# Redirected aggression - a case-illustrated post



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

No point to this post really, other than to share what happened yesterday and to use it as a conversation-starter about a particular feline behaviour: redirected aggression.

The story

We visited my sister to exchange Christmas gifts. She has a three-year-old indoor cat named Morticia, who has always been on the feisty side but does enjoy a cuddle and is very patient with my sister's one year old.

Yesterday Morticia was sitting on the arm of the chair next to my OH (whom she normally likes), when she caught sight of a fluffy toy on the floor. She's seen this fluffy toy before and never shown any signs of fear or aggression towards it, but she seemed suddenly confused by it on this occasion.

Not thinking, my sister picked up the toy and tried to present it to Morticia so she could sniff it, but Morticia went ape. She attacked the toy very aggressively, which was hastily withdrawn; unfortunately, Morticia then turned on my OH who was sitting in the chair. She hissed, wailed, growled and tore one of his arms and his back to shreds. He stood up and she continued to growl at him aggressively. She half-jumped, half-fell into the floor in the chaos and accidentally scratched my niece, who was sitting on the floor, on the leg (not badly, thank goodness).

My sister managed to get Morticia through the kitchen and into the bathroom by pushing her gently with her foot. I had been dozing through this and only woke when my sister was shouting (not loudly) at the cat, the baby was crying and the cat was wailing.

After things had settled down, we let Morticia out of the bathroom. She was still extremely anxious. She was patrolling the rooms, her tail like a loo brush and growling quietly. She looked at the soft toy again, didn't seem bothered - but when she saw my OH she became very uneasy again. She was wailing, and staring up at him as if she was going to attack him again - so he had to hide in the bathroom for his own protection. She kept patrolling outside the bathroom door, trying to get into him.

Explanation

This is a textbook case of redirected aggression. Although it was initially the soft toy that frightened Morticia, once this was withdrawn she saw my OH as the source of danger because the original source was gone and he was next to her at the time, even though he hadn't even touched her and she's always liked him before. He did nothing wrong, nor did Morticia really - she was simply defending herself against what she genuinely believed was a terrible threat.

This is an example of *redirected fear aggression*.

This behavioural phenomenon can also result in previously friendly inter-cat relationships breaking down. For example, think about two indoor cats who are able to survey their garden through a window. The presence of a strange cat in the garden may cause a stress response in one of the resident cats - but the strange cat cannot be reached because they are separated by glass. This can lead the resident cat to panic and turn on their feline housemate(s), even if they previously got on well. This happens because they cannot focus their defensive behaviour upon the actual threat to their territory, and mistakenly see their housemate as the territorial threat instead.

This would be an example of *redirected* *territorial aggression*.

Common stimuli for redirected aggression

Any perceived threat or frightening situation can lead a cat to misdirect their defensive aggression on another cat or human. The most common stimuli are:
- other cats in the house or garden,
- visitors to the house,
- high-pitched noises,
- the sudden presence or sound of a dog, for cats not used to them,
- strange smells.

Common targets for redirected aggression

Unfortunately, the victims of this redirected aggression are almost exclusively humans or other cats - but other pets (for example, the family dog) or inanimate objects (for example, household items) can also be targets.

The thing to remember about the target of the redirected aggression is that it is *irrelevant* but *easily accessible*. They are a scapegoat, attacked because the original source of the fear has been removed (like the soft toy that frightened Morticia) or is inaccessible (like the cat in the garden, viewed through a window from a remote location). In Morticia's case, the soft toy was quickly removed, because my sister saw the distress it was causing and took it away - a natural knee-jerk response. Unfortunately, once the scary toy was gone Morticia didn't feel any better. She still felt scared and there was nothing there to defend herself against. The nearest object/person was my unfortunate OH, who found himself targeted instead.

Feline responses to threatening situations

There are four ways for a cat to respond to what he or she perceives as a threat:
- flight (run away)
- fight (attack)
- freeze (stay still and try to hide in plain sight)
- appeasement (signals designed to calm the threat and tell them that you're not looking for trouble).

Cats don't really show appeasement behaviours. Dogs do, using a variety of signals such as yawning, lip-licking and averting their gaze to communicate their wish not to fight. But cats have not developed such signals - historically they are not as social a species as dogs and have had no need to display them. An exception could be the slow blink, which is intended to signal a 'neutral' stance to another cat (more below).

