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As you can see there are lots of
things to be on the lookout for, it is not an easy
thing to spot. If your cat is making hissing
noises and sometimes spitting it is best not to
agitate him as his meows could soon turn into
growling and snarling. To understand
feline aggression fully, I think you need to be
educated in 'Cat Behaviorism', something that I am
not. According to Behaviorists there are five main
types of feline aggression.
Fear
Induced Aggression
When a cat is frightened, its response
is two fold - 'fight or flight'. Most cats prefer
the 'flight' option and choose to run away from
real or imaginary danger, but if they feel
cornered or trapped they may attack. Even the most
timid cats will strike if there appears to be no
way of escape. This type of aggression is probably
the easiest for us to identify, however, timid
cats may be afraid of all sorts of imaginary
threats, like sudden movement or loud noises.
It
is also feasible that your cat may have a
traumatic past that makes it afraid of certain
things, things that you may not be aware of This
aggression is also the most common reaction to
physical punishment. Cats do not learn from any
kinds of punishment, physical or psychological,
like the ones we use with dogs or children.
Instead of changing their misbehavior because of
its punishment, they are more likely to react
violently because they are afraid of you.
Redirected
Aggression
Sometimes cats cannot retaliate against
the source of aggravation and they may redirect
their response to the nearest person, cat, or
other animal, which may be your dog. Your cat
could be sitting in the window watching the world
go by when it suddenly notices a dog, a cat, or
something it's not seen before. It starts to get
agitated but being indoors it cannot do much to
deter the possible threat. You pass by and you
casually stroke your cats head, the cat is more
than likely to hiss and lash out at you with all
that pent up aggression which to you may seem like
an unprovoked attack.
Pain
Induced Aggression
This is probably the easiest type for
us to identify with, your cat is in a lot of pain,
and so lashing out while she is in this confused
state seems natural to her. For this we usually sympathize
with our cat when she lashes out at the vet, for
example during a painful procedure. Remember the
cat doesn't understand that this is for her own
good and her natural reaction is to defend herself
from pain.
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