4 Common Types Of Feline Aggression

Do you have a cat sitting in a window and becoming evoked when seeing or hearing another cat? Does your cat arouse when someone tries to pat him or nudge him away from the window? You have no idea why it is so?

Here are some common types of aggressions found in felines. This will help you to diagnose the motivation of aggression.

1-Fear-induced aggression

The powerful stimulus of fear-induced aggression is an unfamiliar environment. If a pet is ill-treated or frightened in any way, the fearful behavior will be negatively reinforced.

Some cats are born with timid personalities. They are not satisfactorily socialized. Hereditary influences also contribute to this problem. When cats have aversive experiences with linked people or other animals, they manifest aggressive behavior.

Typical symptoms associated with fearful or defensive aggression are:

• Swatting
• Tail tucking
• Hissing and spitting
• Batting with paws

2-Play aggression

The most common type of aggression that felines direct towards their owners is played aggression. Cats engage their peers in rough and tumble play. But when family members are far most of the days, it arouses play aggression.

Sometimes, a kitten will arch its back and hop sideways towards entertainment objects.Vocaliziation is rare.

Following are included in this aggressive behavior:

• Leaping
• Pouncing
• Stalking
• Biting
• Ambushing

3-Redirected aggression

The most frightening and vicious type of feline aggression is redirected aggression. Bellicose arousing by a man or an animal that he can’t get at leads to this behavior. He turns and lashes out at someone who is nearby or approaching him.

Cat’s parents are unaware of the initial stimulus. They called it unprovoked or out of the blue. Male cats are most likely to show this kind of aggression. Victims of redirected aggression are advised not to make contact with cats.

There are some common triggers of this aggression:

• Hearing high-frequency noises
• Being harassed by a dog
• Stalking birds and other prey animals
• Watching another cat through the window
• Smelling another cat’s odor on the owner.s clothing

4-Territorial aggression

Territorial aggression is usually toward other cats, but it can be directed toward other people and dogs. Both female and male dogs are territorial. A cat perceived territory could be an entire house, farm, yard, or a part of it.

Cats mark their turf by urine spraying and chin rubbing.

The familiar stimulus that trigger territoriality is:

• A new cat the family
• The cat reaches sexual maturity
• Stray cats enter a cat’s territory
• Changes made in cat’s environment

Final thoughts

Aggression is complex to treat and can be a harmful behavior problem. A medical workup is necessary. A survey conducted in 2019 shows that 62.5 percent of owners consult veterinarians for their pets.

I hope you will be able to diagnose the type of aggression your cat has.