Sudden Aggression in Cat – Signs of Aggressive Cats
If you have ever seen or even heard about the television show My Cat from Hell, you would have thought to yourself whether or not your cat could really have that type of hellish aggression and if it was a real thing in these animals. When you think about it, you can’t ignore the fact that cats are still very related to some of the meanest and most fierce big cats in the entire world.
Now factor in the fact that every cat comes with some massive claws that only Wolverine or Freddy Krueger are able to rival, and partner it with some of the sharpest eyes that are able to shoot daggers right through your heart, and the only conclusion you can really come to is that there may be a reason why cats have gotten the reputation as being one of the entire planet’s meanest animals. But at the very same time, does your cuddle bug really deserve a label as fierce as that? Or is the real cause of the matter the fact that your cat is able to have much more feline aggression than you could have ever thought to comprehend?
Feline Aggression: The Symptoms
There is no questioning the fact that cats are simply natural predators. And there is no predator in the history of Earth that is going to survive in the wild without some level or form of aggression. While cats have been domesticated for hundreds and hundreds of years now, they do still possess that same exact predatory gene within them that they had before domestication was ever a real thing. And while it can become extremely difficult to figure out how to manage your cat’s feline aggression, or in that case treat it, you are always going to feel much more confident if you are able to recognize the difference between the manifestations of their feline aggression.
Animal aggression, as defined by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is considered to be a violent or hostile exhibition of behavior by an animal in order to intimidate or potentially dominate another living organism such as a human or even another animal. According to the very same organization, seeing aggression in domesticated cats is actually a very common occurrence. Matter of fact, there are less than one-third of all the cats who eventually end up living in an animal shelter who have been brought there due to their aggression. The cat’s aggression may be directed towards other cats, towards other pets within the household, or even worse, directed towards their owners and families.
So how are you able to tell if your feline friend has an aggressive tendency?
You see, feline aggression is going to come in one of three different behaviors. These behaviors will include either defensive, offensive, ore what is known as overt.
Defensive Behaviors
If your cat is displaying what is known as defensive behavior (also commonly referred to as a defensive posture), it is going to be because they are trying to make themselves look much smaller. On top of that, it is also going to put your cat into a much more protective manner than if they were to stand regular. If they are in a defensive posture, you may notice that they will crouch down, their ears will flatten, they will hiss, possibly turn away from you, they will raise their hackles, will swat at you, or can even tuck their head. Besides all that, their whiskers may possibly retract as well.
If your cat is on the fearful side, their whiskers are going to be panned out in order to make an attempt at keeping a larger distance between themselves and the potential danger. Their pupils will become very dilated in order to help them assess as much environment as they possibly can. In other words, your cat is pretty much letting you know that you need to start backing off or else they will start to defend themselves from you.
Offensive Behaviors
When it comes to offensive behaviors, which are also referred to as offensive postures, your cat’s pupils are going to become constricted. This is due to the amount of heightened stimulation within their sympathetic nervous system, which will, in turn, trigger their fight or flight response. The unfortunate thing about this, however, is that if your cat is on the more aggressive side, this is almost always going to trigger the ‘fight’ response that will be activated as opposed to the ‘flight’ response.
This sudden surge of adrenaline or epinephrine is going to stimulate the pupils of your cat’s eyes to become constricted in order to better focus on a single target. This is what is known as a true characteristic of a very offensive cat.
Besides their pupils constricting, you may notice that your cat will also stiffen up their legs, especially their two in the back, as this is going to make them seem to be taller than they actually are. On top of having stiffened legs, you may also notice that it will be combined with the backend being raised up with their back slightly sloping towards the head, appearing as though they are ready to pounce at you at any moment’s notice. As if that weren’t enough, the cat’s hackles will also be raised up in order to give the appearance that they have a much more menacing look than if they were not raised.
Their ears can also seem to be flattened towards their back or even standing straight up, appearing to be listening for any sounds of fear that you may give off. Finally, you will notice that the cat is going to glue their eyes onto you and slowly move towards you while letting out a growl. Their tail will even be stiff as well and you can even hear them growl, howl, or sometimes yowl at you.
Overt Aggressive Behavior
No matter or not you have a cat that is either offensive or defensive, overt aggression is normally going to be characterized as striking their target with their paws, either clawing it or swatting at it. On top of that, you can rest assured that there is definitely going to be both fighting and biting. Scratching is also going to need to be something that you are looking out for if your cat has overt aggressive behavior. Finally, your cat may even growl and shriek if they are suffering from this condition.
In some kittens who are considered to be really aggressive, they may roll onto their sides or back in order to expose all of the weapons that they have in their arsenal, which in this case are going to include both their claws and teeth. In some cases, the cat will even attempt to grab ahold of their ‘enemy’ in order to draw it much closer to the waiting wide open mouth full of razor-sharp waiting teeth. Now partner that with the doubling pain that the dangerous claws will cause, and you have a very unfun situation.
Some of the More Common Reasons for Cat Aggression
While there are going to be many different reasons why your cat may become aggressive, the most common ones will lead to varying types of aggression from your cat. When you are able to understand what is causing the problem, you can help prevent and even manage their unusual behavior.
Medical Condition
Many cats who have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, metabolic or hormone problems, nervous system disorders, and even liver disorders have oftentimes become much more aggressive. While it is not known why this happens, the thought is that all of the changes in your cat’s brain are going to trigger some very serious aggressive tendencies.
They are in Fear
A lot of times when an animal is threatened and feels that they are unable to escape, it will get into something referred to as an unfamiliar stimulus. For example, if you were to bring a new person or pet into the household. Essentially what your cat is trying to tell you is that they do not want anything to do with this new stimulus. Just know that this is mainly based on previous experiences that were not necessarily very pleasing to them when they were a kitten.
They are Territorial
Just about every cat is going to be territorial. They essentially want to keep their particular ‘space’ as their own. When there is some type of activity that is perceived by them as an intrusion, it is very common to be treated with aggression.
Some of the other more common types of causes for your cat displaying excessive aggression can include:
- Having an inadequate amount of experience playing with other kittens or animals
- Social or status dominance
- Experiencing overstimulation
- Redirecting aggression
- Being in pain
- Protecting their litter box
- Plain and old-fashioned predatory instincts
No matter what the cause maybe, if you feel that your cat is displaying an excessive amount of aggression, be sure that you contact your veterinarian to figure out what the best plan of action is.
