# Dominance-based aggression



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I posted a call for help with our aggressive cat a couple of weeks ago but I didn't get a lot of responses so I thought I'd post under a more specific title.

Our neutered male cat has serious dominace-based human and dog-targeted aggression and we spend much of the time in fear of him. We have been using behavioural management throughout his life (4 years), particularly as is recommended for this type of aggression in the last few months but he is only marginally better. He is on Feliway, which take a little of the edge of the intensity buty isn't a solution. He displays all of the classic dominance issues: being very pushy and insistent and controlling over everyone, refusing to move from his favourite spots, lying in doorways and in front of people and the dog, yowling loudly to get his way, aggressive food and attention begging, petting-induced aggression and quick over stimulation, aggressive play, attacking visitors, compuslive digging, and territorial spraying.

Our behaviour management includes: Nothing-in-life-is-free methods (he sits on command and must to do so for food an attention), ignoring any aggressive begging or yowling, playing only when he is calm and rewarding calm behaviour with lots of praise (treats make him aggressive), giving him time-outs when he is over-stimulated or attacks and ensuring that visitors completely ignore him.

Managing his behaviour daily is taxing and even though we love him because he is part of our family and we realize that this is genetic, there are few redeeming features about this cat. While my husband and I and the dog can DEAL, he would certainly not be safe once we have children in the next few years. 

We are considering putting him on medication as a last resort. His over-stimulation issues and compulsive digging tells us there is also a chemical imbalance of some sort but the vets have been useless on this issue.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jackie


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I'm a professional dog trainer, and I don't use terms like "dominance-based aggression" with DOGS, let alone cats. Dogs are pack animals, yes, but inter-dog relationships are far more complicated than X is "alpha" and Z is "beta." In addition, dogs know we are not dogs. Acting as if you ARE a dog is a really good way to get bitten (b/c that is how dogs interact normally w/ each other).

As for cats . . . well. They are not pack animals, do not live in anything even remotely resembling a hierarchical structure, and there is really no place for suggesting that cats are trying to be "dominant" in relation to human beings. 

Aggression in cats is generally attributable to a few things:

(1) Feline hyperesthesia syndrome ( http://www.vshsd.com/For_Veterinarians- ... ndrome.pdf ); 

(2) Redirected aggression ( http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression3.html );

(3) Cat being feral;

(4) Cat having been punished and having learned to defend himself first, before the person can strike.

In all cases it can be made worse by declawing (as the cat has lost his first line of defense).



jackie_hubert said:


> He displays all of the classic dominance issues: being very pushy and insistent and controlling over everyone, refusing to move from his favourite spots, lying in doorways and in front of people and the dog, yowling loudly to get his way, aggressive food and attention begging,  petting-induced aggression and quick over stimulation, aggressive play, attacking visitors, compuslive digging, and territorial spraying.


The items highlighted in BLUE above are pretty normal cat behaviors. That is how cats ARE. Is this, perhaps, your first cat? Do you have only one cat or several? My cats have all done most of those things to some extent. Single cats, however, can sometimes exhibit behaviors like this more strongly b/c they are lonely and have no other cat with whom to work out their natural tendencies.

The items in red suggest FHS (see above). The best way to deal with it, in addition to possible medication (anti-depressants usually, but you should consult a veterinary behaviorist about that, not your regular vet!), is to refrain from petting the cat unless he directly solicits petting and even then, only pet a few times and then stop. My cat Lincoln was a serious, big-time biter when I adopted him, and over the years, through my respecting his space and letting him make the choices about contact, he has become a truly affectionate, lovely cat. The key is letting the cat make the moves and respecting his choice NOT to be petted. That is how trust is earned.

Attacking visitors: If by "attacking" you mean the same things as highlighted in blue, but done to a visitor rather than to you, I would recommend confining him to 1 room when you have guests or, alternatively, having the guests just not interact with him.

Spraying: Have you had a complete blood workup and urinalysis performed? Cats really do not spray for territorial reasons in most cases--there is almost always a medical reason, even if it can be hard to find. If he has had crystals or a UTI for months at a low-grade level, that might also account for some of the other behaviors.

