Aggressive Cat Behavior: There Are Simple Solutions
There is always a time where aggressive cat behavior rises to the fore. No matter how docile they are the majority of the time, even the most laid back and loving animal will occasionally display bouts of temper and fear. Your job is to find the cause of those negative emotions, and do whatever you can to limit or eliminate that source.
Before you try to adjust the behavior of your cat, remember a few simple things. Keep some perspective in mind. Your cat doesn't care about its own behavior, since it will act as it feels natural to do so. Also, physically disciplining a cat due to problem behavior will never help in the long run.
Problems involving aggressive cat behavior can include the destruction of furniture, going to the bathroom outside the litter box, fighting with your other cat(s) or even attacking you. When solving these problems it is necessary to change the cat's behavior through non aggressive means, so remonstration becomes associated with the act, not with you.
When your cat scratches the furniture, it is not willfully trying to destroy it or make you angry, so you shouldn't get angry in return. Instead, purchase a scratching post and praise the cat whenever it uses it. Cats do respond to praise, so the cat will learn to use the post instead. If the cat still tries to use your furniture instead, simply remove it and put it near the post. It will get the idea eventually.
One particularly frustrating aggressive cat behavior is fighting with another cat. Cats are frequently territorial when more than one cat is living in the same house. They also are born with an instinct to hunt and stalk. Another cat in the home or your shoestrings creates a good source for prey. The best solution for this problem is to make sure the cats each have their own litter box and food bowl.
Aggressive cats sometimes are ill. This aggressive behavior is a way that a cat will guard himself when he is feeling exposed and vulnerable. Remember to give him the space he requires, cats tend to want to stay by themselves when they are ill. Keeping a close watch on your cat will help you to learn his mood swings, temperament and any temporary cat problems that may arise.
There will come a time when your cat is not as well behaved as it generally is. This said, before you try to adjust the behavior of your cat to remedy these cat problems, remember that your cat is only doing what is natural for it to do and so physically punishing it for this is not a good idea. Aggressive cat behavior can cause problems such as destroying furniture, not using the litter box, fighting with other animals, or even attacking their owner. To work with aggressive cats, attempt to fix what is bothering the cat instead of harming or punishing it.
Published December 9th, 2007
Filed in Pets
