Do You Have an Aggressive Cat? Does Your Cat Attack Family, Friends, or Other Cats?
Aggression in cats and cats that bite are some of the most common feline behavior problems seen by veterinarians and animal behaviorists. It is a common mistake to take aggression in cats less seriously than aggression in dogs. This is usually because cats are smaller and don't try and chase down people like dogs can.
Nevertheless, anyone who has survived a cat attack can tell you they are nonetheless formidable little creatures. Cats have five potential weapons at their disposal during a cat attack - sharp, puncturing teeth and their four sharply clawed paws. Cat attacks can do some serious damage, from cat bites to severe lacerations, which are very painful and can become easily (and painfully) infected. A cat attack during an incident of aggression in cats can also cause 'cat scratch fever', a potentially serious infectious disease that can cause flu like symptoms in those who contract it.
When there is a cat attack between two cats, the injuries inflicted, though rarely fatal, can lead to infections and serious vet bills for their owners. And aggressive cats really should not be left at home alone as they can pose a real threat to visitors and other family members.
What is Aggression in Cats?
Aggression can be defined as any threatening or harmful behavior focused at another individual (i.e. person, another cat or any other animal). Nearly every wild animal will display aggressive behavior for various reasons - to protect themselves when being attacked, to protect their territory, or to defend their offspring. Displays of aggression in cats that bite may signal an oncoming cat attack can range from simply hissing as a warning to cat that attack aggressively, sometimes with seemingly little provocation.
Body Language Cues That Can Signal an Imminent Cat Attack
Cats that bite will communicate using their body language. Learning to understand this language means that cat owners can better understand their cat’s feelings and motivations for their behavior, including cat aggression. Cat body language is composed of cats’ facial expressions, body posturing, and the way they position areas of their body, such as their tail, ears, mouth, and even their whiskers. Cat body language is generally more subtle than dog body language and can therefore be tougher to determine what your cat is trying to communicate. However, knowing the signals and body postures can help cat owners deal with the problem more easily and enjoy their cats more fully when they can understand what their cat is trying to tell them.
Threats and aggression can be offensive or defensive. When a cat is in the offensive mode of aggression, cats will try to make themselves appear larger and intimidating. When in a defensive posture, cats will attempt to appear smaller in a bid for self-protection.
Here are some of the most common posturing stances cats take. When your cats that bite adopts any of these postures, do not touch your cat, attempt to reassure them or discipline them in any way: Offensive Postures:
Directly facing opponent, possibly moving toward him
A stiff, straight-legged upright stance
Tail is stiff and lowered or held straight down to the ground
Direct stare
Hair standing on end, including fur on the tail
Stiffened rear legs, with the rear end raised and the back sloped downward toward the head
Upright ears, with the backs rotated slightly forward
Might be growling, howling or yowling
Constricted pupils
Defensive Posturing:
Open-mouthed hissing or spitting
Eyes wide open with pupils partially or fully dilated
Ears flattened sideways or backward on the head
Head tucked inward
Tail curved around the body and tucked in
Hair standing on end
Crouching
If the cat is anxious, its whiskers could be retracted or they may be fanned out and facing forward to gather a sense of distance between himself and the danger
Might make several quick strikes with front paws, claws out Turning sideways to the opponent, not straight on
Preparing for an aggressive attack by rolling onto side or back and exposing teeth and claws. In this position, your cat might attempt to grab your hand and bite it.
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Types of Aggressive Behavior in Cats That Bite:
If you have experienced aggression in your cat in the past, you need to take a step back and evaluate why your cat became aggressive. Ask yourself, who did he show aggression toward? When and under what circumstances did your cat become upset? What was going on a half hour or so before the incident of aggression occurred? What was about to happen to your cat?
Determining the reasons and circumstances where your cat became aggressive can help you understand what triggers your cat’s aggression. Also keep in mind medical conditions that may be contributing to your cat’s aggression, such as toxoplasmosis, hyperthyroidism, epilepsy, arthritis, abscesses, dental disease, trauma, rabies, and other such diseases which can cause your cat to become defensively aggressive or just plain cranky! So the first step in addressing aggressive behavior in cats is to have your cat receive a full health assessment from your veterinarian. Aggression Between Cats:
This most often occurs between unneutered male cats. As male cats reach adulthood, they can often begin to challenge each other for potential mates and territory. Male cats who are accustomed to freedom outdoors will often get into aggressive stand-offs with other male cats. This can take the form of posturing toward other male cats – standing rigidly with their hackles up and trying to stare down their opponent. They may rake back their ears and often growl or hiss and even howl. One cat will usually slowly back away or they may suddenly attack each other.
Within the indoor and limited space of a household, this posturing can become more subtle and complex. Generally one cat will begin to posture toward the other cat and the recipient of this aggressive stance will attempt to make himself look smaller and often will run off to avoid a conflict. This aggression can take place equally between two male or two female cats or even between females and males. Often it is related to size as larger cats will attempt to use their size to intimidate smaller cats.
