CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
Understanding Cat Aggression Towards People
Copyright
Denver Dumb Friends League and Humane Society of the
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
agression 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.