Friday, March 29, 2024

How To Get My Cats To Stop Fighting

Don't Miss

What Was Causing My Cat’s Aggression

How to Stop a Cat Fight | Top 5 ways to stop your cats from fighting

And thats what I did, but what I found was there wasnt a whole lot of information that explained what would have caused this new behavior between previously affectionate siblings.

After some research and talking with the shelter where we adopted them as kittens, we found that the cats may have had an experience that led to a misunderstanding. This was confirmed after talking with Dr. Marci Koski, certified feline behavior and training consultant.

Dr. Koski explained that sometimes an inside cat can have a perceived threatening experience, such as seeing another cat or strange animal outside. At the same time, your other cat passing by carefree, can send the wrong message to the threatened feline. That aggression is then transferred to the carefree cat just chilling and minding their own business.

If youre like me, I was asking, What? This cant be true! Apparently, its not that uncommon for felines, who have been familiar with one another, to have some traumatic event reshape the way they look at one another. Friends turned foes overnight. Or in their case its literally a family feud. So, I decided I needed a plan of action and with the help of Dr. Koski, heres how we started.

What Do You Do If Your Cats Are Fighting

Watching your cats fighting can be heart-breaking; here are two animals that you adore and they are hurting each other! While your first instinct might be to jump in and separate them, do be careful. Cats can be aggressive they are worked up like this, and you may get a lot of scratches for your efforts. We suggest trying to gently separate them, as long as you are sure you are not in harms way.

Distract them: Cats can get very engrossed with fighting, but you can try and distract them. Find something you know the love, like a toy, and make a noise with it. This might get their attention and stop the fight.

The most important thing to remember when stepping in to halt the fighting is: dont get hurt and dont make you cat more stressed/scared with the techniques used. So dont be aggressive towards your cat, and dont use heavy-handed techniques.

Understanding Feline Body Language

Your cat’s eyes, ears, body, and tail all attempt to communicate their feelings with you and with other cats and animals. Some postures and cues to look for include:

  • If your cats ears are backward, sideways, or lying flat , theyre likely annoyed, angry, or frightened.
  • If their pupils are dilated, they may be feeling nervous or submissive, or defensively aggressive.
  • If their tail is held low or tucked between their legs, they may be feeling anxious. If its thrashing back and forth, theyre likely agitated.
  • If their back is arched and their fur is standing on end, they might be scared or angry.

Cats vocalizations also communicate their feelings:

  • Growling and/or hissing indicates your cat is annoyed, angry, frightened, or aggressive.;
  • Yowling or howling means your cat is in some kind of distress. They could be in pain, trapped, or afraid.

Continued

You May Like: How Old Is My 12 Year Old Cat

How Can I Prevent Fighting With A New Cat In My Household

Introducing a new cat into your home is both a wonderful moment and a potential source of anxiety for many owners, if you already have a cat. Theres a chance your cat will see this lovely new ball of fluff as a threat to their territory and resources. Cats are often brought to us because they havent got along with cats at home.

First impressions count, so take your time when introducing new cats. If you do it slowly and pay attention to your cats behaviour, youll give them a good chance of living together peacefully. Heres a few things you should do to make the transition as smooth as possible.

  • Create a sanctuary Start slow by keeping your new cat in a separate room, definitely with the door closed. Ensure there is no glass on the door with everything they need in one place.
  • Swapping scents Use a cloth to gently wipe their cheeks and forehead and switch cloths between the room of each of the cats, so they can get used to each others smell before they meet in person.
  • Use pheromones A Feliway diffuser can be helpful to make the environment reassuring for all cats, try spraying it in places where they like to sleep.
  • Use a barrier After a minimum of 3-5 days, introduce your cats through a barrier where they cant touch, such as a glass door or a baby gate with mesh across.
  • Reward good behaviour Whenever your cats have a positive interaction, make sure you give them a treat or praise them, so they know its the right thing to do.
  • Cats Don’t Get Along After Surgery Or Vet Visit

    How to Stop a Cat Fight and Why They Happen

    Its common for cats in the home to act differently toward a cat that has returned from a vet visit. Cats communicate and share a common scent when they spend time together under the same roof. When a cat comes back from a visit to the vet where he has been handled by strangers or treated with medicine that smells funny, he is covered in a “new” scent that the cats at home find strange. This causes them to react to the cat that was at the vet as if it were a stranger. Hissing, growling, tail puffing, swatting, or even fights are possible reactions.

    Fortunately, this usually resolves itself within a day or two once the vet office smell wears off, and the cats return to their normal routine.

