One of the most common cases of feline behavior I see is cat conflict, which is fights or conflicts between cats living in the same house. There are so many things that can cause this, from health issues with one or more cats to a rogue neighborhood cat coming onto the property and stressing everyone out. While there are some minor variations in how I approach this problem, a general roadmap is presented:
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Management. The goal of management is twofold: the first is to prevent cats from continuing to engage in altercations. The second is to prevent cats from continuing to create a negative association with each other. For example, if a cat subtly prevents another cat from accessing the litter box by placing itself on the threshold of the room where the litter boxes are located, this creates stress for the cat that is the victim. The “bully” cat is a predictor of stress/fear.
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Management may include changes in the environment to reduce stress (including separating conflicting cats), incorporating some sort of stress relief product, and increasing mental enrichment (which burns four times more energy than physical exercise and is a natural). stress relief).
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Once we have a solid management plan in place, we are then ready to train. Yes, cats have the ability to learn! A saying that Jolene and I use frequently is that “behavioral science applies to all species”, which simply means that all sentient beings have the capacity to learn and that the manner in which they learn is similar across all species. areas.
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We begin by teaching all cats involved a marker word or sound, then move on to teaching basic cues and healthy coping mechanisms. These are tools in the toolbox of cats as well as humans that help them navigate stressful/tense social situations in order to avoid an altercation.
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Fundamental cues may include hand targeting, a flight signal, mat training, and relaxation protocols.
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Once the fundamental cues are mastered, we can then get to the meat of the plan, which is changing the cats’ association with each other in order to create lasting behavior change. This is the part of the plan that takes the most time. A realistic timeline for most cases of cat conflict is progress measured in months, not weeks.
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Changing emotional associations are accomplished through a process called desensitization and counterconditioning, playing pattern games, and making good social decisions.
Working with an experienced feline behavior consultant is crucial to success, as many factors come into play when deciding when cats are ready for the next level of difficulty in the game plan, such as being in the same room as each other. The big takeaway is that it IS possible to create peace in your home with management, consistency, and commitment.