Are You Hungry to Learn About Cat Behavior and Aggression?

                                                                                               
                                                                             

                                If you love cats as much as I do, you may occasionally wonder why they  behave the way they do.   I, for one, am intrigued by their many personalities and behaviors that I witness at home and work. Because veterinarians are often asked to address cat behavior issues, I thought I would expound on a few of the more common ones.

                                Most know I have a reputation as the "Diet Doctor."  When I inform cat owners that "Tommy" is tubby, the frequent reply is that their cat is a tyrant when it comes to food.  Fat cats seeking food will literally control their "staff" with obnoxious vocalizations. Some cats tenderly paw their owner's faces or walk across their heads while they sleep, acting as alarm clocks to order up their breakfast.  Other cats will go so far as to wrap their front legs around their humans'  legs whenever they approach the cat's feeding station.

                                To address these annoying behaviors and perceived constant hunger, give your cat consistency in its feeding routine and stick to it! Remember that cats are "grazers." In the wild, they must hunt for food to survive. That survival is based on small, frequent meals of prey. To mimic this, feed your cat more than twice daily, and always at the same times of day.

                                Pre-measure an appropriate 24 hour allotment of food for your cat and divide it into three to five meals.  By giving your cat predictable meal times, it will feel more secure, and even meet you at the feeding station when its biologic tummy clock tells him it is appropriate. Be sure to plan a bedtime feeding for cats that bang on bedroom doors at night or act like morning alarm clocks.

                                Besides food-seeking felines, cat owners  express concern about cat aggression  that can take on three forms.  The first, "misguided aggression,"  occurs when some event stresses a cat. That cat then immediately turns on whatever or whoever is closest, instead of the actual target or source of the stress.  For example, if your cat sees a stray cat outside your window while a fellow housecat is sitting next to him, that housemate may find itself the victim of a sudden attack.  This misguided aggression may then be repeated between those two cats from that point forward.

                                Next is "inter-cat aggression."  This form of aggression is more typical when a new cat is introduced into the household and, either the new cat tries to take over by picking on submissive cats in the home, or pre-existing cats may choose to attack the "newbie." Both misguided and inter-cat aggression can be difficult to impossible to eliminate so you should seek your veterinarian's advice on management of these potentially dangerous situations.

                                Methods to manage these aggressive behaviors may include drug therapy for the aggressor, including fluoxetine (generic Prozac), clomipramine and amitriptyline.  Your veterinarian may suggest that you have the cats do pleasant things together such as dine in the same room at a distance, then gradually decrease the space between the two cats at meal times.  Artificial pheromones (aerosolized cat chemicals) distributed via diffusers, wipes and sprays may be used as well in the environment and on the cats  to create a calming response similar to lavender for humans.

                                Please note these two forms of aggression may not ever be entirely eliminated. Sometimes one cat will need to be re-homed or the cats may need to live separately at all times within the home to keep the peace.

                                The third form of feline aggression occurs when family cats stalk and "sneak attack" their humans.  This behavior stems from a strong , instinctual prey drive... and boredom. Cat owners describe these cats as lying in waiting in concealed places, then pouncing on family members' legs as they pass by.  Some of these cats latch on with teeth as well as toenails, resulting in great bodily harm to their loved ones.

                                Cats carrying out this form of aggression need jobs, indoors or outside.  I recommend hiding their food and toys to make them hunt for a living when indoors. Because this situation is potentially very dangerous to people, spending at least some time outdoors to exercise and release  aggression, would help these cats tremendously.

                              These are only a few cat behaviors that veterinarians are asked to address. Many more exist, including over-grooming and inappropriate eliminations (a problem that warrants an entire column of its own!).  Don't let your cat's behavior ruin quality of life for you or fellow housecats. Seek your veterinarian's advice! The sooner these behaviors are diagnosed and treated, the more likely they are to be resolved.

 

By Dr. Bonnie Jones