    Solution:

    • Try to schedule vet visits for each of your felines at the same time.
    • If that’s not possible, separate the cat returning from the vet by putting him in a separate room for at least half a day. This gives him time to groom himself and remove the “offensive” smell from his body.
    • Use a hand towel to rub your cats. Then rub this towel on the cat returning from the vet to reintroduce the communal scent that everyone is familiar with.
    • You can also rub a strong smell on all of your cats so they all smell alike. Try rubbing your hands with water from canned tuna and stroking all of your cats. This way, they will all smell the same. The tuna scent will even encourage them to groom themselves and each other, which is a great way for them to re-establish their family bond.

    You May Like: How To Unmat Cat Fur

    Tips To Stop Cats From Fighting

    Nobody likes a cat fight — the hissing, the yowling, the potential for real harm to one or both cats. Yet tiffs among felines are more common than you might think. Nancy Peterson, cat programs manager with The Humane Society of the United States, says a recent survey by the American Pet Products Association shows American cat owners had 2.45 cats per household as of 2008, up from 2.3 just a few years prior. When there are two or more cats in a home, fighting is always a possibility.

    There are numerous reasons your cat might pick a fight with another furry feline, even if it’s his normally beloved littermate. But if you learn to read the signals your cat is sending, you’ll be able to minimize the chance of a squabble occurring, or stop a fight that’s brewing.

    Here are some ways to do just that.

    Why Did My Cat Attack Its Companion When It Saw A Strange Cat Through The Window

    Cases of re-directed aggression from one cat to another, triggered by an acute sense of threat from an external source, are also relatively common if there are underlying tensions. Cats have a very keen survival instinct that utilises an internal system referred to as the fight/flight mechanism that releases adrenaline, pumping the muscles full of blood, to prepare the body for danger. This massive emotional response can be triggered by a sudden sound or movement or the sight of another cat through a window but the attack may be accidentally launched towards an innocent cat if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Relationships between two cats in a household can be irretrievably damaged under these circumstances. Once again, the advice is to separate them into different rooms for 24-48 hours until they have both calmed down. If a re-introduction at that stage still results in active fighting it may be necessary to segregate them for a longer period and treat them like complete strangers meeting for the first time.;

    Also Check: How To Make A Kitten Stop Biting

    Recognizing The Triggers That Cause Cat Fighting

    Next, think about the triggers that might be causing the fights. For example, your cats may fight when both want attention from you, or they may become territorial and fight over preferred resting places, or they may fight when they see another cat outdoors.

    Before you reintroduce the cats , create a plan for how to minimize the triggers that cause fighting. If the cats primarily fight over resources, such as access to food or resting places, provide them with abundant resources. Since a cat will find it much more difficult to guard four food bowls rather than one, aggression is much less likely to occur if you provide more bowls. If the cats attack each other after seeing another animal outdoors, block visual access to the outdoors. Opaque wallpaper for windows works well in this situation.

    If the cats are fighting over access to and attention from you, you can teach them that this behavior is not rewarding, that it drives away your attention instead. You can do this by paying close attention to the warning signs of anxiety and aggression, which include dilated pupils, growling, a direct stare at the other cat, tense body posture, and a swishing tail. When you see these signs, get up from what you are doing and leave the room. The cats will be left with nothing to fight over.

    How To Break Up A Catfight

    How I got my cats to stop fighting

    When your cats are aggressive toward one another, it’s likely that a fight will break out at some point. To avoid escalating the brawl, resist the temptation to break it up physically. You’ll only end up bloody and scratched and potentially lose the trust of one of your cats.

    Distraction is a better approach to stopping a squabble between cats. Loud noises can do the trick, but only if you’re out of sight so you’re not seen as a third aggressor in the fight. Try clapping your hands, banging on a pot, or throwing a large, soft object like a pillow near the cats. If it’s frightening and distracting enough, it’s very likely that you’ll see the cats running to hide.

    Read Also: How Do You Give Cats Catnip

    How To Stop Aggression

    If your home is the site of frequent catfights, it’s important that you do your best to stop it; not only for your cats’ health but also for your own well-being. This is not an overnight processbehavioral conditioning can take months. Stick with it, but also realize that some cats may never get along.

