How to avoid and manage conflicts between cats? - Éduchateur - les spécialistes du comportement du chat

Vocalizations, pawing, chasing through the house… Sharing your daily life with fighting cats is stressful for the whole family. And it’s not always easy to see what’s going on. Are your cats just playing? Do they really hate each other?

Far from being trivial, altercations between cats are the second most common cause of consultations at Éduchateur, after cases of inappropriate elimination (peeing and bowel movements outside litter boxes). If you witness conflicts between your cats, the golden rule is to quickly contact your veterinary team, as a medical problem could be at the root of the observed behavior. This is true of all behavioral problems: they may be the sign of an underlying health problem.

Once you’ve been reassured that your felines are in good health, it’s up to you to take appropriate action to prevent injury and discomfort. The services the services of feline behaviorists are often necessary to properly analyze and manage altercations. That said, here are a few tips and tricks to help you better understand these famous mustachioed skirmishes!

How do I know if my two cats get along?

The social biology of the domestic cat is astonishing! They have evolved mainly as solitary animals. However, when resources are abundant, cats can congregate and tolerate each other. They can even develop “friendly” bonds with their congeners. In other words, cat sociality is quite flexible!

To get a clearer picture of the relationship between your cats, pay close attention to the social behaviors they display when interacting. Please note that the following lists are not exhaustive, but provide a general portrait of common behaviors expressed by cohabiting cats.

To begin with, it’s fairly easy to recognize the signs of good understanding between two “friendly” congeners . Here are a few examples:

they sleep tightly together;
they groom each other;
they walk side by side;
they rub against each other when they cross;
they raise their tails when they see each other;
they play together and share toys.

That said, not all cats like each other, and it’s quite common for two congeners living together to tolerate each other at best. This type of relationship can be identified by the following behaviors:

They sometimes sleep in the same sleeping area, but without physical contact;
they rarely groom each other;
they look away when they see or cross paths;
They don’t avoid each other completely, but they don’t seek each other’s presence either.

Then there are times when we witness the tension between two cats. On a day-to-day basis, misunderstanding behaviors we observe include the following:

they don’t sleep in the same sleeping area;
they avoid each other;
they stare at each other when in each other’s presence;
they spit when they meet;
they block access to resources;
altercations and lawsuits are frequent;
one cat eats, sleeps or uses the litter tray only when the other cat is away.

Also look out for signs of stress when cats are interacting: sudden, short-lived grooming, licking the muzzle, blinking, etc. All these typical behaviors can be expressed by one cat or both. In either case, they suggest a difficult cohabitation. Fortunately, when cats don’t get along, there are solutions.

My kitten attacks my other cat: is it play?

It’s not always easy to distinguish play from altercation! In a playful context, cats generally vocalize little, take short pauses, retract their claws and inhibit biting. What’s more, playful cats pursue each other with regular role reversal. In other words, the chaser becomes the chased… and so on! Once the game is over, the cats calmly mingle.

When a real altercation occurs, the picture is very different. The claws are out and bites can occur. So there’s a risk of injury. Vocalizations are also common: yowling, growling or even howling punctuate fights. What’s more, cats take few breaks, and their movements are often faster. In the case of chases, it’s always the same cat that chases the other while the latter tries to flee. When the altercation ends, the climate of disagreement is maintained to a greater or lesser extent.

To help you distinguish play from conflict, knowing cat body language is a must. Remember that a cat is happy if its tail is in the air in the shape of a question mark and its ears are upright. Conversely, if he’s curled up on himself and his ears are pointing backwards or down on his head, he’s scared. In this case, help is needed. (To find out how to react, consult the appropriate section at the bottom of the page).

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Note also that it’s not uncommon to see hair flying back and forth during altercations between cats. However, this should not be taken to mean that the cats have pulled out clumps of hair from each other. During conflicts, and sometimes even during play sessions, cats can become bristly. This is known as piloerection. In these situations, the hair easily detaches from the animal’s body. So, hair flying is not necessarily synonymous with a serious altercation. This phenomenon can be observed in conflicts of varying intensity, but also, in some cases, when cats are playing. It is therefore necessary to gather further information on the body language of the protagonists to properly analyze interactions between cats.

Distinguishing play from conflict is far from obvious. Especially as, in some cases, a cat wants to play without the consent of its frightened partner. In other cases, what starts out as a game turns sour and ends in a fight. To untangle all this, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to analyze your particular situation. And if need be, we’ll help you calm things down!

Simple strategies to avoid tension between cats

Healthy cohabitation depends on a suitable living environment. Cats don’t strictly defend a physical “territory ”, but rather divide up resources according to their interests and motivations. This makes it much easier to establish a peaceful routine when resources are plentiful. Conflicts associated with resource acquisition are avoided.

