Intercat Aggression

Question 1

What type of groups do cats live in?

Answer 1

• Matrilineal Groups
  
  • Related females (mothers, daughters, etc)
  • Juvenile males (sons)

Question 2

Do cats have a social structure? If so what is is like?

Answer 2

• Maybe
  
  • Behaviorists disagree on its existence, but agree that it is not similar to the social structure of dogs.
• Within a Social Group:
  
  • Individual cats can form attachments to other individual cats
  • Will actively avoid others
  • Will typically chase away strangers to the group

Question 3

How can the risk for intercat aggression be reduced?

Answer 3

• Pick littermates
• Get 2 young kittens from separate litters
• Gender does not matter as long as they are altered

Question 4

Why do household cats fight?

Answer 4

• Access to resources
• Increase in individual distance
• Rarely about territory

Question 5

Why do cats fight in general?

Answer 5

• Change in social status
• Traumatic event
• Anxiety-producing event
• Redirected aggression
• Introduction of new cat
• Social changes in the home
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Territorial responses
• Inability to get away

Question 6

What information is needed to diagnose the root of intercat aggression?

Answer 6

• Complete medical exam +/- diagnostics
  
  • PE
    
    • generally unremarkable
    • victim may have scratch/bite wounds
  • Lab work
    
    • generally within normal limits
• General History
  
  • Daily routine
  • Allocation of resources
  • Pet-owner interactions
• Detailed description of aggressive events
  
  • Who was involved
  • Triggering event
  • Responses by owner
• What Aggressive behaviors the owner has seen
• Identity of aggressor and victim
  
  • victim often most vocal
  • Aggression often silent
• Treatments already tried
• What affects the treatments had on:
  
  • Anxiety
  • Fear
  • Defense behaviors
• Litter box use or lack of use b all cats

Question 7

What are some feline aggressive behaviors?

Answer 7

• Blocking access to territory
• Growling
• Hissing
• Chasing
• Staring
• Body postures
• Biting and attacks
• Facial expressions

Question 8

What are feline defensive behaviors?

Answer 8

• Hiding
• Inappetence
• Lack of grooming

Question 9

What are the types of feline aggression?

Answer 9

• Territorial
• Social status
• Redirected
• Fear
• Defensive
• Offensive
• Intermale
• Irritable

Question 10

What are the signs of feline aggression?

Answer 10

• Overt:
  
  • hissing
  • growling
  • Raised hackles
  • Biting
• Covert:
  
  • Supplanting
  • Resource guarding
  • Blocking
  • Staring
  • Tail flicking

Question 11

What are the feline signs of submission?

Answer 11

• Crouching
• Turning the ears down
• Avoidance
  
  • making a wide berth past the aggressor

Question 12

What is the body language of the aggressor?

Answer 12

• Threatening body postures
  
  • Hissing
  • Piloerection
  • Arched babk
  • Sie presentation
• Aggressive Cat:
  
  • Head down
  • Tail away from body
    
    • possibly twitching quickly back and forth
  • Openings of ears pointing to the sides
  • Ears turned back and up on the ends
    
    • offensively aggressive

Question 13

What is the body language of a Fearful cat?

Answer 13

• Crouching
• May hiss
• Ears flattened against the head
• Extremely fearful
  
  • May arch back
  • Piloerection
  • Hold tail straight up
  • Flatten ears
  • May become aggressive if cornered
• Defensive aggression
  
  • Ears turned to side and back

Question 14

What is the scale of body language

Answer 14

Question 15

What does a cats tail communicate?

Answer 15

Question 16

What are the signs of anxiety in cats?

Answer 16

• Excessive meowing
• Increased aggression
• Diarrhea
• Increased lethargy
• Inappropriate elimination
• Trembling
• Change in mood
• Following people around the house
• Hiding/withdrawal
• Ungroomed or sore/hair loss from overgrooming
• Vomiting
• Escape attempts
• Changes in appetite or weight

Question 17

How can chasing be differentiated between play and aggression?

Answer 17

• Play - taking turns chasing
• Aggression - one-sided chasing

Question 18

How can intercat aggression be managed?

Answer 18

• Separate the cats
• Pheromone diffusers
• Resource allocation
• Early warning devise (bell on aggressor)
• Behavior Modification
• Counterconditioning and Desensitization
• Medications and Ancillary Treatments

Question 19

How should cats be separated?

Answer 19

• Do not attempt to pick up an agitated cat
  
  • May be bitten due to redirected aggression
• Separate by:
  
  • Placing large pillows, cardboard, boards between them
  • Do NOT swing the object at them
• Move cats to different rooms by:
  
  • Using a broom to herd
  • Throwing thick, heavy blankets or coat over cat
  • Think gloves
• DO NOT put cats back together after a bout of aggression

Question 20

Where should cats be separated to?

Answer 20

• Place cats in separate, darkened rooms
  
  • Food
  • Water
  • Litter box
• Remove any potentially dangerous items first
  
  • Plants
  • Electric cords
  • Strings
• Remove items that may encourage inappropriate elimination
  
  • Plush bath mats
  • Clothing on floor
• Utilize pheromones
• Stay in the dark until CALM
  
  • hours to days
• Turn on lights only to feed, then off when you leave the room
  
  • Can interact with cat if it approaches calmly/relaxed
• Some cats can be re-introduced in a short period of time

Question 21

What could happen is cats are re-introduced to early?

