All About Cat Care

How To Prevent Cat Fights

March 5th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Understanding the reasons why a cat fight can start can help you to reduce any outbreaks. So what are the most common reasons?

Cats may be fighting over their territory or for the rights to mate with a female.
Feline maternal instincts are also another common cause - for example, if a mother cat feels the need to defend her kittens.
Bringing a new cat into your home with an older cat can cause resentment.

To keep hostilities to a low level, there are some precautionary steps you can take. Sprinkle both cats with powder and rub it into their coats so that they smell similar and will not irritate each other as much. Or, rubbing the cats down with one towel can help to transfer their scents to each other.
It is only natural that when a new cat is introduced into the home of an older cat they will need time to get to know each other. This may involve some major hissing and growling. Introducing a new cat into the home slowly will help the older cat adjust to the new arrival and will help reduce the chance of a face-to-face cat fight. Many cat owners suggest keeping a new cat in a bathroom or bedroom for a few days away from the older cat. Feed the older cat by the door where the new cat is living so the two cats can smell each other and virtually eat side by side – even though a door is separating them!
Let the new cat roam in the home for a while and put the older cat in the new cat’s room.This gives the new cat the chance to explore the home, find a hiding place if she wants and learn the smell of the older cat. The older cat will spend her time in the new cat’s room smelling and becoming accustomed to the new cat’s smell, too. Then return the animals to their original places and leave the door slightly open for a few hours. This will enable the cats to see each other. Repeating this process for a couple of days will slowly introduce the cats to each other without an all out war occurring in your home.
Once the new cat emerges and she and the older cat are living together in the home there may be romps and occasional acts of aggression.Your new cat and your older cat may never be bosom buddies, but they can learn to co-habitat together peacefully. Introducing them to each other slowly can go far in helping even the most aloof housemates tolerate each other.

Cat owners who have more than one cat may have difficulty deciding whether their cats are playing or having a real cat fight. A cat fight usually consists of hissing, screaming, wrestling, biting and slaps, but if the cats are taking turns being the dominant cat or the aggressor, it is probably a play fight. If they are actually hurting each other, then it is a real cat fight! Be careful! Don’t try to break up a cat fight physically. The best method to stop a cat fight is to do something which distracts or scares the cats such as making loud noises or soaking them with a bucket of water.