How to Stop Fighting Behavior Between Cats
Fighting behavior often occurs between cats, especially in households that raise two or more cats. From what I see, there are several causes. First is raising two or more male cats; there is not much problem when they are young, but during the mating season, they fight over territory and female cats.
Cats have strong territoriality and possessiveness; sometimes they will fight to the death. Although the loser always submits forever, the winner will never let go, fighting every time they meet.
Second is playing too rough, because when cats play, they cannot control their strength. When out of control, claws accidentally hurt the other, leading to fights. However, this kind of fighting does not cause grudges or resentment; after fighting, they forget and play or fight again next time.
Third is food competition during feeding time. Some cats are very protective of their food and often attack other cats or even owners for a bit of their favorite food. Also,
some cats often attack their owner's ankles for no reason. This phenomenon mostly occurs in homes with only one cat, especially kittens aged 3 to 5 months. The main reason is the cat lacks companions and toys, leading to long-term loneliness and boredom.
From a cat's perspective, its attacks are just play or physical exercise, but for humans, it is a very hard-to-tolerate injury. This attacking behavior in cats gradually decreases with age and proper education.
Some owners do not take the cat's ankle-attacking behavior seriously and may even find it amusing and affectionate. But I believe that this behavior must be stopped. Otherwise, if the cat develops the habit and bites people on sight, it will embarrass and alarm guests!