People who own multiple cats are familiar with scenarios where cats that have being buddies for years suddenly view each other as enemies and show aggressive behaviors to each other as if they have never met in the past. This aggressive behavior sometimes can be triggered by accidents which make one of the cats stand in an aggressive position while the other assumes the defensive mode thinking the other is about to attack. Other causes of these aggressive behaviors could be due to a cat being in pain, grouchy or confusion.
How to stop cat fights?
If you frequently witness a fight between your cats, there is a need to put an end. Stopping intra-cat aggression is a process of behavioral reconditioning that would need a lot of time to complete; so you need to be patient and also realize that the cats might never get along with each other again.
Here are some tips to stop cat’s aggression towards each other:
Separate the two:
When trying to end cat aggression, the first thing to do is to separate the cats from each other. To separate them effectively, put the two cats in separate rooms so that they have zero contacts with each other. Also, ensure you do not do this when they are fighting if you do not want to be up in the fight. You can either wait till the fight is over or throw a piece of clothing over one of them.
Discover the cause of the fighting:
Cats fight may be caused by various reasons ranging from the favorite resting spot, territory to even the amount of attention they get from you. In other to get the cats back together, you need to seek out those things that trigger aggression and make a necessary plan to eliminate them. For instance, if food bowl is the cause of the fight, provide many bowls so each can have its own, thereby minimizing confrontation.
Reintroduce your cats:
When reintroducing the cats, it is advisable you start gently. First, exchange the rooms so that they can get comfortable with each other’s scent. After doing these, you can now allow the cats to take a peek at each other; you can do this by wedging the door. Proceed to feed your cats with its favorite food close to the door then open the doors some seconds after eating and watch out for any signs of aggression. If the cats show any sign of aggression quickly close the door and try again after some days. If there are no signs of aggression after feeding for about two weeks, you can then allow them access to each other.
Finally, remember that cats may communicate through aggression therefore not all aggressions are bad but if there is continuous fighting, apply the steps above. If these steps do not solve the problem, seek the help of a veterinarian or behaviorist. Ultimately you may have to find a new home for one if the problem fails to be resolved.
