Intercat Aggression: Restoring Harmony in the Home

Sociality in cats: A comparative review

“…The lack of submissive signals in the cat's repertoire undoubtedly contributes to the difficulty they often experience in resolving disputes. More subtle signs of tension, such as active displacement of one cat by another and the blocking of access to resources and preferred routes, are common, and these are often followed by the loser performing behaviour patterns that indicate stress, such as sudden otherwise inexplicable bouts of "displacement" grooming and scratching, exaggerated swallowing, and shaking of the head (Pachel, 2014). Owners can unintentionally exacerbate such conflicts by concentrating all resources (food, water, litter-boxes, beds) into one or two confined areas.…”

“…It may therefore be difficult to predict a priori how a particular pair of cats will adjust to each other's presence. Accordingly, for the protection of their welfare precautionary procedures should be taken whenever introducing two cats to one another (details in Cats Protection, 2013;Pachel, 2014). Owners can assess social stress in individual cats caused by other cats in the household and to neighborhood cats using behavioral signs (Tables 1, 2).…”

Principais alterações comportamentais dos gatos

“…Devemos educar os tutores para compreender o comportamento do gato e observar as interações que ocorrem dentro de casa, assim capacitando-os a identificar quando um animal necessita ou não de intervenção médica, facilitando também a escolha do tratamento clínico (Pachel, 2014). De acordo com o estudo realizado por Gazzano et al (2015) tutores que recebem informações preventivas já na primeira consulta veterinária do filhote tendem a ter menos reclamações sobre o comportamento do animal durante o primeiro ano de vida, enquanto tutores que não recebem procuram por este conhecimento geralmente após o início dos problemas, aumentando as chances de abandono dos gatos.…”

Surgical and Behavioral Relationships With Welfare

“…Physical alternatives include nail trims and nail covers (138). The benchmark of treatment includes behavior modification and environmental management, such as providing appropriate outlets for scratching and other species-typical behaviors and needs, preventing access to objects that one doesn't want scratched, and addressing the underlying reason for aggressive behavior (60,118,(139)(140)(141)(142)(143)(144).…”