![]() Pheromone plugins or sprays like Feliway may also help. Use Jackson Galaxy Solutions Bully Remedy for the attacker, and Peacemaker and Stress Stopper for both cats. You can do this by rubbing a sock or washcloth against the side of one cat’s face, then leave the sock or cloth with the other cat, and vice versa. Use the cats’ natural pheromones to remind them that they “know” each other. Use a thick towel, or a broom, to get between the cats. Never try to separate two fighting cats with your bare hands, and don’t yell at the cats to break up a fight – they are already in a heightened state, and will most likely react by attacking you. Ideally, put the aggressor cat into a darkened room with very few stimuli, and allow the cat to calm down. The first order of business is to temporarily separate the cats. What to do when you experience redirected aggression Image credit: Alun Marchant, Shutterstock ![]() It becomes especially difficult when the attack is directed at another cat in the household, because in most cases, the triggered cat will continue to be aggressive toward the victim. Of all the types of feline aggression, this is the most difficult form to deal with, because it may not always be possible to identify the trigger, and because, unlike with petting or play aggression, there’s usually no warning from the cat in terms of body language because these attacks happen so fast. For some cats, it can take days, weeks, or even months to return to normal. And I now know how lucky I was that he recovered so quickly. I don’t remember seeing anything we hadn’t seen before, but clearly, he had. He had left two deep puncture wounds in my calf. I slowly walked away, and within about 30 seconds, he calmed down and acted normal again. Now I saw a puffed-up, hissing little grey monster next to me. A second ago he was sitting next to me, peacefully looking out the window. I screamed – not because it was all that painful at that moment, but because I was so startled. All of a sudden, I felt his jaws clamp around my calf. ![]() Feebee and I were standing by my sliding glass door looking out into the backyard. I’ve only experienced this once with one of my cats, and thankfully, it was an isolated incident. The cat simply reacts to a perceived threat. It is important to understand that these attacks are not malicious, or even intentional on the cat’s part. This kind of attack is often described by cat guardians as coming “out of nowhere.” However, from the cat’s perspective, there is always a trigger. Other triggers can include smelling a strange cat on the guardian’s hands or clothing, being frightened by something or someone, coming back inside after accidentally getting outside if the cat is normally an indoor cat, or even watching birds and squirrels outside. Most commonly, redirected aggression is triggered when indoor cats see a strange cat outside the window. Since they consider their home their territory, the outside cat is perceived as an intruder. ![]() What causes redirected aggression in cats? ![]()
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