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Your Cat Is Aggressive: What Should a Pet Owner Do?
22.03.2024 19:10
A cat will not be aggressive without reason.
It is important to determine the cause of aggression, as it may be related to discomfort that requires treatment or even a parenting issue.
A cat is a nervous animal
First, let's talk about a typical situation. You're sitting on the couch, the cat is on your lap, and you're petting it. Suddenly, it starts scratching your hand or biting you.
This aggression does not arise out of nowhere. Perhaps, while petting her, you touched a place that she does not like.
These nerves are located along the spine and also on the tail. Some cats, for example, love having their belly scratched, while others hate it.
Learning to detect and therefore anticipate these attacks simply requires paying attention.
Before scratching you, your cat will likely send signals that you don't notice, so it will have no choice but to make you stop.
So, stop touching her if she sends these signals:
- pushes your hand away with his paw;
- wags its tail. Some people confuse it with dogs, which wag their tails when they are happy. With a cat, it's the opposite: if it wags its tail, it means it doesn't like it;
- if you feel that the cat is tense, especially in the hind legs, it means that it does not like something. It is preparing to leave, and in the worst case - to scratch you;
- if the cat's ears are forward or to the side, something is bothering it, because a relaxed cat tends to "drop" its ears.
Early weaning
Even if weaning from mother's milk occurs after two months, behavioral weaning is not yet complete.
So a cat that is weaned too early can sometimes be aggressive because she has not learned how to regulate her aggression. In short, she simply lacks education.
With these cats, you will have to be patient and train them yourself.
When she attacks, tell her loudly "no" to impress her. She should gradually understand that this aggression is bad.
Bad habits
Some cats become aggressive without realizing it because it's just a game to them.
Playing with a kitten, forcing it to attack your hand or foot, does not cause pain. It is a different matter when it becomes an adult, when its fangs and claws become larger and stronger.
Therefore, avoid teaching your kitten to play with your body. As it grows, it will perceive it as a game, just like when it was a kitten.
To avoid this, teach your kitten to play with toys. A fishing rod with a feather on the end or just a rope, it doesn't matter, the main thing is that he learns to play with a toy, and not with a part of your body.
Boredom, whims
Aggression occurs when a cat is not given enough stimulation to let off steam.
If you are away a lot and there are no toys or activities in the house, your cat may attack your leg as if screaming, "I'm bored!"
A cat will exhibit the same behavior if you don't take good care of it.
She will try to make contact with you, and if all else fails, she will go so far as to bite or scratch you. In this case, consider spending more time with her, playing with her, or cuddling her.
Physical suffering
Cats are animals that do not talk about their suffering. If a cat starts scratching or even biting you, it is because it is in pain. In any case, contact a veterinarian.
Old age
Old age sometimes brings a lot of suffering. She may simply not recognize you anymore and therefore be afraid. Unfortunately, there are no solutions in these cases. You will have to be patient with her, gentle and kind.
Now you know how to recognize the causes of cat aggression and act accordingly.
Earlier we wrote about why a dog doesn’t obey.
