Every cat owner likes to imagine a harmonious home where all of the cats get along and live happily together. In reality, that is not always the case. Cats are bound to fight with each other, even if it does not happen often. All cats have his or her own personality, get older, face pain, and assert dominance. Fighting amongst cats is not always alarming, but you should know the reasons why fights break out.
1. Your Cats Are Being Territorial
No matter how sweet your cat is, he or she is going to be territorial; that’s just how cats are. Since most people have more than one cat at home, it is not surprising that territorial issues eventually arise.
Cats can be territorial around a number of things in the house like:
- Cat beds
- Rooms that they like to be in
- Toys
- Resources like food, treats, and water
Even houses with plenty of space, resources, and toys could still have cats that fight with each other. One of the best ways to combat territorial fighting is to create a safe space for each of your cats to go to. Have a variety of locations for your cats to go to, such as high spots in your house or places that they can hide in.
2. Your Cats are Stressed
Stressed cats are more likely to strike or fight with other cats. There are many reasons why your cat or cats are stressed though. Perhaps you recently moved houses or simply rearranged furniture. Maybe you have a new partner that is starting to come by the house more. You could have done the right thing and brought in a kitten that was living outside. A multitude of things and events can stress your cats out – large or small – and lead to more fighting. Try some natural pet supplements to calm your cat or cats if you see that stress is generally a problem in your household.
You might even notice that your cats are fighting with the addition of a new pet – not a cat but a dog. Introducing a dog to your home can cause fighting amongst your cats because of the stress, even if the dog is not involved in the fights!
3. Playing is Turning into Fighting
Your cats might not be planning to fight when it happens. Sometimes, cats play rough. It could look like fighting, but for them, it’s a game they are playing. Even for them, playing could go too far, which means that playing can lead to fighting. Some of these physical signs of a fight can look like:
- One cat pushing another too far
- One cat being rougher than the other
- One cat wanting to be done when the other or others want to be finished
Playing that turns into fighting is less likely to be a consistent problem for your home, but you should still watch your cats’ body language while they are playing. For example, cats rolling on the ground together actually means that they are playing; rigid movements means that a fight is about to happen.
4. Pain Can Cause Fighting
Cats that are in pain could have a short temper. For example, think about when you hurt yourself or pull a muscle. Even if you are not in a bad mood, you could still be short with people who are around you. Others around you are not necessarily doing anything wrong, but your pain overrides everything else. In order to combat this, keep an eye on your cat for signs of pain, like changes in behavior, hiding, or general avoidance.
5. Older Cats Might Have a Short Temper
Old age can lead to more fighting.
I like to joke that older cats have been around the block and know what they do and do not like. This most often comes out when someone adopts a kitten when they already have an older cat at home. While general old age is usually the problem, older cats might also have declining mental capacity, so they may fight more.
6. Your Cats are Establishing Dominance
We have already discussed how cats are territorial, but they also fight if they are trying to establish dominance in the home. Nearly everyone who has two or more cats has seen that one of the cats will be the leader of the pack. Maybe they get the best sun spot in the house or are the first to start eating at dinner time. The cat that is trying to be the top cat in the house may fight with the other cats in the home until the other cats begin to listen and follow their lead.
7. Your Cats Aren’t Fixed
Cats have different personalities before and after they are fixed. Female unfixed cats are likely to be more aggressive with all other animals because of hormones. Male cats, on the other hand, are also aggressive but tend to show bad behavior toward other male cats, whether they are fixed or not.
Spaying or neutering your cats is a good way to change their aggressive behavior that causes fights in your home.
8. Your Cats Simply Do Not Get Along
Pets won’t always live in harmony for no other reason than they just do not get along.
Pets are similar to friend groups. Before coming into your home, your pets did not know each other unless they were adopted from the same litter or home. You can do all you can to make your cats get along, yet they may just not like each other. There are ways that you can temper their fighting, like proper cat socialization and introduction, but that does not mean that they will begin to love each other and spend time cuddling.