Fearful or Defensive Cat Aggression
Aggression that stems from fear occurs when a cat feels threatened and is in a situation where he feels he cannot escape. The more threatening the person, animal, or sound seems to be to the cat, the more aggressive his response will be. The cat in this situation will posture with such signals as a flattening of his ears, pressing his tail close to his body, dilated pupils, or even hissing and spitting, growling, or swatting with his hair standing on end. The best way to intervene in these situations is to simply avoid your cat until he calms down or to remove the threat or remove your cat from the threat if possible. Territorial Aggression in Cats
Cats that bite, like many other animals, will attempt to keep intruders out of their territory. Both male and female cats will show territorial defense behavior, but males will tend to defend a larger area of territory than females. Usually this territorial aggression is aimed at other cats, but sometimes can include dogs and even people. What’s even more puzzling is cats that bite are sometimes selective in who they decide to allow in their territory and who they desire to exclude. Certain family members or pets can be targeted for aggression while other family members are left alone.
Cats will mark their territory by chin rubbing, urine spraying and patrolling the boundaries of their territory. When they see a potential intruder, they will stalk or even chase the intruder while displaying aggressive behaviors, such as hissing, swatting, and growling at them. Some cats are a bit more subtle and will stalk the intruder for a time while other cats will immediately enter into an aggressive stance and give chase. A cat’s territory usually will include the whole house, the yard, the block, and even the whole neighbourhood in some cases. Some of the common triggers of territorial aggression include:
Stray or roaming cats in the neighborhood enter a cat’s territory
A new cat is introduced into the family and household
Major changes are made in the cat’s family or environment (for example, moving or someone moving in)
A kitten in the household reaches sexual maturity
Rough Play
Kittens and young cats will often engage in rough play. This play can go overboard when directed toward adults and can cause injury or damage to property. Such play aggression is the most common type of aggression cat’s display toward their owners. This can include predatory and play behaviors such as chasing, stalking, attacking, ambushing, pouncing, batting and swatting with their paws, and biting. Many animal behaviourists believe that through play young cats learn how to hunt and survive. Most cats will learn a degree of restraint in play and will keep their claws retracted and keep their bites light. However this can vary and cats that were orphaned or not weaned properly may not have learned how to inhibit their play behavior. Cats who spend long hours alone and inactive will often engage in overly rough play behavior as will cats who are encouraged to go after people’s hands and feet by their pet owners. With proper care and intervention, cats that bite can be taught to be gentle in their play.
Redirected Cat Aggression
This is perhaps the most dangerous form of cat attack due to the fact the bites from this type of cat attack are uninhibited and cause more injury.
Unfortunately, this form of cat attack is fairly common. Redirected cat aggression occurs when a cat is agitated by a person or another animal that he has no access to due to some sort of barrier being placed between him and the object of his aggression, such as a fence or window. As the cat is not able to go after the object that is triggering his aggression, he can suddenly turn and attack a person or a dog that happens to be nearby or walking past. Several hours can pass between the initial situation that triggered the aggression and the actual cat attack and this is why many people often speak of a cat attack as being completely unprovoked and unpredictable.
A Redirected aggression type of cat attack is not malicious or intentional. It is more of a reflexive action done without thought or planning. This is why it’s not a good idea to approach an agitated cat showing offensive or defensive aggressive posturing. Some common reasons for redirected cat attack are:
Watching or stalking birds, squirrels or other prey animals
Smelling another cat’s odor on a family member, a visitor or clothing
Watching another cat through a door or window
Coming indoors after getting outside if the cat usually lives only indoors
Being frightened or harassed by a dog
Having a person intervene in a cat fight
Being in an animal shelter, surrounded by the sight, smell and sounds of other cats
Hearing high-pitched noises
Cat Attack Caused by Over-Petting Your Cat
While some cats truly enjoy being held and petted, others merely tolerate these activities or they may not like being carried and held but do enjoy petting. Other cats, however, may not like petting at all and they will let you know it! So it can come as some surprise that a cat attack can be spawned by a normally enjoyable activity. They will give you plenty of warning though. Researchers feel that petting a cat in the same place over and over can actually be irritating for cats. For example, cat’s fur can easily become statically charged, creating an unpleasant electrical charge in their fur. Your cat will signal you when he’s had enough with the following signs:
Restlessness
Flattening his ears or rotating them forward and back
Twitching or flipping his tail
Quickly turning his head toward a person’s hand
Dilating pupils
Pain Induced Aggression
This occurs in cats that bite when they are feeling in pain, are deprived of basic needs, or feeling frustrated. The aggression in these situations is directed toward animals, people, or even objects. Any animal can become aggressive when in pain. Even we human beings become irritable and cranky when we are feeling in pain (trips to the dentist sound familiar?) So even the gentlest cat may lash out aggressively when in pain or when a part of their body is touched that is in pain, as for example when a salve is rubbed on a painful area of the skin. So if your cat has problems with aggression, you should have him thoroughly checked for any physical problems that may be causing him pain. This may include arthritic conditions, abscesses in the teeth, or wounds from fighting.
Maternal Aggression
Mother cats instinctually protect their offspring from danger. Maternal aggression occurs when a mother cat with kittens is approached by people or animals that she may see as a threat. This most often occurs with other approaching cats but can include people as well. This is especially true in the first few days after the kittens are born which is a common time for a cat attack to occur spurned by maternal aggression.