Feline Aggression

Types of aggressive behavior commonly recognized in cats include intermale, territorial, fear/defensive, play, predation, and redirected. Diagnosis is made on the basis of signalment data, the pattern of aggressive postures displayed by the aggressive cat, and the circumstances in which the aggressive behavior occurred. Treatment varies with the type of aggressive behavior but may include neutering, desensitization and counterconditioning techniques, punishment, drug therapy, and management changes.