Instead, cats rely on *flight* to address scary situations. While it's not uncommon to see cats standing up to one another in a territorial situation, you'll virtually never see them do anything other than scarper should something actually frighten them. They run from the hoover, hide if there's a loud noise, or beat a hasty retreat if the cat carrier comes out. Cats maintain self-preservation by running away if something scary happens.

Generally speaking, cats will only show aggressive behaviour or attack if they can't run. A frightened cat in a kennel in the veterinary practice can't run away, so they might hiss, growl and lash out if someone tries to touch them.

With Morticia on an armchair arm sandwiched between my OH on one side and the Christmas tree on the other, and nothing but a closed window behind her, I presume she felt unable to flee when the fluffy toy came close to her and felt obliged to attack instead.

Redirected aggression can escalate

After Morticia was released from the bathroom, she still growled at my OH and showed signs that she might try to attack him again. Nor did she settle when he was sealed in the bathroom himself. In the end, my sister had to put her outside the living room, on the stairs, so that she could safely put her baby back on the floor while she made dinner. Morticia usually loves being allowed upstairs, as she goes into the children's rooms, but on this occasion she just scratched at the door to get back in.

After fifteen minutes, we let her back in. By now, my OH was sitting in a different chair and I was in the the original chair where the fright had occurred. Morticia seemed fine: she ran straight through into the kitchen for her dinner, then took up residence in a cardboard box on the living room floor.

We thought the fright was over: however, a bit later on, my sister started clearing up some toys from the floor (not the fluffy toy, that was well out of sight by now) and Morticia reached badly to the movement. She started to growl again; she wailed, hissed and her hackles were up. Despite the initial scare being long gone, she was still not comfortable with normal household tasks going on around her even though she'd never bothered before.

Fortunately for my battered OH, she didn't focus on him again all evening. Instead she hissed at my sister for tidying up near her, and she also hissed and growled at me because I laughed at something on the TV.

This is a perfect example of what can happen after a case of redirected aggression. If the frightened cat is not removed from the situation that scared them so much in the first place, they will remain tense and nervous. This can lead them to overreact to 'normal' objects or events, and the aggressive response can become *generalised*. It's as if their 'fear threshold' is lowered.

This can also occur in any cat undergoing stress, even if they've not previously shown any aggression. Their tolerance of stressful or scary situations is much lower than normal.

How to address redirected aggression

It's important to recognise that, in some cases, it can take a very long time (months) for the cat to recover their nerves in the face of the 'frightening' person, cat or object. Some cases are reportedly unfixable, with previously friendly feline companions sadly never getting on again.

In Morticia's case, the initial targets of her fear were fortunately removable: the soft toy has been relegated upstairs and my OH is long gone, since he was just a visitor. Morticia's household has gone back to normal today and my sister says she's been completely fine all day, without any fearful or strange behaviour.

However, in some cases the threat is ongoing. If the aggression was misdirected against a feline housemate or a permanent human member of the family, then that threat is present on a daily basis and the cat is always forced to face them. That state of heightened fear and tension never eases and this is why some cats remain constantly 'aggressive' for long periods of time or even forever.

These cases are extremely difficult to treat. Seeking the assistance of a good feline behaviourist is advisable due to the potentially dangerous nature of living with aggressive cats. For human-directed aggression, a desensitisation and counterconditioning programme to try and teach the cat that human interaction is good and not scary is recommended - this is something that ideally should be done under the guidance of a behaviourist.

It's important to *give the cat as much control over their environment as possible*. Cats are control freaks, and giving them control eases their stress. Providing plenty of trays, feeding stations and hiding places is key to this. Making sure that they can move around the house without encountering aggressive or passive-aggressive behaviour from other cats is vital.

General calming measures such as Feliway, Zylkene, Pet Remedy etc can help create a more relaxed atmosphere within the home and hopefully make the cat more amenable to the other measures you're taking to address the problem.

Redirected aggression: what *not* to do

When Morticia first attacked the toy, my sister's automatic response was to pull it away. I would have done the same. It's natural. In retrospect, it might have saved my OH had Morticia been able to continue attacking the initial threat, but in the moment you act on instinct! Besides, once she was so riled up, she still most likely would have been generally twitchy and nervous all evening anyway.

I'm no behaviourist, but my sister asked me what we should do once Morticia was locked in the bathroom and my OH was cleaning his wounds.

