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CAT BEHAVIOR AND WHAT THEY MEAN

AGGRESSIVE CAT BEHAVIOR AND WHAT THEY MEAN
By Tess Thompson

All species of animals, including humans, have an underlying aggressive trait, which surfaces in specific situations and events. Cats are fairly predictable creatures. Despite this, there are instances when cat owners are startled by a sudden and abrupt change in behavior. This can cause a seemingly content and friendly cat into a spitting and aggressive cat.

Cats normally do not do anything without reason and there is always an understandable reason behind the aggression. Like dog aggression , feline aggressive behaviors also need to be understood before any specific action can be taken.

The most common type of aggressive behavior observed in cats is playful aggression. Young cats that are less than two years of age love to play and indulge in activities that appear aggressive to humans. Young cats do not let go of any opportunity to practice skills that they need for survival. This involves exploration, investigation and predation.

A kitten is likely to pounce upon anything that moves to investigate and explore. It may even bite an innate object that appears as a prey. Socializing at a young age ensures that the playful activity is limited to scratching and restricted biting that does not break the skin.

Another type of feline aggression that normally surprises owners is typical to cats and is generally not seen in aggressive dog behavior. It is common for cats to bite suddenly while being petted. Petting that was being enjoyed and welcomed a moment ago, suddenly becomes unpleasant to the cat. The only logical explanation to this abrupt offense is that cats have a certain tolerance level. Once that level is reached they tend to treat the same petting hand as a probable large predator.

Cats normally give signals using body language to indicate that they have had enough petting for now. It is up to the owners to observe and understand it. The signs that the cats may give to indicate that they want the petting to stop are restlessness, ears turning back and forth and moving the head towards the petting hand. The last sign is likely to be tail lashing and if you reach that stage, you may actually be too late.

Defensive or fearful, territorial, redirected aggression and aggression that defies understanding are kinds of aggression that owners need to be most careful about. Fearful cats tend to behave like dogs and make submissive postures.

Crouching on the floor with ears turned back, tail between the legs and rolling on the ground should not be mistaken for signs of submission. The cat is in all probability fearful and defensive. Just as fear induces dog biting in dogs, there is a strong possibility of cat biting if touched in such a condition.

As stated earlier, cats are usually predictable and seldom resort to inexplicable aggression. If it is difficult to understand why your cat has suddenly turned aggressive, there is likely to be a medical reason behind it. While grooming your cat, always pay attention to signs of any wound or an infection developing on the skin.

Although external parasitic infections are less common in cats, mite or flea infestation can cause extreme discomfort that may lead to aggression. In addition to grooming a regular examination of cat feces will let you know if there are any intestinal parasites that are causing aggression.

References:
http://nomorehomelesspets.org/behavior/cat/aggression_people.htm
http://2ndchance.info/aggressivecat.htm
http://moggies.co.uk/html/aggcat_people.html
http://best-cat-art.com/cat-psychology.html