Honestly, this all sounds a bit like folks who just aren't used to cats. Other than the urination (which is probably medical), he sounds like a fairly normal single cat who has no one of his own species to interact with. Some cats do just fine alone, but others most decidedly do not. Cats tend to play VERY rough w/ other cats--you should see my 3! OMG! If they played with me that way I would be a mess--but they have each other and they take out all their aggressive play with their brothers.


----------



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Oh my...well...

We considered FHS but it does not seem to fit. 

His behaviours are not in the normal range for most cats. I am a manager at the SPCA and work with cats professionally and certainly am not unfamiliar with cat behaviour. Recent research has shown that while cats are not pack animals they exhibit dynamic hierarchical behaviour, some cats more than others, and can direct this towards humans.

Good to see that there is another dog trainer here. I train guide dogs.


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Well, my problem w/ the terminology is that when one thinks that the dog/cat is trying to "dominate" them, they are more likely to use punishment-based methods. Basically, I agree 100% w/ this AVSAB article:

http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/ ... tement.pdf

It's mostly about dogs, but IMO it applies at least as much to cats.

I simply cannot agree that any kind of "dominance" language has a place when dealing with cats. Cats react to being told what to do very poorly. You mentioned things like "refusing to move from his favourite spots, lying in doorways and in front of people and the dog," and I don't understand why this is a problem. Why shouldn't he lie in doorways? I cannot imagine a situation in which I would force a cat to leave his favorite spot. 

My dogs are all well-trained (pos reinforcement only) and it is certainly possible to train cats to do lots of things--but the ONLY way is via positive reinforcement. There's a reason why 100% of Hollywood movie cats are clicker trained! The key with good training is teaching the animal TO do something, rather than NOT to do something. Sometimes that means teaching an alternative behavior to the one that you don't like. But it also means choosing your battles. IMO worrying about the kitty lying in doorways is a battle that is not only not worth fighting, but the fact that you are fighting it is almost surely contributing to the problems you're having. IMO constantly trying to show the cat your "dominance" over him is probably making him paranoid and untrusting at best, and overtly annoyed at worst. 

Try just letting him be for a while. Get some interactive toys (the Cat Dancer and Da Bird are our favorites) and take time every day for at least 2 good, hard play sessions using the toys. Try giving him "kitty kisses" when you catch his eyes--make your eyes soft and sloooowly drop your lids. Hold your eyes closed for a few seconds and slooooowly open them again. When he will "kiss" back at you, you're starting to earn back his trust!

Make sure he has an excellent scratching post (like this one: http://www.purrfectpost.com/ ) and plenty of high places he can go. Instead of constantly worrying about his "dominating" you, go out of your way show him respect. Ignoring behavior you don't like is fine, but be sure to go out of your way to praise him for behavior you DO like.

It's certainly up to you how you proceed. But a lot of warning bells go off for me when I read about "dominance." It's not even as much about what you DO as what you THINK -- b/c cats are very sensitive to emotions and feelings, they really do pick up on that. Try thinking warm and fuzzy thoughts and focusing on his wonderful catness instead of all the things you think he does wrong.


----------



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Thanks!

We are doing every one of the things you suggest and are not doing any of the things you suggest not to do.

...for 4 years.


----------



## GeorgesMom (May 12, 2010)

hoofmaiden said:


> I simply cannot agree that any kind of "dominance" language has a place when dealing with cats. Cats react to being told what to do very poorly. You mentioned things like "refusing to move from his favourite spots, lying in doorways and in front of people and the dog," and I don't understand why this is a problem. Why shouldn't he lie in doorways? I cannot imagine a situation in which I would force a cat to leave his favorite spot.


I agree. In fact, I rather think I should retract my suggestion about the 'shakey can' on your other thread. There, you mentioned that he gets aggressive if you try to move him 'from somewhere he knows he's not allowed.' Re-reading this in light of your other comments suggests the kitty is hanging out in a place he likes and here comes (from his perspective) the crazy mean person who's always following him around picking on him, so he has to defend himself.

