How many times have you been woken up by the growls of two cats fighting? To me, more than one. But, how many times have those furry ones been yours? Maybe once in a while. And it is that these felines are very territorial, sometimes it could be said that even too much, which, added to the fact that they do not like changes and that they are easily stressed, it is not surprising that they end up pulling nails and teeth to fight against it. who thinks he is the enemy.
But do not despair. Ending these disputes, while it takes time, can be solved or, at least, improved. Let's know how to prevent my cat from fighting with other cats.
Why do cats fight?
Cats fight mainly for three reasons:
- Through the territoryWhen a new furry joins the family, cats that were already in the house often reject them at first. They snort, growl, and even the new one can be bullied. To avoid this, it is convenient to present them correctly, that is, keeping the new one in a room for 3-4 days with food, water, a sandbox and a bed that we will have covered with a cloth or blanket. We will also cover the beds of the other cats, and from the second day we will exchange them. On the fifth day we will take the new cat out of the room to interact with the others.
- For the females: when male and female cats coexist without castrating in the same house, during the mating season there are many fights as the males will try to get the females. To address this root problem, we recommend neutering all cats, regardless of whether they are female or male.
- To defend: if a cat feels threatened or cornered, unable to escape, it will be very aggressive. When that happens, you have to leave it alone. You should not treat it like a person, that is, you should not caress it or try to catch it, because if we do it we will probably get more than one scratch and / or bite. To prevent this from happening again, we must take into account what has caused this situation.
How to stop a cat fight?
First of all, you have to know how to differentiate a fight from an alert. When two cats are going to fight, they will stare at each other, show teeth, growl, have bristly back and tail hair, and back ears. The stronger cat will slowly approach the other, while the weaker one will stay still, perhaps crouching.
How to stop them? From experience I can tell you that it is not as simple as it seems, but there are a couple of things we can do:
- Draw your attention: with a loud noise. Whether it is a scream, dropping an object to the ground, lifting a heavy piece of furniture (the sofa, for example) and letting it go ... Any kind of loud sound will do.
- Go to them running: if the noise does not work, you can run towards them. This will cause them to disperse.
Things NOT to do
- Using physical punishment: This will only make the situation worse, plus it is forbidden to mistreat cats by law.
- Spray them with water: not a good idea either. This action can turn against us, since cats would lose our confidence.
- Try to separate them by holding them in your arms: we should not even think of this. If we try to pick them up, we will end up with scratches and bites. We have to think that a tense cat, even if it is normally our dear and affectionate furry cat, can have aggressive behaviors when feeling threatened.
How to avoid fighting?
Cat fighting can be avoided, not only with the advice we've already offered, but also ensuring that animals live in a safe and quiet environment. Relaxing music, spending pleasant moments with them, playing with them, occasionally giving them prizes for cats,… are actions that will prevent them from fighting.
In addition, it is also important to observe what caused the dispute. For example, if the problem is that they compete for a toy or the sandbox, buy another. This will end the problem.
We hope that, little by little, your cats will at least be tolerated cons.