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Applied Animal Behavior > Intercat Aggression > Flashcards

Intercat Aggression Flashcards

1
Q

What type of groups do cats live in?

A
  • Matrilineal Groups
    • Related females (mothers, daughters, etc)
    • Juvenile males (sons)
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2
Q

Do cats have a social structure? If so what is is like?

A
  • Maybe
    • Behaviorists disagree on its existence, but agree that it is not similar to the social structure of dogs.
  • Within a Social Group:
    • Individual cats can form attachments to other individual cats
    • Will actively avoid others
    • Will typically chase away strangers to the group
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3
Q

How can the risk for intercat aggression be reduced?

A
  • Pick littermates
  • Get 2 young kittens from separate litters
  • Gender does not matter as long as they are altered
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4
Q

Why do household cats fight?

A
  • Access to resources
  • Increase in individual distance
  • Rarely about territory
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5
Q

Why do cats fight in general?

A
  • Change in social status
  • Traumatic event
  • Anxiety-producing event
  • Redirected aggression
  • Introduction of new cat
  • Social changes in the home
  • Fear
  • Anxiety
  • Territorial responses
  • Inability to get away
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6
Q

What information is needed to diagnose the root of intercat aggression?

A
  • Complete medical exam +/- diagnostics
    • PE
      • generally unremarkable
      • victim may have scratch/bite wounds
    • Lab work
      • generally within normal limits
  • General History
    • Daily routine
    • Allocation of resources
    • Pet-owner interactions
  • Detailed description of aggressive events
    • Who was involved
    • Triggering event
    • Responses by owner
  • What Aggressive behaviors the owner has seen
  • Identity of aggressor and victim
    • victim often most vocal
    • Aggression often silent
  • Treatments already tried
  • What affects the treatments had on:
    • Anxiety
    • Fear
    • Defense behaviors
  • Litter box use or lack of use b all cats
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7
Q

What are some feline aggressive behaviors?

A
  • Blocking access to territory
  • Growling
  • Hissing
  • Chasing
  • Staring
  • Body postures
  • Biting and attacks
  • Facial expressions
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8
Q

What are feline defensive behaviors?

A
  • Hiding
  • Inappetence
  • Lack of grooming
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9
Q

What are the types of feline aggression?

A
  • Territorial
  • Social status
  • Redirected
  • Fear
  • Defensive
  • Offensive
  • Intermale
  • Irritable
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10
Q

What are the signs of feline aggression?

A
  • Overt:
    • hissing
    • growling
    • Raised hackles
    • Biting
  • Covert:
    • Supplanting
    • Resource guarding
    • Blocking
    • Staring
    • Tail flicking
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11
Q

What are the feline signs of submission?

A
  • Crouching
  • Turning the ears down
  • Avoidance
    • making a wide berth past the aggressor
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12
Q

What is the body language of the aggressor?

A
  • Threatening body postures
    • Hissing
    • Piloerection
    • Arched babk
    • Sie presentation
  • Aggressive Cat:
    • Head down
    • Tail away from body
      • possibly twitching quickly back and forth
    • Openings of ears pointing to the sides
    • Ears turned back and up on the ends
      • offensively aggressive
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13
Q

What is the body language of a Fearful cat?

A
  • Crouching
  • May hiss
  • Ears flattened against the head
  • Extremely fearful
    • May arch back
    • Piloerection
    • Hold tail straight up
    • Flatten ears
    • May become aggressive if cornered
  • Defensive aggression
    • Ears turned to side and back
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14
Q

What is the scale of body language

A
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15
Q

What does a cats tail communicate?

A
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16
Q

What are the signs of anxiety in cats?

A
  • Excessive meowing
  • Increased aggression
  • Diarrhea
  • Increased lethargy
  • Inappropriate elimination
  • Trembling
  • Change in mood
  • Following people around the house
  • Hiding/withdrawal
  • Ungroomed or sore/hair loss from overgrooming
  • Vomiting
  • Escape attempts
  • Changes in appetite or weight
17
Q

How can chasing be differentiated between play and aggression?

A
  • Play - taking turns chasing
  • Aggression - one-sided chasing
18
Q

How can intercat aggression be managed?

A
  • Separate the cats
  • Pheromone diffusers
  • Resource allocation
  • Early warning devise (bell on aggressor)
  • Behavior Modification
  • Counterconditioning and Desensitization
  • Medications and Ancillary Treatments
19
Q

How should cats be separated?

A
  • Do not attempt to pick up an agitated cat
    • May be bitten due to redirected aggression
  • Separate by:
    • Placing large pillows, cardboard, boards between them
    • Do NOT swing the object at them
  • Move cats to different rooms by:
    • Using a broom to herd
    • Throwing thick, heavy blankets or coat over cat
    • Think gloves
  • DO NOT put cats back together after a bout of aggression
20
Q

Where should cats be separated to?

A
  • Place cats in separate, darkened rooms
    • Food
    • Water
    • Litter box
  • Remove any potentially dangerous items first
    • Plants
    • Electric cords
    • Strings
  • Remove items that may encourage inappropriate elimination
    • Plush bath mats
    • Clothing on floor
  • Utilize pheromones
  • Stay in the dark until CALM
    • hours to days
  • Turn on lights only to feed, then off when you leave the room
    • Can interact with cat if it approaches calmly/relaxed
  • Some cats can be re-introduced in a short period of time
21
Q

What could happen is cats are re-introduced to early?

