Human Directed Feline Aggression

Originally published in TC Dog in 2005.
The social histories of dogs and cats are very different. Dogs evolved from wolves that worked cooperatively to bring down large prey. Cats are solitary hunters. (How many cats does it take to bring down a mouse?!) Free-roaming cats spend 6-8 hours per day hunting, and might make over 100 predatory attacks in that time! Surviving on a low success rate venture builds incredible persistence!

Dogs have a wide range of submissive signals. Since their ancestors lived and "worked" together, they needed a way to say "uncle!" but still stay in the group. The cat's self-sufficiency makes living together less important. In natural environments, cats do not go out looking for "friends," and use marking behaviors and territorial threats to avoid direct interactions with other cats. In these settings, fights are most common between unfamiliar cats. Cat fights usually end when somebody leaves. As a species, cats never had to develop the elaborate social communication skills required to get along in a group. As a result they have lots of "go away" signals but lack submissive signals to end a fight yet stay together.

This doesn't mean cats aren't social-they are. The strongest social bonds occur between related females, who groom each other more frequently and will nurse and baby-sit each other's kittens. Allorubbing (rubbing up against each other) and allogrooming (grooming each other) help to communicate and maintain bonds between cats. Rubbing up against people may serve the same purpose-social, affiliative communication. The need for social contact varies between individual cats, from the proverbial social butterfly to the wallflower that prefers to quietly observe from the sidelines.

It is important to keep this "essential catness" in mind when evaluating cats that are aggressive towards humans.

Fear is a common cause of human-directed aggression in cats. Fearful cats may run away or hide from a person or in a stressful situation...and hiss, scratch, or bite if sufficiently threatened. People often flinch or pull back if the cat bites or looks threatening. In that instant, the cat learns what a nifty tool it has to make the "scary" person go away, and the behavior is reinforced.

As in dogs, a kitten's early socialization experiences are vitally important. Lack of exposure to people during this time frame can profoundly impair the animal's confidence around people as an adult. The socialization period in kittens takes place between 2-7 weeks of age. This is much earlier than in dogs and well before the age kittens should join their permanent families. The early litter environment is very important. Inherent temperament can also be important, as some cats have been found to resist handling even when started very young. Misdirected predatory aggression/play aggression. Remember how deeply engrained that predatory behavior is? In many cat households, food, water, and toys are plentiful, but there is a noticeable absence of moving prey! While toys are meant to provide an outlet for predatory drive, most don't move on their own. Hiding under the bed and ambushing moving, live-flesh feet can be much more fulfilling! Owners who teach their small kittens to chase their fingers along the floor or their feet under the blankets at night often regret this learned focus on human body parts as the cat grows up.

Petting-Induced aggression. "But I was only petting him," seems to be a common complaint of people whose cats show this type of aggression. While people seem to love petting their cats, not all cats love being petted by humans, at least not in large amounts. A cat with this behavior may one minute appear to enjoy or even solicit a snuggle-fest with Mom, and, in the next instant, have jaws and claws attached to her arm. There are a number of proposed reasons for this reaction. Remember the cat answer to conflict? One theory says that cats bite in this context because they can't use more subtle signals to say "enough." Another theory says that neural pathways of touch and pain overlap, and that repeated stroking activates pain circuits. The cat's reaction is often less out-of-the-blue than people think. Owners may learn to recognize predictive signs such as tension in the cat's body, twitching whiskers or tail, and/or dilated pupils, which gives them a chance to quit petting the cat and head off this problem at the pass.

Redirected aggression. We all do this-get into an argument on the phone with Mom, hang up, and crab at the kids. Cats are absolutely famous for redirecting aggression towards the nearest living being when they can't reach their intended target. But cats react very quickly and in a way that is less about being in a bad mood and more about nervous system arousal. Anything that activates the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system of the cat can trigger a redirected attack. The trigger might be visual (the neighbor's collie), auditory (slamming door), or olfactory (another cat). Cats are also very prone to single-event aversive learning that can lead to some interesting situations. Sully was one memorable example. He would attack his owner every time she came through a doorway. This began after a single frightful event where a door fell on him while she was standing nearby. Because nervous system arousal seems to put cats into a "react, don't think" mode, redirected aggressions can be very difficult to treat. They can also be dangerous.

These are some of the common reasons for human-directed aggression in cats. No matter the reason, aggression directed by cats towards humans can be dangerous. Cat bite infections can cause life-threatening and disabling illness. The prognosis for treatment depends on the bite severity, the type of aggression, its predictability, and the environment where the cat lives. Punishing any animal for unwanted behaviors can cause fear, avoidance, and even increased aggression. Direct punishment should be avoided. Aggressive cats have the best chance of staying in their homes if they are evaluated by a qualified professional who designs a specific treatment plan for each individual.