The Cat's Whispers: Aggressive cats?

Heythrop Resort
Image source: author

Just before COVID-19 took over our lives I attended the International Society of Feline Medicine UK Congress held in Oxfordshire for vets and veterinary nurses. At the beautiful Heythrop Resort we spent two days enjoying sixteen lectures on a wide variety of feline topics. There were four great behaviour lectures about aggressive behaviour, training your cat to use an inhaler and also first aid advice we as nurses can provide to clients.

One lecture was entitled "I'm not bad, I just do bad things: reframing our thoughts on aggressive cats", given by Vicky Halls, and in this post I will outline some of the main points I took home from this lecture.

Image source: author

The first major point we learned that I want to highlight is that if a cat displays "aggressive" behaviour, it is a normal response (for the cat) to an event, NOT a temperament trait. These responses are a normal part of predation, play and social conflict and essential for survival.

However, human-direct aggression can be dangerous if it results in infected bite wounds, it can make handling cats challenging and can cause fear and distress to the owner, causing the owner-cat relationship to break down. Not to mention potential effects on the cat: rehoming, punishment, distress and poor welfare.

These behavioural responses to events stem from the brain, when it opts for the most appropriate behaviour to try and improve the situation. There are thought to be seven motivational-emotional systems in the brain, according to Jaak Panksepp (2010). These systems are involved in the generation of responses to different events or stimuli, both positive and negative.

Panksepp 2010. Pain is actually considered part of the fear system but is
an important factor when considering feline behaviour
Image source: author

In Sarah Ellis' lecture on feline communication she also explained further why cats happen to have these motivational-emotional systems. Cats do not have the same cognitive ability as humans to discuss their emotions, reflect on them, understand how they shape behaviour or how they relate to experiences in the past. In cats, they exist in the ancestral part of the brain responsible for "instinctual emotional arousal" - causing those innate behaviours that makes a cat a cat.

Vicky Halls advises a helpful way to categorise aggressive behaviour for veterinary nurses and I feel these four categories should hopefully make sense to owners too.

Click to enlarge
Image source: author
Content source: Vicky Halls, ISFM UK Congress 2020

The defensive response is one veterinary staff can see in practice. If the cat experiences an approaching threat that is inescapable but far away, the cat will usually hide or freeze, making itself appear smaller. If the threat comes closer and seems avoidable the cat will attempt to run away. Once the threat is unavoidable the cat may resort to the fight response.

Cats will only use the fight response if they feel it is necessary as this risks sustaining injury, which is not wise when the cat is responsible for feeding and taking care of itself. They will often give signals before resorting to swiping / scratching / biting, through body language cues. Most veterinary practices now take measures to combat stress in cats visiting for appointments and those staying in for treatment, in order to reduce their anxiety about approaching threats, namely the staff!

Dr Sarah Ellis discussing feline communication at the ISFM UK Congress
Source: author

This defensive response is FEAR-BASED and may be affected by the cat's previous experiences. Was the cat poorly socialised as a kitten and so has fewer positive associations with people? Do they remember negative handling experiences? Are they a naturally anxious cat? Does the location or situation cause added stress?

Cats that appear offensive have learned from previous experiences that the defensive "fight" method is the only response that will cause the threat to go away and will learn to use this approach again must quicker in future.

So considering all this, it is important to move away from using the term "aggressive" for the cat, but rather use it to describe the behaviour if needed. Another commonly used term is "inappropriate" behaviour, but this also is misleading as the behaviour is appropriate to the cat! If we consider the circumstances of the behaviour and what led up to its occurrence we can often decipher the emotion the cat is feeling and what may have prompted them to respond in this way.

Colwyn Cats Protection foster cat Sammy, coming out of his hide to enjoy a chin
and cheek rub, rolling and kneading his paws, Sammy was given time to
make the first move and the hide is always there to retreat to if needed
Image source: author

Below I'll run through the advice given by Vicky Halls on preventing the most common behavioural responses and hope the points above have put "aggressive" behaviour into perspective.

If any of you are experiencing aggressive behaviour with your cats, I would advise, as with any change in behaviour, to seek veterinary advice to initially rule out any health conditions that may be contributing. If your cat is fit and healthy then hopefully your vets and veterinary nurses can offer advice depending on your individual circumstances. If their first aid advice doesn't help then they can guide you to an accredited feline behaviourist for specialist advice.

Prevention of defensive behaviour

Behave respectfully when interacting with your cat - this video from Sarah Ellis at International Cat Care runs through some key things to avoid when handling and you can see other great videos on their YouTube channel

Allow the cat to initiate contact - the cat being in control is important to reduce anxiety
Keep physical contact low intensity and of short duration - this is giving gentle fuss that the cat enjoys for a short period of time before they become too aroused or fed up!

Image from Vicky Halls' lecture ISFM UK Congress 2020

Breeders of kittens should actively ensure they are well bred from parents with good temperaments, well socialised, are fed well, are raised in a low stress environment and to avoid early weaning as this can increase the risk of aggressive behaviour (Ahola & Lohi, 2017).

Prevention of aggressive behaviour due to play/predatory/attention-seeking response

Avoid inappropriate play with kittens - no teasing with hands or feet, using toys only. If kittens attempt to go for hands and feet, do not reward or reinforce the behaviour, distract with toys to redirect them onto a suitable target

Prevention of frustration related aggression

Meeting all your cat's environmental needs is so important to prevent frustration. The AAFP & ISFM Feline Environmental Needs Guidelines describe everything cats need in their environment, based around the five pillars of a healthy environment (link below).

AAFP & ISFM Environmental Needs Guidelines

Ensure the cat has unrestricted access to all its resources: food, water, toilet areas, scratching posts, sleeping areas etc.
Provide enrichment such as play time and feeding enrichment - see my previous post Feeding our cats: "think outside the bowl" for ideas!
Avoid play that may cause frustration such as using laser pens - always end a short laser session by throwing a toy or treat so the cat can achieve a kill!
Ideally allow the cat unrestricted access outdoors
Provide three dimensions of activity with places to get up high