Bullying In Cats – Resolving The Social Conflict Amongst Felines

By | April 12, 2016

Lot of times we hear about the heinous act of bullying at school or work. But when your kitty starts to bully other cats in the household it is the worst possible nightmare turning into a reality for a cat owner. If you are ignoring the nasty scratches and bites from the bullying cat to the quieter cat, then it is not an encouraging behavior from your side. It may seem a friendly banter from the aggressive feline, but it can soon turn into an ugly scene which you would not love to see.

Remember, it is never humorous when you see one of the cats bullying the other in front of you because it is due to your negligent behavior that the feline has turned into a bully. In the end, the bullying cat becomes so nasty that eventually everyone in the household becomes petrified by their behavior. If you resort to forceful means to correct this behavior, it only makes the situation worse.

Bullying in Cats - Resolving the Social Conflict

So how does a cat become a bully? Remember, cats are territorial by nature and through domestication, they have learned to live with each other. No cat is a born bully, although some cats may have more dominating nature than others.

A cat becomes a bully when you let them get away with their bad behavior like growling or swiping their claws. If you have multiple cats, then he will try to guard the cat food. He even attacks other felines in the household with a surprise through his teeth and claws. In the worst situations cat owners give up and decide on sending the bullying cat to the shelter. But that is not the best option.

The good news is that this bullying behavior of cats can be corrected. Let us look at some of the steps that will assist cat owners to prevent the bullying nature of the kitty.

How To Prevent The Bullying Nature Of Cats?

Confine the kitties in separate rooms

The best possible thing to do is to separate the cats and keep them in different rooms. Comfort the kitty that is being bullied and ensure that he is safe from the bullying cat. Keep the bullying cat away from the bullied cat so that he cannot cause more damage to him.

Divert their attention by playing with the cat toys

If the bullying is mild then the best resort to ease off the tension between the felines is to redirect their attention to cat toys. This will enable the bullying cat to divert his attention from bullying to playing.Alternatively, you may engage them with lucrative stuff of cat supplies and other cat foods or cat nutritious supplement to divert their mind and attention for a while. Note: Playing with the cat toys will not only ease the tension between the two felines, but will also tire them up which would curb the situation from turning worst.

Have an escape route for the cat that is being bullied

Conflict Amongst Cats

Having an escape route for the bullied cat is imperative so that he can hide from the bulling cat. For that you will need ample of space in house, but if you do not have it, then it is recommended to create vertical space with sturdy cat trees having shelves that are not directly above each other. This will enable the bullied cat to easily escape from the cat tree if required.

Have a separate access to food, water and litter while confining the cats. If the situation gets worse, the best resort is to reintroduce them as if they have been introduced for the very first after a long gap. Keep in mind, the end objective is to establish a truce between the felines. So, how do you plan to resolve the bullying in cats?