Cat Aggression Towards People
Cats are not aggressive as a diagnosis, so the term ‘aggression’ can be misleading. In fact aggression is an emotional state which a cat will show in certain challenging situations.
The key to understanding what can be done to manage this problem is to understand what a cat’s motivations are when it performs the behaviour for example:
The cat might be fearful as a result of not receiving appropriate socialisation as a new kitten.
Perhaps the owners used their hands and/or feet when playing with the cat as it was growing up and it now views these extremities as fair game!
The cat may be using aggression to deter unwanted attention or to control situations.
It’s possible that as a result of inherited maternal influences the cat may have a low threshold for frustration and may not respond well to new or challenging situations.
There are occasions where a cat may have seen another cat or bird that’s out of reach and in this adrenaline-fuelled state, redirects his aggressive energy on to any human that happens to be within reach.
Strategies for Dealing with Aggression towards People
Cats are not aggressive as a diagnosis, so the term ‘aggression’ can be misleading. In fact aggression is an emotional state which a cat will show in certain challenging situations.
The key to understanding what can be done to manage this problem is to understand what a cat’s motivations are when it performs the behaviour for example:
The cat might be fearful as a result of not receiving appropriate socialisation as a new kitten.
Perhaps the owners used their hands and/or feet when playing with the cat as it was growing up and it now views these extremities as fair game!
The cat may be using aggression to deter unwanted attention or to control situations.
It’s possible that as a result of inherited maternal influences the cat may have a low threshold for frustration and may not respond well to new or challenging situations.
There are occasions where a cat may have seen another cat or bird that’s out of reach and in this adrenaline-fuelled state, redirects his aggressive energy on to any human that happens to be within reach.
- The cat may be ill or in pain.
- Perhaps the cat is simply defending or establishing his territory.
- So how do we deal with a cat displaying aggressive-type behaviour?
Strategies for Dealing with Aggression towards People
- Firstly arrange a consultation with your vet to rule out a medical cause.
- If the cat receives a clean bill of health, seek intervention from a behavioural specialist and avoid all physical interaction with the cat prior to receiving their advice.
- Ignore any hissing or growling.
- Protect legs and arms.
- Avoid any vocalisation, chastisement or other interaction with the cat following an aggressive encounter.
- Avoid reassuring a cat that appears frightened.
- Seek medical attention for bites and severe scratches
- Trim the cat’s claws.
- Give the cat something to play with that they can kick and rake that’s bigger than the average cat toy eg Kong Kickeroo.
