Does your cat lay in wait and suddenly come out fighting like its World War III? Do you get side swiped from under the furniture, hissed at when you try and pick them up or dive bombed in bed by your furry feline?
Such are the joys of being a cat lover, but do you ever wonder why your cat becomes so narky on times and bites and scratches you as if you were attacking them? To shed some light on your cat’s ninja activities, let’s take a look at some of your cat’s aggressive tendencies and try to explain them from your cat’s point of view.
Playful aggression
When a cat plays it is an extension of their predatory behaviour. Cats are by nature hunters and in the pursuit of their dinner, they can spend long periods of time lying in wait for their prey. That’s why all of a sudden your calm and serine cat leaps to the attack and you find your toes being bitten or your ankle swiped from under the table. Your cat is just acting in a way that is natural to them and sharpening their hunting skills.
Fearful aggression
All cats have their limits, some more than others. The fear a cat feels can be based on how well they were socialised as a kitten. So if your cat was raised well and in the company of people, then he or she is less likely to feel afraid when they are picked up or placed into their carrier. If you cat was behind the door when this early socialisation should have taken place, then you might find that your feline becomes quite aggressive when they feel threatened.
Territorial aggression
Some cats become extremely aggressive in the presence of other cats or animals. This can be because they were raised alone and were not socialised to other cats, dogs or other animals. How often do we see a cat hiss at a dog? If they have been raised with obedient dogs who are well behaved however, cats quite often do not feel threatened by the initial contact with a new dog (they will respond if they are attacked of course).
I’ve had enough aggression
This is something I am sure we have all either witnessed or been party to – you are patting your cat and they are purring away like a tractor, then all of a sudden they go berserk. There is no real answer here, sometimes it’s because they are sensitive in one area and other times it could be a sexually aggressive response. All we do know is that our feline friends certainly have an ‘on’ and an ‘off’ switch and low and behold if you hit the wrong one!
Medical problems and injuries
Lastly, if you have not experienced a certain type of aggressive response from your cat before and all of a sudden they act out of sorts, it could be a medical problem or an injury. So it might be best to have them checked out at your local vet clinic, just to determine whether their aggressive behaviour is something that needs medical attention.
For information on our cat minding services in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, call Tracey on 0413 097 821 or complete our online enquiry form.