Cats Not Getting Along? Explaining the Causes and Solutions for Cat Fights

When you have multiple cats, they can sometimes get into fierce fights.

Many owners may feel anxious, wondering, "Is this a real fight or just play?" or "Should I stop them before someone gets hurt?"

Therefore, this time, we'd like to explain the causes and reasons for cat fights, and how to deal with them when they inevitably occur.

Reasons Why Cats Fight

Cats can sometimes get into fierce fights, even to the point of injury. Why do they fight? Let's consider the causes of cat fights.

Territorial Disputes

Cats are creatures with a strong sense of territoriality. Male cats tend to have a stronger territorial instinct, and they mark their territory with urine spraying and scratching.

When another cat intrudes into their territory, a fierce fight ensues.

Even indoor cats have a sense of territory and consider the entire house as their domain. Only owners, sibling cats, and cats they trust are allowed into their territory. If an unfamiliar cat enters, a fight will begin.

Fights Over Female Cats During Mating Season

When female cats go into heat, male cats also enter their mating season, attracted by their loud meows and pheromones.

Male cats expand their territory more than usual in search of a female cat, leading to fights when they encounter each other. Their aggression increases during this time, and serious injuries can occur.

Fights Due to Incompatibility Between Cats

The "compatibility" between cats can also be a cause of fights. Even with indoor cats, territorial instincts exist, and there can simply be personality clashes.

Additionally, some cats feel stressed when another cat is in their personal space, leading to fights.

Rules of Cat Fights

Cats are not inherently quarrelsome. They prefer to avoid fights and meeting other cats if possible.

To avoid unnecessary fights, cats have their own "fighting rules" among themselves.

It starts with a staring contest. They assess the opponent's build to determine if they are stronger or weaker than themselves. If the odds don't look good, they avert their gaze and leave.

If the staring contest doesn't settle it, they'll growl with "ooh" and "shhh" sounds, raise their fur, and intimidate. Eventually, they'll bite at the neck, and a grappling fight with cat punches and cat kicks will begin. Sometimes, they can get severely bitten to the point of losing fur, or suffer serious injuries with bleeding.

If one cat runs away or crouches down, it's a sign of "surrender." They quietly disperse. They won't fight again with an opponent with whom a conclusion has been reached. That's the rule of fighting in the cat world.

How to Distinguish Between Fighting and Playing

When you have multiple cats, they can sometimes engage in wrestling matches.

It can be hard to tell if they're just playing or if it's a real fight. And you might wonder if you should intervene in a cat fight.

Observe Fights Between Housemate Cats

It's best to observe fights between housemate cats without interfering. This is because cats establish their relationships with each other by resolving disputes through fighting.

Interfering unnecessarily can sometimes make things worse, so just watch carefully to ensure they don't get hurt.

Differences Between Fighting and Playing

Even if they're wrestling, if they're not growling "ooh" and "shhh" or raising their fur in intimidation, it's just "playing." If they're rolling around showing their belly, you can consider it "play."

Roughhousing is also necessary for growth

Especially kittens learn to control their strength through roughhousing. If they bite too hard, they'll get retaliated against, so roughhousing is a good experience.

What Owners Should Be Aware of in Cat Fights

With strict indoor living and spaying/neutering, cats are unlikely to get involved in territorial fights with stray cats or become aggressive during mating season.

For cats that are allowed outdoors, there's a concern about injuries from fights and the risk of infectious diseases. For your cat's health, it's crucial to ensure strict indoor living, spaying/neutering, and vaccinations.

If you have multiple cats, fights are inevitable. It's important to keep them from getting injured and to minimize their stress as much as possible.

Assess the compatibility between cats

If you have multiple cats that are siblings, serious fights are less likely. However, when a new cat arrives in a household with an existing cat, fights may be unavoidable depending on their compatibility.

In particular, the combination of "unneutered males" and "kittens with senior cats" is said to be incompatible. When welcoming a new cat, separate their living spaces and gradually introduce them to assess their compatibility.

Provide a stress-free living environment

A living environment that reduces stress for cats is also important. Generally, it is said that the maximum number of cats that can be kept is "the number of rooms cats can freely enter and exit minus one." Utilize vertical spaces such as cat trees and cat walks to reduce stress.

It's also a good idea to provide one litter box per cat and separate feeding areas.

Create a place where they can be alone

Cats also need their personal space. Provide at least one secure hiding spot per cat. This can serve as their usual sleeping place, or a place to escape after a staring contest fight.

Know how to stop cat fights

If a fight gets too heated and you feel they might get seriously hurt, stop it. Since you don't want to get hurt yourself, try to distract them with a loud noise or treats like churu.

In the unlikely event that your cat gets injured, take them to the vet immediately.

Trim nails regularly

Cats' claws are sharp and can injure opponents during a fight. To reduce damage, trim the tips of their claws regularly.

Summary

When you have multiple cats, they can sometimes engage in fierce wrestling matches.

While it's endearing if they're just playing, you naturally worry about them getting hurt. Since cats have different compatibilities, special attention is needed when introducing a new cat.

If fights are unavoidable, completely separate their living spaces. Also, no matter how close they are, creating a space where each cat can be alone can help reduce stress.

While there are many things to be mindful of when having multiple cats, it also brings more joy and happiness. Enjoy life surrounded by your feline friends!