Why Do Cats Fight?
Experiencing the stress caused by hearing cats fight is normal.
Hearing two cats fight can be a very upsetting sound. If you’re a cat owner, you’re probably worried about your felines getting into fights out of the blue. When did my cats start fighting? This is the day we find out if your cats are playing or fighting.
What’s the Reason Cats Start Fighting?
Fights between cats usually break out over territory. Cats, like dogs, are extremely territorial and will frequently roam around an area they claim as their own. There’s a chance they’ll share this space with you and the family, but when other cats enter the picture, things get very complicated very quickly.
Being territorial means protecting the territory you’ve established. Cats stake their claim to territory in a number of different ways, one of the most popular of which is by urinating on the ground in strategic locations.
Alternately, feral cats or other neighbourhood cats may feel that your cat has no right to use a certain area for territory marking or play. Your cat could accidentally move into territory already occupied by a feral cat or cats. In the event that feral cats were present, expect some ruckus if the two territorial cats approached each other.
What Is the Reason Behind Cat Fights?
As was previously mentioned, territorial disputes among felines are possible. If you have a cat, it will protect your house from other cats and even the neighbor’s. Nighttime exploration by your cat will inevitably take it through territory patrolled by other feral felines if you allow it the chance.
It’s possible that your cat will engage in conflicts with other animals in the wild as well. Have you have something to worry about? In all likelihood, you have nothing to fret over unless your kid has special needs and has not been vaccinated. It’s unusual for a cat battle to end in death. Catfights are more like displays of dominance than actual conflicts between two cats.
It won’t happen until one of them is in imminent danger of death. Cats leave fights as rapidly as they enter them, and when they realise they are outmatched, they flee as soon as possible.
But you may think, why do cats in the same family fight, too?
Cats’ innate marking and territorial tendencies are fascinating since they persist even when the cats are kept indoors and socialised. While they may accept one another simply because they are accustomed to one another’s company, a cat that believes his territory is being violated would likely react aggressively.
Your cats are rearranging their social order and asserting dominance when you watch them smacking, crying, and making other loud noises at each other (for that moment, at least).
Natural hostility is also a potential explanation. It’s common knowledge that male cats, or toms, are more likely to fight than female cats. Toms will also act in ways that are meant to establish their superiority over the females of the species. Male and female cats should not live together unless they have been sterilised (or neutered and spayed).
During mating season, unneutered male cats (toms) can become more aggressive than usual, and this aggression can manifest in a variety of ways, including damage to furniture and even physical attacks on humans. There are too many problems that can arise from allowing your cats to reproduce naturally, so unless you plan on producing numerous litters a year, you should get your females spayed.
Your cats may be curious about roughhousing, the third possible explanation. Rough play is a common way for animals of all kinds, including humans, to burn off excess energy. Sibling cats will occasionally engage in rough play, which is usually harmless but may make you uncomfortable due to the cats’ pouncing and hitting one another.
Furthermore, cats have a habit of starting fights with random cats for no apparent reason. The lack of familiarity is likely to blame for this. Your cat may decide that it is better to attack the unusual cat and start a battle with it than to let it pass by.
Do not intervene if your cats are currently fighting, either with one another or with other cats. Never get in the middle of a fight between females. There’s a chance you could get hurt. It’s possible that both cats will attack. When a cat attacks, it usually aims for the face, specifically the eyes. You don’t want to end up in that predicament, believe us.
When dealing with your indoor cats, the best way to handle a catfight is to divert their attention. Possibly you could go out and buy them some kind of plaything or rattle and give it to them. In any case, cats are readily diverted. It’s much more fun to play with a toy instead of pouncing a house cat.
Is it okay to strike or punish a cat for fighting? Never. There is a high chance of harm if an adult feral cat is hit, as it may chase after its attacker. You would be sending the incorrect message if you hit your cat. When interacting with our pets, we only want to do so in a pleasant way.
What should you do when a cat targets your cat whenever it is outdoors?
It’s possible, especially if there are stray cats about. Larger, older feral cats have a reputation for attacking smaller, more docile indoor cats. Instilling in the feral cat that bullying your cat is unacceptable will assist a great deal. If you can’t find the cat’s owner, you can probably report it to animal control. You should find out who owns the cat and have them take action if necessary.