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Curbing Your Cat's Aggression
Most cats are not aggressive
towards people, but if you have one that is, it can
be a nightmare. Cat bites and scratches are not normally
as harmful as those from a dog, but it's still not very
nice being attacked by a cat as an adult, and even worse
if you're a child.
Although aggressive cats are nowhere
near as common as aggressive dogs, there are still more
than 20,000 cases of cat-scratch disease in the United
States annually. If you are bitten or scratched by a
cat, it's important to clean the wounds with an antiseptic
solution as soon as possible.
So, why exactly do cats turn aggressive
and attack people? Well, there are several reasons:
A cat in pain can tend to lash out.
If a normally good-natured cat suddenly strikes out
at you for no reason, take it to a vet and have it checked
out for illness or injury.
A fearful cat can be dangerous. A mature
cat that was never properly socialized when younger,
or a cat that has been mistreated at some time in its
life, can lash out through fear.
Some cats may start to direct the kind
of stalking behavior normally reserved for prey, at
an owners hands or feet. This can be particularly disturbing
if it gets directed at small children.
Sometimes an owner can be the victim
of re-directed aggression, i.e. the cat attacks the
owner when it cannot get at its intended target - another
cat it can see or smell.
Cats play status games rather more rarely
than dogs, but on occasions you will get an animal that
thinks it's Top Cat and indulges in behavior where it
challenges the owner to prove it wrong. Professional
help is needed from a cat behavior specialist to sort
this out before it escalates out of control.
Some do's and don'ts to help control
cat aggression:
Have the cat looked over by a vet for
signs of illness or injury.
Scale down the amount of physical contact
with the cat.
When it goes into 'attack mode,' startle
the cat with a loud noise etc. as a diversionary tactic.
Play with the cat 'at arms length' by
using e.g. a toy on a string held away from the body.
It may be necessary to confine the cat
to a cage, particularly if a young child is at risk.
Don't make prolonged eye contact, always
look away from the cat's eyes after a few seconds.
Don't use physical punishment. This
will only make the cat more aggressive.
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