Answer 21

• Fighting may resume
• Prolong the problem

Question 22

What is Feliway® Optimum

Answer 22

• Best Feliway to reduce the most common signs of stress
• Can reduce scratching, urine spraying, tension, and conflicts between cats, fears, and reactions to changes
• 93% of cat owners report enhanced calming with an average satisfaction rating of 9.1 out of 10

Question 23

How can behavior be modified to reduce intercat aggression?

Answer 23

• Toy tied to each end of a string un under a door
  
  • facilitate play
• Scent transfer
  
  • Wipe cheek and base of tail of each cat with same cloth/glove
  • switch litter box between cats
• At no time should hissing or growling be allowed at the barrier door
  
  • Create a neutral zone
    
    • Close another door
    • Use of baby gates in hallways

Question 24

How can counterconditioning and desensitization be used for reintroductions?

Answer 24

• End goal is for cats to be together without any signs of aggression, either overt or covert
• Must be done slowly
• Counter conditioning:
  
  • Use of food to help facilitate calm and non-anxious behavior
• Desensitization:
  
  • Done by keeping cats far enough apart that they are relaxed
• Leash and harness for control of safety

Question 25

How can eating and feeding be used for reintroductions?

Answer 25

• If they don’t eat/take treats - too anxious
  
  • move them further part
  • May need to put in separate rooms until the next meal
• If they won’t eat in the same room
  
  • feed and give treats on opposite sides of a closed door
  • Do this for several days
  • If no aggression after several days, try them in the same room again
• If they will eat and no aggression (under supervision)
  
  • Leave together until done and then separate
  • Do the same distance for the second meal
  • Can move closer 3rd meal (6 - 8”)
• If comfortable after eating meals
  
  • Can remain together to groom themselves and then separate
  • Must be done under supervision at all times
• This is a slow process that CANNOT be rushed

Question 26

How can crates be used for feeding and reintroductions?

Answer 26

• Goal is for cats to become accustomed and comfortable with the sight and smell of each other
• One cat in a crate and the other loose
  
  • Best to have the aggressor in the crate
  • Victim can move around aggressor at a distance that is comfortable for it.
• Over time, can switch which cat is in the crate
  
  • Stop all interactions if the aggressor starts to threaten the victim in any manner
• if having only one cat in the crate causes aggression or anxiety for either cat
  
  • Put both cats in a crate to feed/give treats
• Using double baby gates or a screen door is similar technique to try

Question 27

How can medications and ancillary treatments be used to reduce intercat aggression?

Answer 27

• Need to consider if the owner can actually administer oral medications to the cats(s)
  
  • Catching and giving medications can cause additional stress
  • Can potentially increase fear and aggression
• It is advisable to first start with:
  
  • Behavior modification
  • Pheromones
  • Nutraceuticals
• Drug therapy alone is not often effective if no done concurrently with behavior modification and environmental changes

Question 28

What are some of the ancillary options for intercat aggression?

Answer 28

• Pheromones
  
  • Feliway
  • Feliway Multicat
  • Feliway Optimum
• Nutraceuticals
  
  • Anxitane
  • Composure for cats
  • zylkene
  • Solliquin
• Foods
  
  • Hill’s c/d MultiCare stress
  • Royal Canin calm diet

Question 29

How can prescription medications be used for intercat aggression?

Answer 29

• Off-label use in cats
  
  • Discuss with owner
  • +/- Signed consent forms
• Make sure medicating the cat will not cause undue stress
  
  • Could increase fear and aggression
• Victim may need it the most
• In some cases, BOTH aggressor and victim may need medication
• Use medication for at lest 6-12 weeks
• If behaviors have changed
  
  • Slowly wean off by decreasing dose 25% every 2-4 weeks
  • Watch for return of aggressive behaviors
  • If aggression returns, go back to previous dose for several weeks before trying to reduce again

Question 30

What medications are options for the victim?

Answer 30

• Buspirone HCL 0.5-1.0 mg/kg PO q 8-12hr
  
  • may become more assertive and less anxious
• Clomipramine HCL

Question 31

What are the medication options for the aggressor?

Answer 31

• Fluoxetine (SSRI) 0.5-1 mg/kg PO SID
• Paroxetine HCL (SSRI) 0.25-1.0 mg/kg PO q 12-24 hr
• Clomipramine HCL (TCA) 0.25-1.0 mg/kg PO SID
• Amitriptyline HCL (TCA) 0.5-1.0 mg/kg PO SID
• Buspirone could escalate problems if sprayer is the aggressor

Question 32

What are some important considerations with intercat aggression?

Answer 32

• Many cases of intercat aggression can be managed with treatment
  
  • Early intervention is important
• Severe aggression and/or those involving injury have a poorer prognosis
• Many cases do resolve over time, but can take 6-20 months if severe
• May need to remind owners that the best hope they may have in some cases is that the cats will at least tolerate the presence of each other
• Unfortunately, in extreme cases rehoming a cat may be necessary

Question 33

What are the signs of an aggressive cat?

Answer 33

• Head down
• Tail away from body
  
  • Possibly twitching back and forth
• Openings of ears pointing to the side
• Ears turned back and up on the ends
  
  • offensively aggressive

Question 34

Wha are the body language signs of a fearful cat?

Answer 34

• Crouching
• May hiss
• Ears flattened against head

Question 35

What are the signs of an extremely fearful cat?

Answer 35

• May arch back
• Piloerection
• Hold tail straight up
• Flatten ears
• May become aggressive if cornered