Changes

The cat’s primary defence strategy is to '''escape or avoid conflict'''. Cats do not possess the same repertoire of appeasement behaviours to halt or modulate [[Feline Aggression Towards Cats|intra-specific aggression]] as are seen in dogs, so physical confrontation at close quarters is likely to escalate quickly and result in serious injury to both parties. To avoid such situations, cats use distance increasing and maintaining behaviours, such as body postures, vocal signals and scent marks. If escape is impossible, then cats will often freeze and deliver a range of threatening behaviours, including postural and vocal signals, designed to repel or hold the threat at bay. Meanwhile, the cat will re-evaluate its opportunities for escape. Attacks may be sudden and brief, and again aimed at repelling the threat so as to re-open an opportunity for escape. Cats will most often become aggressive when conflict is over a survival resource (including territory) or when escape from conflict is impossible; such as when the animal is debilitated or confined. However, if a cat has repeated experience of sustained threat or punishment when it attempts to escape, then it may learn to shift to an offensive pattern of aggression instead of escape. Aggression is most likely to be sustained when a cat is defending territory from an intruder.

The cat’s primary defence strategy is to '''escape or avoid conflict'''. Cats do not possess the same repertoire of appeasement behaviours to halt or modulate [[Feline Aggression Towards Cats|intra-specific aggression]] as are seen in dogs, so physical confrontation at close quarters is likely to escalate quickly and result in serious injury to both parties. To avoid such situations, cats use distance increasing and maintaining behaviours, such as body postures, vocal signals and scent marks. If escape is impossible, then cats will often freeze and deliver a range of threatening behaviours, including postural and vocal signals, designed to repel or hold the threat at bay. Meanwhile, the cat will re-evaluate its opportunities for escape. Attacks may be sudden and brief, and again aimed at repelling the threat so as to re-open an opportunity for escape. Cats will most often become aggressive when conflict is over a survival resource (including territory) or when escape from conflict is impossible; such as when the animal is debilitated or confined. However, if a cat has repeated experience of sustained threat or punishment when it attempts to escape, then it may learn to shift to an offensive pattern of aggression instead of escape. Aggression is most likely to be sustained when a cat is defending territory from an intruder.

==Aggressive Sequence==

==Aggressive signals==

The feline aggressive sequence shares some similarities with other species; non-specific increases in body tension and threatening eye contact for example. In addition there is a range of feline aggressive displays which involve whole body and facial components. The cat may attempt to present itself as as an active threat by '''increasing its apparent stature''' (piloerection, sideways body arched posture), or it may attempt to reduce the threat it poses by '''flattening onto the ground''' and adopting a self-defensive posture. These whole body postures are a reliable indicator of the cat’s attitude to a situation but they are relatively static and do not indicate the moment-by-moment shift in the cat’s reaction. For this it is better to look at facial signals such as head and ear position, and other expressions involving the mouth and eyes.

Feline aggressive signalling shares some similarities with other species; for example, staring eye contact, and body postures that attempt to make the individual look larger and more threatening by '''increasing its apparent stature''' (piloerection, sideways body arched posture). A cat may alternatively attempt to reduce the threat it poses by '''flattening onto the ground''' and adopting a self-defensive posture. Whole body postures are a reliable indicator of the cat’s attitude to a situation but because it takes tome to short from one body posture to another, and therefore do not indicate the moment-by-moment shift in the cat’s reaction. For this it is better to look at facial signals such as head and ear position, and other expressions involving the mouth and eyes. The '''transition from a defensive posture to an attack may be very sudden''' in cats. It is therefore very important to be able to read and appropriately respond to changes in facial signalling that indicate the cat’s increasing sense of vulnerability which may precede an aggressive outburst.

 

One very important point is that the '''transition from a static defensive posture to an attack may be very sudden''' in cats. It is therefore very important to be able to read and appropriately respond to changes in facial signalling that indicate the cat’s increasing sense of vulnerability which may precede an aggressive outburst.

'''Important warning signs''' include:

'''Important warning signs''' include:

*Tail twitching

*Tail twitching and thrashing

*Flattening of the ears

*Flattening or backward rotation of the ears

*Stiffening of the shoulders and legs  

*Stiffening of the shoulders and legs  

*Dilatation of pupils

*Mydriasis

*Hissing and spitting

*Vocalisation (e.g. Hissing and spitting)

It is very important that owners do not attempt to soothe or calm the cat when it is showing this behaviour. Cats that are frozen in a self-defensive crouch are very close to launching an attack when provoked. They should look away from the cat and slowly move away.

It is very important that owners do not attempt to soothe or calm a cat when it is showing this behaviour (they must not pick the cat up, for example). Cats that are frozen in a self-defensive crouch are very close to launching an attack if provoked. It is best to break eyes contact, move away and allow the cat to settle.

==Classification==

==Classification==