Content
- aggression due to medical problems
- play aggression
- aggression or fear bite
- territorial aggression
- dominance aggression
- Redirected aggression
- Aggression because you don't want to be petted anymore
- maternal aggression
- How to manage the situation
All cat owners love to cuddle while they are purring, but this relaxing moment can turn into a nightmare when our cat attacks us suddenly and without warning scratches or bites us. In other cases it may happen that he runs away from you.
Most attacks happen when we are petting our cat or playing with it, but some owners fear attacks from their cat even when they are sitting quietly watching television or when they are sleeping. Attacks and their severity vary greatly depending on the cases.
To solve this problem, the first thing to do is to understand the cause of these attacks. In this PeritoAnimal.com article we will see the different reasons that explain because your cat attacks.
aggression due to medical problems
If your cat suddenly behaves aggressively, the first thing to do is take him to the vet to check that he has none. health problem.
Anger or a hormonal problem can cause aggressive behavior, but if the cause is a health problem, a very frequent reason is arthritis. Some cats with neurological problems may have sudden moments of very intense pain.
If the veterinarian's physical examination of your cat fails to isolate the problem, an x-ray may be able to do so.
play aggression
The cats are predators and it's something innate in them perform play conduct when they are puppies to train hunting real prey when they are adults. In fact, it is not uncommon to see a kitten attacking and biting without hurting the owner's feet or hands, and as cute as this type of behavior may seem, if it continues into adulthood it will be a problem.
Attacks and bites in play are frequent behaviors in young kittens and when they remain in adulthood it is because the cat "learned" this behavior.
Often the cat's owners themselves teach how to attack in jest. When the cat is small, they play with it moving their hands or feet as if they were fangs for the kitten to attack, because when the kitten does this it can look cute and funny. However, with this act we are teaching a behavior that will maintain in adulthood, not out of malice but out of fun and because they really think they can.
Another cause of joking attacks is the annoyance. Playing with our cat with objects designed for it instead of using your hands or feet is something you should do. But if these play sessions are infrequent or if our cat spends his day indoors doing nothing, it is natural that he becomes very excited and accumulate energy that can be released in an attack as a way to draw attention.
Sometimes the cat licks and then bites. Read our article to understand this behavior.
aggression or fear bite
A fearful cat typically adopts a crouched position with its ears back and its tail curled inward, leaning its body back to get away from the threat.
the scared cat you have three options: run away, freeze or attack. If a frightened cat has no escape and the "threat" is still present after it has been immobilized for a few seconds, it is very likely to attack.
a cat that has not been properly socialized when he was between 4 to 12 weeks old, he can be fearful and suspicious of humans and have this behavior. But it can also happen to a correctly socialized cat who is in a new environment, or to a stranger or who is in the presence of a new object that can frighten him like a working dryer.
territorial aggression
A cat can attack a human to defend a area of the house that you consider yours: the human is then considered as a threat that could steal their territory.
This type of aggression usually occurs with strangers or people who don't come home very often. Cats that have this behavior usually urinate in the area they consider as their territory to mark it. Find out how to prevent your cat from urinating at home.
dominance aggression
Some cats act with their owners as if they were other cats and try to dominate them to stay on top in hierarchical order of home. Cats begin to show subtle signs of aggression that at first the owner may misinterpret as play, later on the cat grunts or blows at its owner and may bite or scratch.
Dominant cats are also often very territorial, causing dominance aggression to be matched with territorial aggression.
Redirected aggression
Redirected aggression is a peculiar phenomenon that consists in a cat who is upset or stressed about something or someone does not attack the person or animal causing his problem but its owner, redirecting aggression for him. The tension due to this problem that the cat faced can be held back for a long period of time and will only attack later.
The victim of the cat's attack has nothing to do with the reason for his anger, but it may happen that the cat sees his victim again and remembers the problem/tension by attacking again.
Aggression because you don't want to be petted anymore
A cat can attack because don't want me to give you more affection, and this can happen for two reasons:
- One of the causes is that the cat has not been properly socialized and does not understand the friendly intentions of a petting human.
- The other cause is that he is simply not used to being pampered or is very sensitive and after a while he gets upset and bites because he is irritated.
maternal aggression
All cats that are mothers Puppies are very protective of them, and if they perceive a threat, they can attack people or animals they normally trust. This reaction is due to the cat's hormones and is most intense during the first week after giving birth. Over time this attitude progressively diminishes.
How to manage the situation
each case is different and it requires specific management, now that you have read this article you can know why your cat bites and attacks and it will be easier to adapt its behavior to solve the situation.
The important thing is to always be patient with your cat and not put him in a situation of fear or stress that provokes this type of aggressive reaction. You can use positive reinforcement such as petting or a piece of cheese when your cat is doing well.
with patience and understanding the reasons of your cat's behavior can help you improve your behavior.