Powdie is 16 1/2 years old. For over 13 of those years we have tried to keep her off the counter. Guess where she was this morning? The most we can hope for is that she jumps down on her own when we catch her there. She knows we don't like it when she's up there, but our opinions on the subject are not enough to change her behavior. I just disinfect the counter when I cook. 

Pauli is 14. For the 7 years we have lived in our current house, she has persisted in sleeping in the closet, getting her long hair all over the low-hanging clothes. We have tried to discourage her from doing this, and have tried to block her access, with minimal success (she can paw open the doors). Guess where she was this morning? She is an easily startled kitty and it breaks my heart to see her run in fear, so since the blocking access doesn't work, we gently remove her from the closet when we find her there, but pet her and give her kitty kisses so she does not lose her trust of us, which would definitely happen if I were to start trying to 'correct her behavior' and obsessing about whether she 'acknowledges my dominance of her.'

Our cats trust us, and maintaining that trust is far more important to me than having to rewash a shirt or not having to disinfect a counter.

In fact, when I think of the times I have seen a cat hiss and swat at another cat and at a human, it was not dominance-based aggression (dominant animals don't need to be aggressive over those submissive to them) but submissive fear from being picked on for (in the cat's opinion) no good reason.

If there are places your cat must not be allowed, then figure out how to block his access to them. Don't bother trying to teach him it's "prohibited" (in my opinion cats don't really understand the concept of prohibited locations), or worry about whether he's trying to dominate you by 'breaking the rules.'


----------



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

I agree!

Our situation is a little different however. 

Let me give you an example.

I'll be on the computer. He'll hope onto the table and lie on top of the keyboard as I type. I do nothing but sit there, maybe even give him a pet. If I hang around, however, even if I don't touch him at all, he will begin to be agitated; tail twitching, pupils dialated. Seconds later he will reach out for my arm, launch himself at my shoulder, wrapping around it and bite. He'll then run away, tail curled like crazy. This could, I would imagine, be misconstrued as play behaviour but his playing behaviour is far less...obsessive and manic.

Let me reiterate, that I am not trying to poke him while he is sleeping on his bed, etc. He has many places where he is welcome to lie. I try to remove him only from places that I need to use. I don't think it is too much of me to ask to be able to use my computer. 

By lying in doorways, what I mean is, blocking entrances and exits by yowling loudly and tail twiching when you try to use that corridor. If you get close he may grab onto you. This again, is not play behaviour. 

I should tell you also that because of some strange behaviours as a kitten no one wanted him, so we took him. He showed propensity for this type of behaviour from the start. 

We do lots of trust building activities that are particularly scheduled into our day. Again, I train animals and completely understand the need for bonding, trust and positive reinformcement. We do not use punishment at all.


----------



## ChelleBelle (Sep 14, 2009)

It sounds to me like one they refer to in some cat behavior books as a bully cat. My orange furball had some of these tendencies, but not to the level of your cat. Have you tried in holistic help like Composure Liquid, Rescue Remedy or something of that ilk? 

My other cat is bad about launching herself at you in doorways and is not scared of loud noises or water... (she plays in the sink!). Best way we found to deter her from launching and getting bitey at us in doorways was to throw a stuffed animal or squeaking mouse toy across the room for her to chase. It helps with that issue. 

With the computer issue, my orange girl will get agitated if we are on the computer near her. Only way I can stop that is to not allow her access to the room when I am on it. The typing noise or the moving of hands/fingers seemed to set her off. 

I do believe the only way I read to help a severe bully cat was medication from a vet and behavioral correction from a feline behaviorist.


----------



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

Thanks so much ChelleBelle. I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from and that these behaviours can be problematic and difficult to deal with. Bully cat is the perfect description of our cat (just look at my picture). If he wasn't causing fear in us and the dog and present a danger to visitors and future children it wouldn't be so tough. I'll chat with our vet about medications and will also check out Composure Liquid and Rescue Remedy. 

