Ways to Stop Cat Fights

Max’s owner was truly disgusted, he was in another cat fight. This was the third trip to the vet in three months. His vet bill was growing from having to treat an abscess, having another surgery, and more antibiotics to give. “This cat was neutered as a kitten and yet he still fights, what can I do to stop cat fights?” she asked. “If only that bully cat from next door would leave him alone.”

There are many causes and circumstances that cause cat fights. Therefore there are many solutions to stop them. Cats fight with neighboring outdoor cats as well as others in the same household. Once you are aware of the reasons that cause the fighting, you can stop it. Max was only protecting his threatened territory. You can not blame the cat for protecting his home, can you?

The first step to prevent cat fighting is to have the it altered. Max’s owner already did this. It is very necessary that cats with a fighting problem be altered as soon as possible. It does not matter that the kitten is male or female. They both may fight. One thing to know is that the cost of alternating a kitten is normally less that the cost of any surgical repairs or vet visit and medications. Treating an abscess can also be expensive, (An abscess is an infected bite wound that frequently maine coon cat for sale develops in cats that fight. Male cats are more likely to fight because of aggressive nature caused by testosterone. Neutering males is 80 to 90 percent effective in stopping fighting.

Stray cats in the neighborhood will cause fighting, but it may be hard to get rid of all strays in your area. Other than neutering, the only other way to prevent cat fights is to keep your’s inside. It is nearly impossible to control all strays and all cats in your neighborhood. You can convert outdoor cats to become indoor lovers.

Indoor cats are fighting present a different problem. Altering both your male and female kittens will be the first thing to do. If you nave not altered them, call the vet today and make an appointment.

Watch your cats and figure out why they fight, what starts the fight? What were they doing? Were they eating or in another cat’s favorite spot? Then you can aim for the solution to solve each fighting situation. Be patient it can take several weeks or even months for the cats to get used to each other.

Have you added a new cat?

Carefully choose your new cat. Expect minor disagreements when you bring a new cat into the home.

Introduce the new cat slowly by closing the newcomer in a separate room at first. You may even keep the newbie in an enclosed pen and let the cats see and smell each other as they desire. Gradually let them have some time together.

Some cats just don’t get along with others. Cats that were weaned early and have grown up without being around other cats won’t be social. They will either fight or become frightened and hide.

Do you have too many cats? Overcrowding will cause fights. Just one more may be too many, especially if you have more than five. The problem is not the new cat but the number of cats which may overcrowd all the cats. They do want some space that they can call their own. To ease the feeling of crowding, be sure every cat has his own bed and food dish. Provide lots of cat trees and cat houses so each one has a place to hide or escape. Consider building an outdoor enclosure or run to further increase the cats’ space.

Sometimes the cats may have a little spat. They may swat at each other. Do not let this alarm you. They need to solve their own little spats. Only get involved if it gets serious. In this case use a squirt bottle or make a loud noise to break them up and then separate them.

Territorial aggression is a cause of fighting. One cat may be a bully chasing the other cat. The cat being bullied may seek constant hiding. Territorial aggression is hard to stop. Build the bullied cats self-confidence by giving him lots of individual attention. Confine the bully a few hours a day and let the bullied cat have the run of the house. If the bully continues to bully then you may have to give each cat their own separate space in the home.