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Feline
aggression has several causes
February 15,
2007
Some friends recently commented how much they disliked my 18-year old
cat, CoCo, who is now deceased, because when they tried to pet him he
would charge, hiss, slap their shoes with his paws, and make a general
fool of himself. It took two years before CoCo would allow my husband to
pet him longer than 20 seconds.
In stark contrast, my relationship with CoCo was one of mutual
admiration. He slept with me each night and was a virtual ball of love
and affection, purring loudly to prove his devotion.
We often read about aggression in dogs, whether it's a discussion about
dog biting incidents or the oft-repeated myths about which breed is more
aggressive than another. Rarely do we read about cat aggression,
especially aggression directed toward people. I suspect it's because
most people don't feel as threatened by felines as they do canines.
From the cat's perspective, this lack of fear may be yet another
condescending attitude of humans toward their prowess and strength.
Jokes and prowess aside, even domesticated, household cats can exhibit
aggressive behavior, and understanding cat aggression and its causes can
help prevent and resolve the problem.
Dr. Benjamin Hart, behavior service chief at the Veterinary Medical
Teaching Hospital at the University of California in Davis, points out
that although aggression is commonly the most serious behavioral problem
in dogs and is less frequently a major concern in cats, household cats
can exhibit aggression toward people.
Cats require more than just a clean litter box. They also need
attention, adequate socialization, interaction and stimulation.
Kittens, for example, need early socialization and contact with humans,
which is an important ingredient for a healthy, non-fearful cat. I
suspect this was my cat, CoCo's, problem. I was his primary companion
and he saw few other people as he moved from kittenhood to adulthood.
Dr. Hart said there are four categorizes of cat aggression toward
people: fear-related aggression, play-related aggression, redirected
aggression and petting-evoked aggression.
Fear-related aggression is directly linked to little or no socialization
during kittenhood. For household cats this is especially crucial when
you consider that cats do not have the hierarchy structure or pack
mentality that dogs do to guide their social interactions.
Cat personalities vary greatly; they may be social or asocial with
people or other cats. Getting them comfortable interacting with you and
strangers helps reduce that fear.
Walk into any veterinarian office for an exam with a fearful cat and you
see fear-related aggression played out in living color.
Play-related aggression is behavior that kittens typically display with
one another. When no other cat is around, your arm or leg will make a
perfect substitute, especially if they are deprived of other types of
healthy play with humans. Setting aside quality time and interacting by
using fun cat toys can usually eliminate this type of aggression rather
quickly.
Redirected aggression is exhibited when something exciting is in the
cat's vision that he or she can't reach, for instance when a cat sees
prey from a closed window. The key is to recognize when your cat is
aggressively charged. When you see redirected aggression, avoid handling
and interacting with the cat until he or she has had a chance to calm
down.
Petting-evoked aggression is the least understood. Your cat can be calm
as you stroke him and then suddenly turn on you and may bite or scratch.
"This appears to be a behavior that has no counterpart in wild felines,
but it is a real phenomenon for which there is generally no cure," Hart
said.
He advises trying to recognize signals that precipitate a sudden
behavior change and simply putting the cat down when you see the
signals.
While cat aggression is not a common behavior problem, providing feline
companions with a daily dose of fun, interactive social time is a way to
help them enjoy a happy, well-balanced life.
- Laura Maloney
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