It is therefore advisable to install comfortable resting areas, water and food in several different places in the cats’ home range. There should also be one more litter box than the number of cats in the house. These resources should be placed in open, quiet areas regularly frequented by the cats.

In addition, enriching the environment with cat trees and elevated walkways helps meet their biological needs by making their living environment more interesting. What does this have to do with conflict? There are two, actually.

Firstly, navigating a “three-dimensional” living environment with cat trees, furniture or raised walkways makes it easier for cats to avoid each other. If they can refrain from running into each other, the risk of altercations diminishes. Secondly, it’s essential for a domestic cat to be able to climb, jump and observe the environment from an elevated promontory. When an animal feels stimulated, fighting is no longer the only entertainment option!

For the same reason, it is suggested that cat food be offered in interactive bowls. When cats have to make an effort to find and obtain their food, there’s less time left over for conflicting activities.

A final note on healthy cohabitation: if you are preparing to welcome a new cat and already live with at least one feline, a gradual introduction is advisable. The key to success when introducing cats to each other is to proceed step by step with gentleness and patience. That way, you’ll have every chance of fostering a lasting understanding between your cats.

How to avoid catfight triggers

Certain delicate situations in everyday life can be the source of conflict between cats. Here’s how to prevent them.

Altercations sometimes occur when a cat returns from a visit to a grooming center or veterinary clinic. For example, these behaviors may arise if the resident cat doesn’t recognize his fellow cat with a new haircut or lion haircut! It’s also possible that a cat who has undergone the stress of travel and professional care needs a little solitary rest. In any case, it’s always a good idea to confine a returning cat to a room with everything it needs (water, food, litter tray) for a few hours. When it’s time to let the cats interact, offering them treats or a much-appreciated meal helps to keep them in good spirits. A full belly can go a long way!

When two cats are living together again after a prolonged separation, it is advisable to apply thegradual introduction.

If, despite all your precautions, the relationship between your cats remains strained, it is best to consult Éduchateur for advice tailored to your personal situation. Rough general advice can be ineffective or even harmful if applied inappropriately. So never hesitate to contact us!

How do you react when two cats fight?

To a certain extent, cohabiting cats have to find their own strategies for dealing with their own conflicts. It is therefore not necessary to intervene if the cats show no signs of stress, or if their body language suggests that they are playing. However, care must be taken to ensure that none of the cats is harmed or inconvenienced by the play.

However, it can happen that you witness an altercation that degenerates and requires intervention. This is the case if :

a cat can be injured by biting or scratching;
a cat is showing signs of stress or suffering (curled up, soiled with urine or feces, cornered, etc.);
the quarrel takes the form of a “roulé-boulé” (a sort of combative somersault).

If an altercation gets out of hand, it’s highly inadvisable to reprimand cats, for example by saying “no” in a sharp, authoritarian tone, or by spraying them with water. Note that scolding is always to be avoided, whatever the context. However, in the case of an altercation, the consequences could prove particularly pernicious and the conflict could even escalate.

Instead, try to put an end to the altercation as quickly as possible, and avoid handling either cat at all costs. By coming between them or touching them directly, you risk being hurt in turn. Instead, throw a cushion close to the cats. A well-executed throw usually stops the altercation momentarily. As soon as the fight stops, use a blanket to separate the cats and guide one of them to a containment room.

Note that this isolation is not a punishment. It’s simply a way of ending the conflict and letting the dust settle. Confine the cat that best tolerates isolation with everything it needs: litter tray, water and food bowls (as far away from the litter tray as possible), blanket, etc.

Contact then as soon as possible. Altercations of this magnitude should be discussed with a feline behavior professional. Your pets’ health and safety are at stake. While awaiting the recommendations of an intervener, continue to isolate your cats as a preventive measure, especially as cats can remain reactive for several hours or even days after an altercation.

Observe, analyze… and keep your cool

Seeing misunderstandings between your beloved cats generates a lot of emotions in humans who care about their well-being. We’d really like them to be good companions! However, we sometimes have to accept that our cats tolerate each other, at best. And we also have to recognize when things are not going well. To help you sort things out, you may need to consult a specialist.

No matter what kind of relationship our little furry friends have, knowing cats “body language is a tremendous asset for analyzing their behavior and better discerning when to intervene. If you have any doubts or questions about your cats” cohabitation, why not film them in action? With this data in hand, we’ll be able to advise you on the next steps to take.

Finally, it’s also important to take care of yourself. Because keeping your cool is the key to overcoming small skirmishes and big conflicts!

Written by Marie-Ève André

Cat Behaviorist, Educator