Cat Aggression Due To Trauma and Fear

Cat aggression can sometimes be due to upset or fear and not real aggression at all.

Many cat owners have come to me asking why their loving cat has suddenly started to hiss and act aggressively towards them or another family pet that they previously got on with just fine.

The answer is not always at first apparent but in most cases it due to some sort of upset for the cat in question which has made them feel afraid and a normal reaction to fear for a cat is to attack.

Quick guide to this page:

Causes of this sudden fear in your cat

Aggression Trauma - What is it?

Treating the symptoms of this sudden aggression

Causes of Sudden Fear

Cat aggression can be triggered by all sorts of things, some small, some big and obvious. But they can all trigger a response of fear, the trick is to find out what the cause could be and if possible to try and stop it from happening again. Or at the very least be able to recognise the causes of your cat’s aggression next time.

Some possible causes are:

• Sudden loud bang or noise
  
  
• Having tail stepped on or trapped in door
  
  
• New and strange smells in the home
  
  
• Changes in the home i.e. furniture being moved around
  
  
• Vet visits by other animals (smells and changes in behaviour of other animal etc)
  
  
• New born babies and all the new smells, sounds and things coming into the home.
  
  
• Changes in your behvaior i.e. due to illness
  
  
• New pets moving into the area

This is just a short list of some of the possible causes; there could be many more which we may simply not notice.

Aggression Trauma

The strange thing about this aggression trauma is that it can trigger a very strange response from the cat. For instance they may suddenly attack your other cat just because they have been frightened by a loud noise? The cause of the fear was not the other cat but they seem to get blamed for it. This is a normal response and is one of the main reasons why cat owners become confused when this cat aggression occurs.

Cats don’t necessarily reason, all they know is that they feel afraid and often like some humans will lash out at the nearest thing. Once this has happened the association of fear and object of attack are fixed and this aggressive behaviour can continue long after the initial fear has gone.

Building Bridges To Recovery

So what can we do to help our cats get over this fear and to help return the normal happy relationships within the home between other pets and in some cases people. Cat discipline is not the answer instead we need to help rebuild our cats confidence once again.

Over the years I have seen this cat aggression happen many times and in all cases the only thing which seems to work is a period of re-introduction with other animals in the home and bonding techniques with humans. This is not a quick fix and does take some time and effort but in the long run really is worth it for a happy home.

The re-introduction process is the same technique for introducing new pets to each other and should be carried out over a period of a week depending on your cat’s response.

You need to:

• Keep the cat which is behaving aggressively in a separate room by themselves for a day. This gives them time to relax and calm down without having to worry about other pets etc. This room should contain their toys, bed, litter tray and water. Visit them regularly for a little play etc and to feed them.
  
  
• Rub the non aggressive cats scent onto a fresh clean towel and then rub the towel around the confined cat’s room on day two. This will introduce the other cats smell again and help the cat to become used to this smell.
  
  
• On day three put your aggressive cat into a cat carrier and allow the other cat/pet to come into the room for a few minutes. There may be hissing etc but stay calm and quiet. Repeat this process until the hissing stops.
  
  
• This introduction process can be done several times a day and over as many days as needed for your pets to become used to each other again.
  
  
• When you feel that the cats are no longer reacting to each other in an aggressive way you can allow your cats to meet each other under your supervision without the cat carrier. Rub both of them and perhaps play a game with them or offer them treats to help distract them from any possible remaining fear they may have with each other.

This process may seem a little long winded but when cat aggression caused by fear takes hold if it is not dealt with correctly like this can lead to having very unhappy cats which never fully relax with each other again.