
Effects of aggression in cats
An aggressive cat can be very dangerous. Especially if one does not recognize the warning signs that the cat shows before it attacks. Besides the pain from biting or scratching wounds, both scratch as well as bite wounds from cats can have serious consequences both for humans and other cats. This is because cat nails and cat teeth are full of bacteria. The wounds caused by scratching and biting often heal quickly because a cat tooth or nail only makes a small hole. But a larger wound that bleeds a lot is actually a lot less dangerous. Common problems caused by biting / scratching include abscesses, eye injuries and diseases transmissible from animals to humans such as cat scratch disease (Bartonella Henselae).
Recognizing warning signs of a catIn general, a cat would rather not fight, but he tries to resolve the situation by fleeing or by threatening. To do this, the cat uses both his posture, his voice as well as calming signals that will increase relaxation of the other. The cat almost always shows several warnings that an attack can follow beforehand.
Warning signs cat:
- Eyes wide open.
- Enlarged pupils with anxiety or very constricted pupils if the cat tries to threaten back.
- Flat lying ears.
- Showing different stress signals.
- Swishing of the tail or a straight tail with outstanding hairs.
- Excited meowing (this sounds nothing like normal meowing, but has a kind of lilting high note, with a "woowoowoowoo sound"), this can move up to growling and snarling.
- Blowing and sometimes spitting.
Preventing aggression in cats
Neuter both male and female cats in an early stage. Don’t hit your cat. Physical punishment, even a light tap on the nose, increases anxiety and agitation and will increase the aggression or make the cat scared of you. Fear can in turn result in aggression when you approach the cat.
Teach your cat from an early age not to play with your hands or feet. What still may seem funny with a small kitten is definitely no longer the case with an adult tomcat of five pounds or more. The same applies to cats that come to you from many corners of the house jumping and sneaking out with all nails. Adorable as long as it is a kitten, but a problem if the cat gets older.
Make sure the cat has sufficient opportunity to lose its energy, especially if the cat is alone and / or never comes out. A common mistake among anxious cats, is the "comforting" and speaking calmly to the frightened cat. This in fact praises the anxious behavior which is likely to cause growing anxiety with the cat. And the more the cat is frightened, the greater the chance of fear aggression.
Let the cat come to you for attention at its own preference, avoid unwanted attention and don’t lift the cat when it’s eating. Don’t hold the cat firmly against its will when you stroke it. This is not the way to let the cat get used to petting. Accept that there are cats that only like petting for a short while and stay under that limit. Holding the cat securely or lifting it at the scruff when it’s agitated, anxious or aggressive, to show that you're the boss, will not be understood by the cat and almost all cats will at that time instinctively try to escape, which can cause you massive injuries.
Don’t watch the cat straight in the eyes and certainly do not stare, because this is very threatening for the animal. If you make eye contact with a cat, squeeze your eyes just a bit, and then make a regular pinching motion with it. Like if you’re simultaneously winking at the cat with both eyes. This is a calming signal that cats themselves also use to indicate that they don’t mean mischief. As you are calm yourself, move quietly, breathe quietly and don’t talk in an excited way, it will definitely benefit the situation.
So:
Where possible, avoid situations that increase the aggression of the cat. If your cat shows aggression regularly, you should first contact your veterinarian. Pain and physical discomfort may be the reason why the cat reacts aggressively. The veterinarian can examine the cat. Intervene as early as possible before your cat's aggressive behavior becomes a habit. If there’s no medical cause for the aggression, then a behavior therapist can often help you to make the cat less aggressive.