Top 5 Ways To Deal With Aggressive Cats
There are many people out there that believe cats are irritable and aggressive. Cat owners know that cats have a very loving, affectionate, and loyal side, even though the other side is independent, and at times a little 'wild'. Their wild side often includes the cat being a little aggressive, making their loving owners the prey in their hunting games. So how are you supposed to deal with this type of aggressive behavior? Well, here are 5 quick tips on dealing with your overly excited pet friend.
1. Know Your Cat
Knowing your cat is the first step in understanding their behaviors. Cats have an instinct in them that makes them natural hunters. No matter how much they act like innocent loving house cats, they all still have this instinct inside of them. Your cat will take any opportunity to hunt. That's why laser pens, and strings tied to feathers make such good cat toys. You as the cat owner need to understand that when your cat is in hunt mode, they're going to be more aggressive, and temperamental.
Now, that you know about the instinct to hunt, you will need to start noticing when they are in hunt mode and avoid them. Cats have schedules so notice what time of day they tend to be in this state most often. This will help you from being the prey in their hunting games. Then, you can just wait until your cat has settled down and turned back into the loving, affectionate, house cat you love to play with. However, if your cat seems to be getting more aggressive or is aggressive all the time then could be steming from something more serious and needs to be attended to promply. Your cat may be suffering from serious stress from recent changes in their lives or even illness. Have them checked by a vet as soon as you can to rule out any health issues.
2. Patience
If there has been a change in circumstance and your cat is feeling threatened then it is important to be patient. You should never force your cat into a situation no matter how much you think it might help. That will only make the problem worse. Instead you need to be extremely patient and allow your cat to take things at their own speed. If you do not force your cat into anything then they should not turn on you.
3. No Biting Ever
When your cat is a kitten it can be fun and even cute to let them nibble on your hand. However, when your kitten becomes a cat this behavior won't be cute or fun anymore. If you would like to avoid your cat aggressively biting you then don't let them bite you ever. Even the slightest nip is still biting in your cats mind. If they bite you, even when you are playing, then yell 'OUCH'. If you do it loud enough it will shock your cat to where they are no longer biting you and they will think before doing it again. Remember, this can't be done just once and have your cat understand. It must be done everytime they bite. In a short time they will get the idea.
4. Persistence
Patience keeps you ready to train as long as you need to persistence will make the training work. Persistence is doing the training repeatedly until your cat knows what you expect of them. If you yell one day for a certain behavior and not the next, your cat will never learn which behaviors are OK and which are not. You will only confuse and stress out your cat. Leading to more aggressive behavior.
5. Socialize Your Pet
Ideally, socialization should begin as soon as you bring your cat home. It should be done at an early age and you should introduce them to as many people and different animals as possible. If for example, you introduce your cat to dogs at an early age, there is less chance of them developing a fear of them as they grow up.
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Published July 28th, 2008
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