Aggression
Toward Kittens
It
has been observed that occasionally
a male cat will kill young kittens.
This is possible, and usually
occurs in free ranging cats
where a new "Tomcat"
(unneutered male) enters and
takes over an existing group.
Killing the young kittens facilitates
the queen coming into season
again. It has been postulated
(Overall, 1997) that this function ensures male cat certainty
in paternity for kittens
raised on resources in his territory.
Very
rarely a female will kill her
own young. This is thought to
reflect a poor maternal instinct,
coupled with an abnormally elevated
predatory instinct. If this
occurs, the queen should be
spayed.
In multiple cat households,
cats may fight if resources
are limited. Resources
include food, water,
scratching posts, beds,
litterboxes and human
attention. Up the
resources to lower the
aggression. |
Aggression
Between Adult Cats
Cats
often fight among themselves
for a variety of reasons including
fighting over territory or a
female in heat. If allowed to
roam, all cats are at much higher
risk for disease and fight injuries
than neutered cats. In some
cases, the cats will never get
along, and must be permanently
separated.
However, in most
cases it is recommended to keep
cats 100% indoors, and follow
some simple guidelines to keep
the number of cats down, and
the positive social interaction
up.