I explained that Morticia had acted purely out of fear and not malice. Morticia is a feisty girl who has been known to biff you when you try and stroke her, but this was not normal grumpy cat behaviour: she was clearly terrified. Understanding that she was scared and not just being naughty is vital to addressing this problem correctly; while it sounds obvious to us cat lovers, it's sadly surprising how many people would react by telling the cat off, throwing it outside, spraying water on it etc etc etc.

Doing anything like this will *make the problem worse*! Shouting at or manhandling a terrified cat will only make them even more terrified.

My sister had to push Morticia into the bathroom using her foot - sometimes you have to do what you need to do, for everyone's safety. But if you need to grab or move a cat less sympathetically than you would like, just to protect everyone, try to do so in silence and as gently as possible. Don't wave your arms around, and don't shout - it might be better not to speak at all. Be silent, and try to remain neutral and non-threatening as much as you can. It's your job to make a horribly chaotic situation as calm as possible, so move slowly and quietly.

As tempting as it is, don't try to reassure a cat in this state. You leave yourself open to becoming a mistaken target of their aggression if you try to stroke them.

A bit later, when my OH was cowering in the bathroom, I suggested he try opening to door to come out. But it was key that all of us ignored Morticia and carried on as normal. If she tried to attack him, he would need to retreat into the bathroom or close her in there, whichever was easier. But otherwise, we should ignore her.

Remember that a frightened cat's preferred action is to escape the threat, not stand up to it. It was unlikely that Morticia would approach my OH to attack him while she had the run of the house, unless he gave her some reason to.

My motto is: the best thing you can do for a stressed or nervous cat is to *let them be invisible*. Don't talk to them or pet them unless they actively seek your attention. Equally, don't pussyfoot around them or be excessively quiet; don't make unnecessary noise or move unpredictably, but do your best to behave normally. *Let them blend in*. Don't make them a focus of attention - it will help them feel a bit safer.

My sister carried on making the dinner. My OH and I stood in the kitchen and chatted aimlessly. None of us talked to or even looked at Morticia, except for the occasional furtive glance to check her whereabouts. She was actually fine until my OH moved slowly from the kitchen into the living room, when she began to get upset again - that's when he returned 'casually' to the bathroom and my sister gently picked up Morticia and put her on the stairs.

Later, when Morticia was back in the living room with us and reacting occasionally to little things like my sister tidying up or me laughing at the TV, we continued to ignore her as best we could.

When I laughed at the TV, she was sitting on the arm of my chair less than a foot from my face. She sat up, stared at me, growled and hissed once. I ignored her (which wasn't easy, I tell you). I slowly shifted in my seat so my face was a bit further away from her - but I didn't make any sudden or surprising movements. I didn't look at her, kept my eyes on the TV, and I didn't say anything else. She settled down again quickly and nothing else happened.

The slow blink

For those of you who haven't heard of it, the slow blink (also known as 'winky eyes') is a feline behaviour that we believe conveys neutrality. A cat who is content in the presence of another may slow blink at them - but it doesn't mean they want to interact with them. They just want to say: 'OK, you're here, so am I, that's cool'.

It has also been reported by some authors to be a sign that a cat is seeking reassurance - again, not interaction of any kind, just a signal asking: 'are we okay like this? I hope so'.

Given previous suggestions that humans can slow blink back at cats, to tell them that everything's okay and we have no intention of approaching them, it's something I've often tried with the cats I've met. I have no idea if it works, but I know Bagpuss will often slow blink me across the room if I slow blink him first.

Yesterday, when Morticia was sitting next to me and getting nervous every time I moved, I tried slow blinking at her. I didn't make any direct eye contact, but kept my gaze at an angle and slowly closed and opened my eyes a few times. Each time, she settled down again - but I honestly couldn't tell you whether it was just coincidence or the slow blink actually meant something to her.

Sorry for this very long post. I hope it was vaguely interesting to read my musings on this subject. When I left my sister's yesterday, I told them to reward Morticia for calm and affectionate behaviour with treats and fuss, but to ignore any unsettled or aggressive behaviour unless it threatened anyone's safety. They should do her best to ignore her in general so that she can feel invisible, unless she asked for attention specifically.