A
  • Fighting may resume
  • Prolong the problem
22
Q

What is Feliway® Optimum

A
  • Best Feliway to reduce the most common signs of stress
  • Can reduce scratching, urine spraying, tension, and conflicts between cats, fears, and reactions to changes
  • 93% of cat owners report enhanced calming with an average satisfaction rating of 9.1 out of 10
23
Q

How can behavior be modified to reduce intercat aggression?

A
  • Toy tied to each end of a string un under a door
    • facilitate play
  • Scent transfer
    • Wipe cheek and base of tail of each cat with same cloth/glove
    • switch litter box between cats
  • At no time should hissing or growling be allowed at the barrier door
    • Create a neutral zone
      • Close another door
      • Use of baby gates in hallways
24
Q

How can counterconditioning and desensitization be used for reintroductions?

A
  • End goal is for cats to be together without any signs of aggression, either overt or covert
  • Must be done slowly
  • Counter conditioning:
    • Use of food to help facilitate calm and non-anxious behavior
  • Desensitization:
    • Done by keeping cats far enough apart that they are relaxed
  • Leash and harness for control of safety
25
Q

How can eating and feeding be used for reintroductions?

A
  • If they don’t eat/take treats - too anxious
    • move them further part
    • May need to put in separate rooms until the next meal
  • If they won’t eat in the same room
    • feed and give treats on opposite sides of a closed door
    • Do this for several days
    • If no aggression after several days, try them in the same room again
  • If they will eat and no aggression (under supervision)
    • Leave together until done and then separate
    • Do the same distance for the second meal
    • Can move closer 3rd meal (6 - 8”)
  • If comfortable after eating meals
    • Can remain together to groom themselves and then separate
    • Must be done under supervision at all times
  • This is a slow process that CANNOT be rushed
26
Q

How can crates be used for feeding and reintroductions?

A
  • Goal is for cats to become accustomed and comfortable with the sight and smell of each other
  • One cat in a crate and the other loose
    • Best to have the aggressor in the crate
    • Victim can move around aggressor at a distance that is comfortable for it.
  • Over time, can switch which cat is in the crate
    • Stop all interactions if the aggressor starts to threaten the victim in any manner
  • if having only one cat in the crate causes aggression or anxiety for either cat
    • Put both cats in a crate to feed/give treats
  • Using double baby gates or a screen door is similar technique to try
27
Q

How can medications and ancillary treatments be used to reduce intercat aggression?

A
  • Need to consider if the owner can actually administer oral medications to the cats(s)
    • Catching and giving medications can cause additional stress
    • Can potentially increase fear and aggression
  • It is advisable to first start with:
    • Behavior modification
    • Pheromones
    • Nutraceuticals
  • Drug therapy alone is not often effective if no done concurrently with behavior modification and environmental changes
28
Q

What are some of the ancillary options for intercat aggression?

A
  • Pheromones
    • Feliway
    • Feliway Multicat
    • Feliway Optimum
  • Nutraceuticals
    • Anxitane
    • Composure for cats
    • zylkene
    • Solliquin
  • Foods
    • Hill’s c/d MultiCare stress
    • Royal Canin calm diet
29
Q

How can prescription medications be used for intercat aggression?

A
  • Off-label use in cats
    • Discuss with owner
    • +/- Signed consent forms
  • Make sure medicating the cat will not cause undue stress
    • Could increase fear and aggression
  • Victim may need it the most
  • In some cases, BOTH aggressor and victim may need medication
  • Use medication for at lest 6-12 weeks
  • If behaviors have changed
    • Slowly wean off by decreasing dose 25% every 2-4 weeks
    • Watch for return of aggressive behaviors
    • If aggression returns, go back to previous dose for several weeks before trying to reduce again
30
Q

What medications are options for the victim?

A
  • Buspirone HCL 0.5-1.0 mg/kg PO q 8-12hr
    • may become more assertive and less anxious
  • Clomipramine HCL
31
Q

What are the medication options for the aggressor?

A
  • Fluoxetine (SSRI) 0.5-1 mg/kg PO SID
  • Paroxetine HCL (SSRI) 0.25-1.0 mg/kg PO q 12-24 hr
  • Clomipramine HCL (TCA) 0.25-1.0 mg/kg PO SID
  • Amitriptyline HCL (TCA) 0.5-1.0 mg/kg PO SID
  • Buspirone could escalate problems if sprayer is the aggressor
32
Q

What are some important considerations with intercat aggression?

A
  • Many cases of intercat aggression can be managed with treatment
    • Early intervention is important
  • Severe aggression and/or those involving injury have a poorer prognosis
  • Many cases do resolve over time, but can take 6-20 months if severe
  • May need to remind owners that the best hope they may have in some cases is that the cats will at least tolerate the presence of each other
  • Unfortunately, in extreme cases rehoming a cat may be necessary
33
Q

What are the signs of an aggressive cat?

A
  • Head down
  • Tail away from body
    • Possibly twitching back and forth
  • Openings of ears pointing to the side
  • Ears turned back and up on the ends
    • offensively aggressive
34
Q

Wha are the body language signs of a fearful cat?

A
  • Crouching
  • May hiss
  • Ears flattened against head
35
Q

What are the signs of an extremely fearful cat?

A
  • May arch back
  • Piloerection
  • Hold tail straight up
  • Flatten ears
  • May become aggressive if cornered

Applied Animal Behavior (13 decks)

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