Aggression comes in many forms, but I will focus on one today which will be territorial aggression. Aggression is a behavior that is very under played in the veterinary field, sometimes the owners even think its funny but in this I will explain what territorial aggression is and what to look for. Territorial aggress is both in dogs and cats, so I will spend a little time on both. With each section I will give you some signs, solutions and fun facts about territorial aggression.
Cats and dogs both have their limits on what they will handle especially when they are out of their comfort zone or when someone new comes around. It is very important to understand your animal and what their limits are. Aggression is a threatening or harmful behavior towards another animal or people. Socializing an animal is an ideal way to help prevent aggression of any sorts. Veterinarians suggest socializing dogs and cat between three and twelve weeks old. Another key part with helping prevent aggression is to spay and neuter them.
There are many signs when it comes to territorial aggression some are common, some you may not even realize that’s what they cat is doing. Some of the common signs are: urine marking areas in your house, stalking your other animals to make sure they don’t go into his/her area, hissing and of course attacking the other animals. One that may not be too common and not even thought of as aggression is when a cat is trying to prevent you from entering or leaving an area. It is very important to know what to look for when a cat starts getting aggressive because that is when you want to stop pushing the cat because you don’t want to get hurt. Some body language to look for is positioning of ears, tail, head and you’ll also want to listen to the cat most cats with hiss or growl when they are getting fed up warning you to talk a step back
The first thing you need to do once you notice your cat being territorial you should get your cat checked out and make sure they have a clean bill of health and that includes doing some bloodwork no matter what the age. Health problems like hyperthyroid, arthritis, dental problems, or trauma can be some of the many reason your cat is acting out. If they are all clean and healthy you will want to take a step back and evaluate what happened that and so you can figure out what trigger the cat to behave that way whether is another animal or stress. A big concern with cat especially with cats is that you do not want them to fight because that can make everything worse. If another animal is the reason that cat started to act out, you will need to reintroduce them slowly. If it is stress you may need to confine the cat into a quite room when you are having guest or kids over, but make sure the cat has everything they need in the room they are confined in even if it’s a short period. And if none of that works you will want to find a behavior specialist to see what they can do for you and your animal.
Aggression in cats is so underplayed because they are so “little” and so “cute”, but little do most realize is that aggression is the second most common behavior problem in cats. Cats have more body parts that they can use as weapons to hurt us when they get to their pushing point. Cats have their mouth and all four paws that all have claws unless they are declawed of course but that still usually leaves them with two paws contenting claws. Cats are tricky animals to understand because when it comes to territorial aggression it can be very hit and miss, but it is normally towards other cats, so if your thinking about getting another cat you will want to take time to introduce them which might take days or even weeks.
Now I know most people want to yell, spank, and punish an animal for being “bad”. But in this case or any type of aggression it is VERY important to not punish them. Punishing an animal for being territorial can lead to worse aggression problem and that is not the way we want the animal to go. So instead of punishing the animal we need to step in and stop them but NEVER stick your bare hands and arms into animals in a fight that is how you will get hurt. You just simply what to get their attention. A couple of ways to get their attention is to squirt them with water or make a loud noise, once they stop fighting they will need to be separated.
References
- Hetts, S. (n.d.). Aggression in Cats. Retrieved from ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/aggression-cats
- Team, T. P. (2014, December 21). How to Handle a Territorial Cat. Retrieved from Petcentric by Purina: https://www.petcentric.com/articles/training-and-behavior/how-to-handle-territorial-cat-aggression/
- What to Do If Your Cat is Aggressive with People. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Humane Society of the United States: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/aggression_toward_people.html?credit=web_id101901025#Territorial_aggression