As I said, things are reportedly back to normal today and Morticia was playing with my niece* again as usual, so fingers crossed there's no lasting damage to the relationships! My sister did a great job. It can't be easy seeing your previously placid cat react so violently, but she stayed calm and handled it well.

If anyone has any thoughts, questions or advice, please do jump in! @chillminx?

* _just wanted to point out that my sister never leaves her baby with Morticia unsupervised and is constantly teaching her to interact with the cat gently!

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Edit: just tidied up some syntax and grammar, no change to content.
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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Another fantastic post from you Shosh, thank you.
I hope OH is ok and the scratches are not too sore.
I don't think anyone can understand the ferocity of a scared cat until they have experienced an episode like this. When I was a young teenager we had a family cat that had strange fits of going in to attack mode....always at me I might add! I learnt how to deflect him using a barrier, and to escape from the room leaving him inside but sustained many a deep gash from his claws that have left scars to this day.


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## KittenKong (Oct 30, 2015)

An excellent post. Should be made a sticky.
Thank you.


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## Britt (May 18, 2014)

Awesome post, Shosh! Pooh hates it when I say "no". Maybe it triggers bad memories or something. He then attacks my arm or my ankle (that really hurts). I used to put a light polar blanket lightly on his head when he started doing that months ago). Now all I need to do is show it to him and he stops biting


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

I had a DA cat when I lived in a street level apartment in a city, one room apartment. Unfortunately there were a lot of cats on the street (my windows were level with the sidewalk) and he was upset a lot of the time.

What I did was -from a distance- gently drop a blanket over him. Once he was under the blanket I would gather him up, blanket and all and put him in the bathroom, setting him down oh so gently as he growled and mumbled under the blanket. I left the light off and the door ajar so he could come out when he was ready.

Often he would crouch there under the blanket for up to half an hour before coming out into the main room again. Sometimes he wouldn't come out at all, he would just curl up on top of the blanket in the bathroom and go to sleep.

Incidentally he wasn't like that in his early years. I used to travel with him and everything with no trouble. He developed asthma when he was about 5 though (my fault, I was a smoker, then, but after his diagnosis I never smoked in the house again -now ex smoker). The next time I went in for his pre-travel check up the vet suggested I sedate him for the plane trip. I never had before and he had always been fine in his under seat carrier. But the vet worried about an asthma attack on the plane. Sadly, I listened to that vet and the sedation changed him, permanently.

Eventually I did add other cats to the family, and once he adjusted to the additions he loved them (the other family cats not outside cats, but by then I had moved and he didn't have that exposure any more).

PS this was 30 years ago, no feliway or rescue remedy back then


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## Matrod (Dec 22, 2014)

Another excellent post, it makes for very interesting reading, I hope OH is ok now. I must confess my first instinct is always to comfort my cats in this sort of situation but I read years ago you shouldn't do this as you're only reinforcing the idea that this is something to be frightened of.


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## drey_p (Oct 26, 2015)

Wow, a really in depth and informative post. I didn't realise that this could happen. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it and explain everything so clearly.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

A very informative post, cats are so complex aren't they ?
My brother had a cat who would attack him quite viciously if he so much as moved in his chair, sadly he found it so stressful he had to rehome her with a friend , he has mental health problems anyway. Now when he sees her she flies at him as soon as he reaches into his bag. I think part of the problem is that he's not recognising uneasy body language and carries on doing whatever's winding her up regardless, he has a form of autism and is the same with people.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Shoshannah - thank you for a very interesting, well illustrated, and informative post.  I agree with @KittenKong, it would be great to have it as a sticky. 

I wonder if I could add a couple of my thoughts on the recent unfortunate episode with Morticia. As you know cats are excellent at making associations between different things. It is a valuable part of their instinctive survival kit, but may not always be in their best interest socially, e.g. a cat with cystitis who associates the litter tray with pain so avoids it and soils the floor. Also they get things wrong sometimes 

Cats can react strongly to the scent of other cats, especially if they live as an only cat, and an indoor cat, where they are unused to smelling the scent of other cats. I understand Morticia knows you and your OH, and presumably has smelled Bagpuss' scent on you in the past. But perhaps on this occasion your OH smelt more strongly of Bagpuss than in the past, e.g. perhaps BP had been sleeping on him, or lying on his clothes etc. Morticia for some reason was in a state of heightened awareness on the day you visited - maybe due to more visitors than usual over the Xmas period, or more excitement in the home.