Jackie


----------



## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Obviously, I don't know your cat and he _may_ need medications but...
just wanted to say, I had a_ wonderful_ cat who used to display the exact same behavior you describe at the computer (and other times). He could appear downright scary! After a while I realized that he just wanted to play! He was just full of pent up energy! If, instead of pushing him away or ignoring him, I tossed a balled up piece of paper or a toy, he'd go flying after it. It sounds like your kitty might benefit from some really serious play sessions every day.
I know it was mentioned earlier but, if you haven't done it recently, I would also do a complete physical with blood and urine to absolutely rule out any medical condition. Peeing outside the box, although it can be behavioral, is almost always due to a health problem like a UTI. So, that would be the very first thing I'd do before anything else.
I think, the reality is, cats rarely have actual "mental issues" there's usually a _reason_ for their behavior but it's not that obvious to us. It can take some serious detective work to figure it out. 
They also mirror our emotions or inner thoughts so, if we're coming from a place of fear or frustration, you can darn well bet our cat will respond in kind. I know that may sound new agey, airy-fairy, but I have found it to be absolutely true.
Just my thoughts. Good luck!


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

IMO you need to find a veterinary behaviorist. If you want to learn more about what veterinary behaviorists do, and bone up on the options (both in terms of pharmacology and in terms of behavior modification) , this is one of the best books on my bookshelf:

Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals by Dr. Karen Overall

Dr. Overall is AMAZING--I met her at a training conference years ago and consulted w/ her once on a case. She is in research now, but there are plenty of good vets in this field. You can search for one here:

http://www.veterinarybehaviorists.org/

What you describe makes your cat an IDEAL candidate for drug therapy, but IMO it is extremely unsafe to allow a regular vet to prescribe in this area. You need a board certified behaviorist at least consulting. Most vet schools will have them on staff, but there are many in private practice (search at above link).

IMO this is your best option. This is really not a case, IMO, for internet advice.


----------



## jackie_hubert (May 17, 2010)

I checked out the link to find a behaviourist but unfortunately there are no certified vet behaviourist anywhere in the Province. Over the years I have come to learn that a lot of specializations and opporunities that exist in the US, simply don't exist in Canada, at least not outside Toronto. Hence, I've had to resort to forums and the internet.

I called several of the major vets in town and none had any contacts for feline behaviourists, not to mention ones that are also vets.

The SPCA in Vancouver has a behaviourist who works with cats sometimes but she works in the shelter, not in private practice. I will try to track her down and get some contacts.

Thanks all!

Jackie


----------



## 143hayden (May 25, 2010)

Im sorry it seems as if you were sort of attacked on here for your cats behaviors (which btw are NOT normal) and there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting online. I am in a similar situation tho I know why this cat (a stray im trying to find a home for) is behaving this way. Good luck in finding answers and I hope it can bring your whole family and ur cat (im sure he may be just as miserable) some relief!


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

143hayden said:


> ...there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting online.


Sometimes, even if we don't have advice, it's nice to be able to vent and have someone to listen to you. We've all been in frustrating situations. atback 

I hope the behaviorist can help you. Four years! You must really love that little guy.


----------



## GeorgesMom (May 12, 2010)

Cat social structure is, in my opinion, much more fluid and situational than dogs'. One thing I do that I don't even think much about anymore is groom kittens or new cats like a momma cat and see how they react. Especially with cats neutered before sexual maturity, human caregivers are seen more like 'momma'. I have even been known to lick my thumb and "bathe" new arrivals on the head (works well, actually). The trick is they are not allowed to stop me (ever seen a mom nail a protesting kitten to the floor and bathe it while it struggles? that). They all learn to accept me doing stuff like ears and nails and meds and, more or less, eventually, stopping unwanted behavior (while I'm right there looking) when I say "Stop that." (though of course they will stare at me first like, "really??") Of course to get to that point takes a lot of physically intervening first, but I interact with them as best I can the way momma cats do kittens. 

Freddie, for instance, responds really well do getting very lightly swatted on the ear, When he's really being naughty whether it's me doing it, or Powdie or Pauli.


----------

