Species

Cats

Mean Age and Range

Generally 6–52 weeks

General Comments

Historical Findings

Aggressive Play Directed toward People or Other Cats in the Household

• Normal species-typical behavior but without appropriate social interaction with conspecifics, the behavior can become uninhibited and injurious.
• Owners may encourage inappropriate interactive play by promoting play with human body parts (fingers, hands, feet).
• Lack of outlets for appropriate play.

Play Directed toward Objects in the Household

Normal species-typical behavior beginning at 7–8 weeks of age.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Due to Lack of Early Socialization

No or minimal amount of exposure to people before 7–9 weeks of age.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Related to Early Trauma

Early traumatic event

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Related to Correction Techniques

Normal until “corrected” by person, e.g., spanked, swatted, flicked on nose, yelled at, chased.

Aggressive Play Directed toward People

• Only cat in the household, orphan hand-reared kitten or adoption prior to 6 weeks of age.
• Insufficient appropriate outlets for normal play and exploration.
• Encouragement of inappropriate play (e.g., with hands, fingers, feet).

Play Directed toward Objects in the Household

• Lack of sufficient enrichment including toys and interactive play with people or other animals.
• Only pet in household.

Scratching

Lack of appropriate scratching outlets.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors

• Lack of appropriate socialization with people, use of punishments and other traumatic experience(s).
• Removing kittens less than 2 weeks of age from queen may result in markedly fearful and overly aggressive kittens towards humans and other cats

Play Aggression toward People

Differentiate normal play from the more serious, uninhibited play aggression.

Excessive Play/Destructive Behaviors

None

Scratching

Nail maintenance, marking, or play-related

Fearful and Defensive Behaviors

Central nervous system diseases, pain, metabolic disorders, endocrinopathies (e.g., hyperthyroidism), pain.

Aggressive Play Directed toward People

• Owner needs to provide and initiate regular interactive play that allows for hunt, stalk and attack behaviors directed at appropriate toys or objects. Ensure owners never use hands, fingers, feet to encourage play.
• Most effective treatment may be to acquire an additional kitten of the same size and temperament.
• Redirection: Identify the situations in which the attacks may occur. Watch for signs of dilated pupils, stalking, crouching, tail swishing. Be prepared to redirect the play to another object (e.g., tossing a wadded piece of paper or chasing a toy) or to cue and reward alternative desirable behaviors that the kitten has learned (e.g., go to mat, sit/watch, let's eat, let's play).
• Educate the client to not hit, or swat, on nose with fingers as this may encourage rougher play from the kitten.
• Immediately stop play for inappropriate behaviors.
• May use a startling noise or hiss to distract the kitten, then stop all play by withdrawing from and then ignoring the kitten.
• Frequent trimming of tips of claws helps reduce damage caused by nails.
• If injuries are being caused by claws, declawing may be considered in severe cases where kitten is at risk of relinquishment, or for immunocompromised owners.

Aggressive Play Directed toward Other Cats in the Household

• Acquire additional kitten of the same size and temperament of the problem kitten.
• Watch for signs and redirect into alternative acceptable behaviors (sit/watch, go to mat)
• Problem kitten and other cat should have restricted access to each other at times when problems might arise
• Startling, punitive techniques may aversively affect the other cat and are not recommended.
• Provide appropriate outlets for predatory behaviors with the problem kitten on a regular, daily basis using toys or objects.

Play That Is Excessive and/or Destructive, and Scratching

• Put valuable, breakable, or dangerous objects away.
• Provide appropriate toys for the kitten and rotate every few days to maintain novelty and interest.
• Interactive play with kitten using toys or objects on a daily basis.
• “Booby traps” may be used to keep kitten from a few select objects or areas. Excessive use of such items might result in generalized anxiety.
• Provide scratching posts of variable materials and assure they are long enough and stable enough for the cat to stretch and scratch.
• Place scratching stations in commonly used areas and encourage use with catnip, treats, and integrating perches and resting areas.
• Make inappropriately scratched areas less desirable (e.g., double sided sticky tape, plastic).
• Frequent trimming of claws.
• Declawing is a humane concern; however several studies indicate that declawing is not psychologically harmful to cats. Therefore, declawing may be preferable to relinquishment.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Due to Lack of Early Socialization or from Early Trauma

• Gradual exposure to people without forcing interactions.
• The kitten should be housed where it is comfortable and where it can remove itself from view but be frequently aware of people.
• Counter-conditioning generally required. Highly enticing food and treats should be offered. Initially, food can be put in or near hiding area. Gradually food is placed farther from hiding area and closer to where a person is stationary. No attempt should be made to grab or hold the kitten. Eventually the food may be given by hand or on the person's lap. Toys on strings can be used to entice the kitten to play.
• Important principles to remember are to let the kitten make the advances-not the person-and avoid scaring the kitten by forcing interaction or preventing escape.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Related to Correction Techniques

Identify and cease inappropriate punishment.

Normal Play Behaviors Directed toward People, Other Cats, and Household Objects

Reduction or resolution of problem when appropriate treatment protocols are followed. As the kitten ages, many of these behaviors begin to wane.

Uninhibited Aggressive Play Directed toward People

• Guarded prognosis
• Aggression may become more severe and injurious with maturity. A better prognosis is given to those cases that are caught early and appropriately counseled or by obtaining a second compatible cat.

Scratching

Generally, if can successfully divert and reward for using appropriate scratching surfaces, the prognosis is good, and as the kitten matures, the behaviors wane. For cats with a high drive to scratch, long-term management is needed.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Due to Lack of Early Socialization or Related to Early Trauma

• Kittens will vary in the degree to which they acclimate to people; maximal improvement may take months or even years; some may never be comfortable around people.
• The longer the interval from 3 weeks of age to exposure to people, the poorer the prognosis.
• The more intense the early trauma, the poorer the prognosis.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Related to Correction Techniques

• Can resolve quickly if corrections have not been used frequently, have not been severe, and the clients follow advice to replace these techniques with reward-based, avoidance, and redirection procedures.

Fear and Defensive Behaviors Due to Lack of Early Socialization

During the sensitive period, between 3–7 weeks, the kitten must be exposed to people to prevent fearful and defensive responses to them.