Sitting next to your OH Morticia probably smelled the scent of Bagpuss, and was confused as she could not see another cat in the room. Then she spied the fluffy toy on the floor and made an erroneous association between the toy and the cat-scent she could smell near her. She instinctively decided the fluffy toy was a living threat - maybe she thought it was a kitten. She hissed a warning (or was about to) when she was offered the toy, (a reasonable gesture on the part of your sister) which completely un-nerved her. Her fear driven aggression was then as you described redirected to your OH. This may have been simply because he was nearest to her, or it may have been partly because she perceived him as part of the problem (i.e. he smelt of Bagpuss). The fact Morticia continued to try and attack your OH later suggests that 'scent of Bagpuss' may have continued to be part of the issue for her.

It is interesting for me to note how differently my own cats react to my scent when I have been at the Shelter in contact with many other cats. On rare occasions when we have had 'cat flu' at the Shelter, I am scrupulous about changing my clothes before I re-enter my home (I leave spare clothes and shoes in the garage for this purpose). But most of the time I only change my shoes before entering my house, then wash my hands thoroughly before touching any of my cats. This means I have the scent of some Shelter cats on my clothes, as many of them love to headbutt you and rub against you, marking you with their scent.

One of my male cats is hugely interested in how I smell after I return from the Shelter and he sniffs me intently all over for a good 5 minutes. Another male who is more timid, tentatively sniffs me when I go to stroke him, flattens his ears and runs away from me. The girls approach me with caution and are wary around me for a couple of hours. One of the girls has hissed at me after she sniffed the hem of my jeans. Until I became involved with the Shelter I don't think I fully realised how very scent driven cats are (though I knew it in theory).

With regard to cats and appeasement behaviours I agree there is generally considered to be no scientific evidence that cats adopt such behaviours toward each other in the way that dogs do with other dogs. But I have seen signs of it in the past when I brought in two
3 month old kittens as company for my 16 yr old boy who seemed lonely after his sister companion died. The male kitten within a few weeks of arriving was exhibiting appeasing behaviour to the older cat - he would always chirrup and greet him in an affectionate and respectful manner as kittens do with their mothers, gently rubbing his body against the older cat, and lowering his head to him. This went down really well with my old boy and the two of them became great friends, and remained so until my old boy died at the age of 20.

In more recent years, since adopting my two boys and also since working at the Shelter I have often seen appeasement behaviour from cats to humans.  My two boys were both rescue cats who were so desperately anxious to please when I first adopted them, that they tried to appease every human who came to my house, including delivery men, a decorator and a gardener who were both doing work at my house!

The humans - usually men - found such utter abasement from my cats overwhelming and rather embarrassing. (My cats would rub themselves repeatedly around the visitors legs, roll on their shoes, and cry, behaviour almost like that of queens on heat) I was convinced that in time, once my cats felt really safe in their new home they would stop this placatory behaviour. And so it proved to be the case. It took about 18 months, but gradually they became less interested in human visitors, and nowadays after initial mild curiosity towards visitors the boys ignore them and go back to sleep. .

The neutered male kitten I mentioned earlier, [who was appeasing towards my old cat], as an adult cat was very protective of me whenever there was a strange male in the house (i.e workmen). My cat would adopt the rubbing, rolling, crying appeasing behaviour with these men. This was behaviour he never showed towards any male visitor that he knew, and he never behaved this way towards new female visitors. Fascinating!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

deleted double post - apologies.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Thanks for the input @chillminx. I've also been amazed/fascinated by Bagpuss's apparent indifference to any scent on my clothes when I get home, considering it can include the pheromones, urine or worse of multiple cats!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Shoshannah said:


> Thanks for the input @chillminx. I've also been amazed/fascinated by Bagpuss's apparent indifference to any scent on my clothes when I get home, considering it can include the pheromones, urine or worse of multiple cats!


Yes, there are cats who are exceptions to the rule, who seem impervious to scents of other cats.  I have lived with cats like that in the past too.


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## tochica (May 6, 2013)

We brought Mo downstairs yesterday. She's been living in our loft room for a bit over two months now. I've posted about her here http://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/panleukopenia-and-a-possible-dog-bite.414794/.

