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Cats fights can happen for
many reasons. As an owner it can be very distressing to see your
cats fight each other. Fortunately there are some simple measures
you can take to prevent it from happening again.
There are lots of reasons for
two cats to fight. One of the most common reasons is a new cat
that was introduced into the house fighting with the older cats.
This a normal response, because cats were once wild animals and
needed to defend their territories from other cats.
Dogs live in packs so a social
hierarchy is a normal thing. Cats normally live life alone not
in packs so when you put a bunch together in a house there is
bound to be some stress. It is normal for new animals to fight
or at least show some aggression towards each other but there
are some things you can do.
When introducing new cats into
your house, try to isolate the new cat in a room by itself for
a couple of days so it gets used to the smell of the house. Also
by keeping the cats separated by a door they can smell each other
from underneath the door which allows them to get used to each
others scents.
Different scents is a big reason
why cats and other animals fight or may not accept each other.
This is way a period of separation between a door is a good idea.
For many people when thy take
an animal to the vet and bring it home the other cats won't accept
him simply because he has a strange scent on him. Normally if
an animal had surgery at the veterinary clinic the scent from
the alcohol or betadine can stay with an animal causing the other
animals to not accept the cat.
If your new cats are fighting,
only allow them supervised contact by you and only allow brief
contact. Once the initial hissing dies down, and both cats have
been in the house for few weeks they should accept each other.
The Cat Behavior Specialist
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