Aggressions in cats are normal. The first rule to remember when it comes to cat or feline aggression is, never hit your cat. Smacking your cat won’t help you to change your cat.

Fear and pain can cause a cat to lash out. The best way to deal with a scared cat is to let him be, while a sick cat needs a veterinarian. But most times what we see as “meanness” in a cat is just part of being a cat. You can change this behavior, but only if you understand what’s behind it and react properly.
Sign of aggressions:

There are plenty of warning signs before aggression occur.  From time to time, it may seem that an attack came out of the blue. Cat’s owner need to know all these signs and learning how to recognize them. With all this, you can prevent some painful bites and scratches. Some of the physical sign of aggressive or potentially aggressive are:

• Hissing voices, sometimes even spitting.
• Tail lashing or straight tail with bristled fur.
• Flattened ears.
• Agitated voice that turn into growling and snarling.
• Wide open eyes.
• Dilated pupils, or very contracted pupils (as the cat tries to threaten back).

Behaviorists often classify aggression toward people according to the source of the aggression. This allows for a better understanding of the underlying causes to the cat’s behavior, which, in turn, can hopefully lead to a better resolution. Following are five types of aggression that cats may exhibit.

When cats are frightened, their “fight-or-flight” response mechanism is activated. Most cats prefer to run away from danger (real or imaginary), but if they feel cornered or unable to run away for any reason, they may attack. Even shy or timid cats will strike out if left with no way to escape.

Fear-induced aggression is easy for us to identify if we can recognize the cause of the fear. Sometimes, the cause is not obvious. Timid cats may be afraid of all sorts of imagined threats, even sudden sounds or movements. Your cat may also have experienced something traumatic in the past that makes it afraid of something particular that you are not aware of.

Fear-induced aggression is also a cat’s natural reaction to punishment, especially physical punishment. Cats do not learn from any of the kinds of punishment or rebuke that one might use with dogs or children - instead of changing the misbehavior, the cat is more likely to become afraid of you and react violently.

Below are things that can make your cats go crazy and how to solve the problems.

1. Over stimulation. You’re petting your cat, and suddenly he grabs you with his claws and teeth. Not a full-powered attack, but you still have those sharp tips around your hand. What to do? In the short run, freeze. Don’t struggles or fight back, or you may trigger a real bite. Sometimes smacking your other hand hard against a hard surface - a tabletop, for example - may startle your cat into breaking off the attack. If you stay still, however, he will usually calm down and release you.That’s the solution if you’ve gotten to the attack stage. The better option is to be familiar with your cat and his body language and stop petting him before he becomes over stimulated. Cat lovers often think such attacks come without warning, but they’ve missed the warning signs of a cat that has simply had enough. The tail is the key. If your cat starts twitching his tail in a jerky fashion, it’s time to stop petting.
2. Play aggression. Sure, it hurts all the same, but the cat who pounces on your feet and then careens off the wall isn’t trying to hurt you - he’s playing. Instead of punishing your cat, redirect his energy. Increase your play sessions with your cat with an appropriate toy, such as a cat fishing pole or toy on a string, to help your cat burn off his excess energy before you try for a quiet petting session.No matter what, never let your cat view you as a plaything, not even when he’s an adorable kitten. Wrestling bare-handed with your cat or kitten is a no-no, because you’re setting up a bad precedent. A stuffed sock is a great substitute for a human hand when it comes to playthings - let your cat bite, claw and bunny-kick to his heart’s content.What if he persists in seeing you as a plaything? As with an over stimulated cat, stop the behavior by freezing. Don’t give him a reason to continue the attack. You can also inform him that attacks on you are not permitted by letting him have it with a shot of water from a spray bottle.
3. Redirected aggression. Your cat sees another cat, an intruder, outside your living room window. He becomes enraged. You walk by, and he nails you. What gives? You were just the victim of redirected aggression. This one’s tough to fix.Try to discourage strange cats in your yard. Thump on the window, turn on the sprinklers, or put an air horn out the door and give them a blast. If you can’t keep the intruders out, block your cat’s access to the window through which he sees the other cats.

And again, be aware of your cat’s body language. A cat who’s looking for trouble is one who’s best avoided. With all feline aggression, the trick is to eliminate the triggers and work on your cat’s tolerance levels. If you’re patient and consistent, your cat will improve over time.

Image courtesy of DKImage

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