We didn't really want to introduce her to Smokey and Bandit as we simply can't keep her but we just didn't have a choice. We've been going up 4 times a day for playig sessions/to give her some attention, changing clothes and all, and you simply don't have time to do anything else between work and what not. I've been sleeping with her at the loft for the last three weeks or so as I am scared to leave the heater on when no one is up. I literally froze on new year's eve and this simply couldn't go on as there is no bed there. Anyway we had been thinking to get her downstairs for some time now, as we are not sure how long it will take to rehome her. I couldn't use unwashed items from upstairs for sent swapping as the virus is supposedly very resistant in the environment. She is supposed to not be shedding it since mid December, so I did let them sniff me after touching her for a few days though.

Anyway she is at the enclosed balcony as it's the only room we could put her in. I've put a blanket to cover the mosquito door as the main door has to stay open for some warmth to come in (although we've closed it now for the night and only have the window from the bathroom open), but of course both Smokey and Bandit poked their heads there and saw her. They've been hissing and growling at each other whole day long - on and off. Smokey hissed at us too when she was most stressed at first. They've been seeking safety at the bedroom and would hiss at each other but if you leave them for awhile you will find them hugging on the bed. Then one will decide to go in the kitchen to sniff around for the invader and they will get all hissy at each other again. We were actually thinking this is not going to work with our set up, and planned to get her back upstairs but someone called for her today and they are coming to see her tomorrow.

I just hope this whole thing doesn't ruin their relationship. We had a session of 'biscuits in bed' just now but they are weary. I've never had to do this before, but gosh it's stressful for everyone involved. Only Mo doesn't seem to care much.


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## popcornsmum (Jan 19, 2015)

Thanks @Shoshannah that is a very interesting and useful post and whenever Popcorn has become agressive with a vet or at the cattery or when someone comes round to the house I have always tried to comfort her so to know what to do next time is just brilliant. I do the slow blink with Popcorn and it's taken two years to get a blink back and it's rare but does happen! Thanks again for such a fab and well written post!


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## Winter1961 (Dec 22, 2015)

Very interesting post. I've never had a cat act that way (and I've always had a multi-cat household), but it's certainly worth knowing that it can happen, and why, and - more importantly - what to do in such a situation. Thank you.


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## andrewjacson (Feb 2, 2015)

Great thread, thanks for sharing.Cats can react strongly to the scent of other cats, especially if they live as an only cat, and an indoor cat, where they are unused to smelling the scent of other cats.


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## TallulahCat (Dec 31, 2015)

Very informative post, thanks!

I see a LOT of this in my cat, who is very nervous generally, but particularly of other cats. If anything in the environment makes her jump, she will normally attack me. This is especially the case if she sees another cat in the garden - she will either viciously attack the window, or if I am near enough, she will go for me.

I always try to move away from her and give her some peace to calm down, but sometimes it's difficult as she can be really very aggressive. I have used a cushion to push her off me (hands would be shredded). This does escalate her fear, but it's difficult to know what else to do when a cat has attached herself to you and causing pain!

I always leave her a good long time to calm down before I would try to touch her.


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## MontyMaude (Feb 23, 2012)

Good post Shos, my crazy girl suffers from RA, we get neighbours cat and the farm cats prowling round the garden at times and most days Maudey is fine, she watches them intently but she appears fine and dandy, but once in a while she becomes a crazed maniac that actively seeks out Monty to attack him, last time she actually attacked Hilde the dog in the middle of the night, it must have been 3am and we awoke to her leaping on the bed from the bedroom windowsill and she full on went for Hilde who was sound asleep so woke up with a start as Maudey was doing the bear hugging bunny kick and Hilde started screaming which seemed to make Maudey worse but we separated them and Maudey stalked round the house for a bit until she took herself off to her safe place. She has done the same on the attacks on Monty, in that once we have stopped the fight or the chase and gotten Monty out of her way she will stalk about for a bit then go off to her safe place, and after a few hours she will come out and act like nothing has happened, but Monty is now understandably weary of her, but I think apart from covering our windows in that obscuring film so they become like bathroom windows so she can't see out we just have to live with it, thankfully she hasn't done it for awhile *touches wood* but I think it's yet another of her quirks of being a nervous nelly cat.

She does respond very well to the slow blinks as we like to do slow blinks at each other


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## Kylie_k26 (Jan 6, 2016)

similar thing happend to me, leaving me in hospital for 2 days.
Did Morticia ever show this behaviour again ? 

Thank you for the informativ post.


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