  • Adding more territorial space can prevent cats from having to share climbing, hiding, and perching areas where fights can break out. Increasing the number of toys, cat trees, litter boxes, and feeding stations reduced competition for resources.
  • Consider an electronic cat door that can only be opened by the collared victim cat. This allows the passive cat to access the entire home while having a safe area where the aggressor can’t follow. The doors open with a;magnetic “key” inside these collars, and can be purchased at pet stores or online.;
  • Avoid rewarding poor behavior. Giving food or attention to the aggressive cat may calm the angst in the short term, but it rewards the bully. Instead, catch the aggressor before it gets hissy. Redirect its behavior with an interactive toy, such as a flashlight beam, to lure it into play.;
  • If the toy doesn’t work, interrupt bad behavior with an aerosol hiss. Once the aggressive;cat walks away and is calm, reinforce its good behavior with a desirable treat, toy, or attention.
  • Use controlled situations to expose the cats to each other. Cat;carriers;or a harness and leash used in a hallway or large room can be helpful.;
  • Heres How To Stop Your Cats Fighting With The Neighbours Cat And Prevent Conflict:

    • get a microchip cat flap These will only open for your cats microchip, meaning other cats cant enter. You can also get collars with magnets that open cat flaps
    • secure your windows A cat might be coming into your home through an open window, try to keep your windows secure; you could also cover them to prevent neighbourhood cats glaring into your home
    • talk to their owner If you know the owner of the other cat and you feel comfortable discussing it with them, you might be able to agree a solution, such as only letting your cats out at certain times of day to make sure they dont run into each other
    • keep essential resources away from windows and cat flaps Placing food bowls or litter boxes near windows and cat flaps might make your cats more anxious as they feel the need to watch out for the other cat

    Recommended Reading: How To Get Cat To Stop Peeing On Things

    One Cat Smells Different

    If one of your cats suddenly smells differently, the other cat may react pretty violently at first. This can happen if you took one of your cats to a vet or a groomer, for example.1;Cats identify each other through smell and voice, not just by sight. A weird, unfamiliar smell signals an intruder, not a friend.

    Eventually, the two cats will remember each other, but it can be pretty disturbing to watch best friends fight until they figure it out. Some people schedule vet visits at the same time to avoid this.

    If you can’t take them to appointments together, try rubbing the returning cat with a blanket your cats sleep on before reintroducing him to the home. Another option is to lightly rub your hands with a pleasant scent, like smelly treats or water from canned tuna, and then gently pet your kitty. The distracting but pleasant scent might overpower the vet’s scent.

    How Can I Keep My Cats From Fighting

    Cats Not Getting Along? Tips to Get Them to Stop Fighting ...

    If you have more than one feline companion, you are likely accustomed to;cat fights;;but what can you do to stop them from fighting with one another? There are many reasons why your cats could be fighting so consider the cause before intervening.

    Keep your cats from fighting with the following feline tips:

    Read Also: How Many Seasons Are In Sam And Cat

    Jealousy Makes Cats Fight

    A new cat will almost always get more attention from you than your existing brood does. Set aside extra one-on-one time with your other cats to alleviate their fears that the new cat is stealing all your love and a common reason for a cat fight. Jealousy is more likely to be an issue with breeds like the Siamese that bond closely with their people, and they will need lots of reassurance that their place in your heart is secure.

    Contact A Professional Cat Behaviorist If Additional Help Is Needed

    This is particularly important with a specific type of aggression called redirected aggression. This involves a single event that frightens one or more cats and, in this moment of fear, one attacks the other. A common example is if two cats are sitting on a windowsill and an outdoor cat appears which suddenly frightens the cats. A sudden loud noise or a sudden injury can also cause this behavior. Its extremely important that the cats remain entirely separated until both cats are acting like their normal selves;and then a slow re-introduction is needed. This process can be a challenge and is best done under the guidance of a professional.

    Recommended Reading: How To Find A Hiding Cat

    Brother And Sister Cats Fighting What To Do

    While family bonds among people tend to be strong, its very different for cats. Just because they came from the same litter does not guarantee theyll be best friends for life.

    Brother and sister cats fighting is not uncommon. In fact, feline siblings can sometimes drift apart as they reach social maturity around the age of 18 months, even if they were bonded before.

    Its also normal for siblings to play rough; kittens and young cats tend to engage in quite rough play. If it is play fighting and you are worried that it is too intense, increase human-directed play and enrichment feeding to give an alternative outlet for their energy.

    How To Break Up A Real Cat Fight

    Tutorial: How To Stop Cats From Fighting Part 1 – Harmony in Multi-Cat Household
    • In a real catfight, youll see claws and teeth and hear plenty of hissing, growling, and crying.
    • You will want to break up this type of fight, but dont get in the middle of it.
    • The best way is to clap loudly or stomp on the floor to scare them.
    • Some people suggest spraying the warring cats with a water bottle, but Ive heard mixed opinions on whether thats a good idea.
    • If you try to pull one cat off the other, youll likely end up getting scratched.
    • Of course, remember to never hit or strike your pet. It wont solve the problem and will only make them distrust you.

    Read Also: What Are Some Unique Cat Names

    More articles

    Popular Articles

    Brands Of Wet Cat Food

    Wet Cat Food For Kidney Disease