How to Keep an Aggressive Cat Away From a Passive Cat

Not all cats get along, and most cats are territorial by nature. Nursing queens, for example, are very protective over their kittens just as males are over their territory. When keeping an aggressive cat away from a passive cat, it is important to understand the types of aggression and their triggers to obtain effective results. While not all cats can be taught to become friends, you can achieve peaceful cohabitations in the form of truces and tolerant behavior.

Things You'll Need

  • Low-fat cat treats
  • Cat toys
  • Cat brush
  • Two food dishes
  • Two water dishes
  • Two litter pans
  • Two cat beds (towels will work)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Begin your introduction of two cats by providing each cat its own space -- letting both cats have their own room is an ideal situation -- in different parts of the house to reduce territorial anxiety and prevent fights.

    • 2

      Understand the different types of aggression between cats. Rough play is not the same as territorial aggression toward a passive cat.

    • 3

      Provide identical but separate food bowls, water dishes, beds and litter pans for competing cats to reduce territorial aggressiveness.

    • 4

      Neuter tomcats. Unaltered males fight over territory, including female cats and food bowls.

    • 5

      Switch out rooms and rotate feeding dishes to gradually introduce new smells to new or competing cats to reduce anxiety and stress for everyone involved.

    • 6

      Make introductions slowly, crating cats at opposite ends of the room for a few minutes a couple of times a day until signs of aggression are gone.

    • 7

      Slowly introduce social playtime a few minutes a day a couple of times a day in a communal room when cats are no longer showing signs of aggression.

    • 8

      Offer plenty of toys and climbing trees in communal areas to release excessive energy, which prevents redirected aggression and offers places for less dominant cats to hide.

    • 9

      Reward good behavior with treats when competing cats interact appropriately in communal space and during playtime. Providing treats reinforces good socializing behaviors with a positive.

    • 10

      Refrain from punishing cats for fighting. Punishing an aggressive cat agitates an already aggravated situation and directs aggression towards the handler.

    • 11

      Do not allow cats to fight it out. Quietly interrupt fights or acts of aggression with a few spurts of lukewarm water from a clean spray bottle.

    • 12

      Gradually move each cat̵7;s belongings closer together by placing the separate food bowls, water dishes, beds and litter pans at separate ends of the same room until a truce is obtained and training methods have taken effect.

    • 13

      Schedule regular veterinary visits for exams and vaccinations. Some types of aggression are directly linked to health and illness. Arthritic cats, for example, are less tolerant than healthy cats.