Changes

A spanish study of 336 cats referred to a behavioural clinic found that 17.2% involved a complaint relating to aggression toward people; 43.1% of human directed aggression involved play, and 39.6% involved petting, with a significant overlap<ref name="Amat">Amat, M., Ruiz-de-la-Torre, J.L., Fatjo, J., Mariotti, V.M., van Wijk, S., Manteca, X. (2009) Potential risk factors associated with feline behaviour problems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 121, 134-139.</ref>. However, referral populations such as those surveyed in that study are likely to be biased. A Brazilian survey of cat owners recruited from a general clinic population identified a similar pattern of eliciting situations for aggression, but with a very high overall prevalence of 49.5%<ref name="Ramos">Ramos, D., Mills, D.A. (2009) Human directed aggression in Brazilian domestic cats: owner reported prevalence, contexts and risk factors. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 11. 835-841.</ref>. Those authors reported that the commonest situations that elicited aggression toward the owner were when the cat was petted or put onto a lap, during play, when startled, when observing an unfamiliar animal, when in the presence of unfamiliar people and when protecting food or territory. Aggression during petting and when put on a lap were the most common. Aggression was associated with an early traumatic event and outside access. Cats that did not like being stroked or did not get on well with other animals that they had contact with were more likely to show aggression in general. However, a range of other factors, including age, sex, neuter status, accommodation, origin, and social contact with people and other cats were not significantly associated with increased aggression. However, the population of aggressive cats in this study was small (107 cats).  There is also evidence that a significant proportion of cats become stressed by human contact even though they appear to tolerate it<ref>Ramos, D., Reche-Junior, A., Fragosos, P.L., Palme, R., Yanasse, N.K., Gouvea, V.R., Beck, A., Mills, D.S. (2013) Are cats (Felis catus) from multi-cat households more stressed? Evidence from assessment of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analysis. Physiology and Behavior. 122, 72-75.</ref>. These authors also suggested that cats that found human contact stressful were better able to avoid it when living in a group with other cats. Aggression due to human interaction is probably a common but under-presented problem that owners rarely seek help for, probably because it is easier to accommodate the cat's behaviour by reducing interaction with it.

A spanish study of 336 cats referred to a behavioural clinic found that 17.2% involved a complaint relating to aggression toward people; 43.1% of human directed aggression involved play, and 39.6% involved petting, with a significant overlap<ref name="Amat">Amat, M., Ruiz-de-la-Torre, J.L., Fatjo, J., Mariotti, V.M., van Wijk, S., Manteca, X. (2009) Potential risk factors associated with feline behaviour problems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 121, 134-139.</ref>. However, referral populations such as those surveyed in that study are likely to be biased. A Brazilian survey of cat owners recruited from a general clinic population identified a similar pattern of eliciting situations for aggression, but with a very high overall prevalence of 49.5%<ref name="Ramos">Ramos, D., Mills, D.A. (2009) Human directed aggression in Brazilian domestic cats: owner reported prevalence, contexts and risk factors. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 11. 835-841.</ref>. Those authors reported that the commonest situations that elicited aggression toward the owner were when the cat was petted or put onto a lap, during play, when startled, when observing an unfamiliar animal, when in the presence of unfamiliar people and when protecting food or territory. Aggression during petting and when put on a lap were the most common. Aggression was associated with an early traumatic event and outside access. Cats that did not like being stroked or did not get on well with other animals that they had contact with were more likely to show aggression in general. However, a range of other factors, including age, sex, neuter status, accommodation, origin, and social contact with people and other cats were not significantly associated with increased aggression. However, the population of aggressive cats in this study was small (107 cats).  There is also evidence that a significant proportion of cats become stressed by human contact even though they appear to tolerate it<ref>Ramos, D., Reche-Junior, A., Fragosos, P.L., Palme, R., Yanasse, N.K., Gouvea, V.R., Beck, A., Mills, D.S. (2013) Are cats (Felis catus) from multi-cat households more stressed? Evidence from assessment of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analysis. Physiology and Behavior. 122, 72-75.</ref>. These authors also suggested that cats that found human contact stressful were better able to avoid it when living in a group with other cats. Aggression due to human interaction is probably a common but under-presented problem that owners rarely seek help for, probably because it is easier to accommodate the cat's behaviour by reducing interaction with it.

==Diagnosis==

==Investigation==

[[Feline Aggression|Aggression]] is often seen when the person reciprocates the cat’s initial greeting or when the cat is approached. Until this point the cat may be showing [[Feline Communication Behaviour#Affiliative Behaviour|'''affiliative behaviour''']] such as '''slow blinking''' or '''tail up''', and will often show a relaxed body posture. The owner describes the cat’s behaviour as unpredictable and suggests that the cat suddenly enters a state of confusion or panic as the interaction proceeds. The cat appears to enjoy a brief amount of physical contact but then suddenly turns aggressive without warning, often grabbing the owner’s arm with its front legs and raking with the back ones. After the incident the cat will often move away and begin to exhibit displacement behaviour, such as grooming. This indicates that the cat is experiencing an amount of unresolved emotional conflict. The lack of predictability often relates to inadequate ability to correctly interpret changes in the cat’s body language as it is approached or handled, combined with the owner’s expectation that the cat ought to understand that the approach is intended to be friendly.  

[[Feline Aggression|Aggression]] is often seen when the person reciprocates the cat’s initial greeting or when the cat is approached. Until this point the cat may be showing [[Feline Communication Behaviour#Affiliative Behaviour|'''affiliative behaviour''']] such as '''slow blinking''' or '''tail up''', and will often show a relaxed body posture. The owner describes the cat’s behaviour as unpredictable and suggests that the cat suddenly enters a state of confusion or panic as the interaction proceeds. The cat appears to enjoy a brief amount of physical contact but then suddenly turns aggressive without warning, often grabbing the owner’s arm with its front legs and raking with the back ones. After the incident the cat will often move away and begin to exhibit displacement behaviour, such as grooming. This indicates that the cat is experiencing an amount of unresolved emotional conflict. The lack of predictability often relates to inadequate ability to correctly interpret changes in the cat’s body language as it is approached or handled, combined with the owner’s expectation that the cat ought to understand that the approach is intended to be friendly.