Although fear aggression is more common in dogs than in cats, it is not unknown to feline behaviorists, and cat owners.

Most often fear aggression is seen in cats that have been declawed. These cats exhibit what is known as a heightened 'flight or fight' response, often making them overreact to a situation. Similarly cats who were mishandled in their past, weaned too young, or who were not well socialized, may exhibit fear aggression from time to time.

Owners should also look at their pets diet as a contributor. Some ingredients, particularly food color dyes, have been associated with causing negative behaviors. Foods containing a lot of filler (corn, and by-products), may result in a cat who is having a hard time absorbing the nutrients it needs, as such this may have an affect on how the cats brain reacts to some situations.

Treatments

The key is to catching the problem early and retraining the cat by desensitizing it to the fear. Gently exposing a cat to a fearful situation while offering it treats at the same time is a great way to help a cat overcome its fear. An example of such a situation would be if a cat is scared of visitors, have somebody pop over and while they are there, offer your cat a small amount of canned food. If it overcomes the fear, it has no reason to react with aggression. When you do this, make sure you are not rewarding the cat for its fear. Offer the food and treats before the cat has responded negatively.

When a cat feels threatened it thinks to itself, "should I run or should I fight", as mentioned earlier, this is their "flight or fight" response. If your cat is one that decides "fight" is a better option, make sure you allow it an escape route, so that when threatened, it can opt for leaving rather than fighting. Use your body language and position so that the cat clearly sees a route out of the room, or situation.

Do not train a cat to be fearful. Some owners, when they think a thunderstorm is approaching, pick up and stroke (soothe) their cat, this may teach the cat that thunderstorms are something to be afraid of.

Some people will suggest squirting a cat with water, while this is fine for treating general aggression, it is a cruel thing to do for treating aggression as the result of being afraid. Similarly a cat who is spanked or kicked because it is acting out of fear, will only become more fearful, and more aggressive, or shy.

This is not an overnight job, and in some cases it is almost impossible, due to trauma which cannot be undone, for example there is no cure for a declaw surgery. The negative behavior, such as biting out of fear, is a common, known, side effect of being declawed. You cannot punish the cat for acting a certain way. You can merely work with the kitty to help reduce his, or her, anxiety. A cat who was abused in the past might not even remember the abuse, but it remembers the fear.

Management

One longterm management for fear aggression is by using the Bach Flower rescue remedy. This is a homeopathic remedy often used by animal shelters to reduce pets anxiety. An owner can put drops of the remedy into their cats water, and many people swear by it. Bach Flower rescue remedy is available in most health food stores.

Make guests aware that your kitty has fear issues. If your cat does not like strangers, or children, make them aware not to approach, or chase, the cat. If your cat is fearful of dogs, ask visitors to keep their dog on a leash or leave it at home. Overall being sympathetic to your cat about a fearful situation and not stressing it further is a helpful way of getting them not to respond aggressively.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
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