Redirected aggression in cats occurs when they’re extremely stressed but cannot lash out at their stressor directly, so they redirect that anger onto a nearby person or animal. These cats are often calm and loving most of the time, but cannot help their instinctual fear response.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to spot redirected aggression in cats, identify your cat’s stressors, and stop the redirected aggression from happening again.
What is Redirected Aggression in Cats?
Redirected aggression happens when a cat feels scared or angry, but cannot take those feelings out on their source. For instance, cats cannot chase away loud, booming fireworks or beat up that cat who’s taunting them outside the window.
In these situations, some cats will become aggressive toward humans or other animals in the home. It’s common for cats who live together to fight because there are outdoor cats coming close to the house, for example.
Redirected aggression can also cause a cat to lash out at you as you try to break up a fight between them and another pet. They may go so far as to turn around and attack you, instead.
People are often scared or hurt (physically and emotionally) by their cat’s redirected aggression, but it’s not an indication of how they feel about you. Cats who love their owners may still lash out in certain situations, and will often go right back to normal once their fear has passed.
Redirected aggression is often instinctual, and the cat might not even notice who’s in front of them even as they attack. They go into fight or flight mode, and aren’t thinking logically.
How Long Does Redirected Aggression Last?
Redirected aggression often passes shortly after the stressor has been removed. You may have to separate your two cats on the Fourth of July, but find that they get along like usual on the fifth once the fireworks are over.
In other cases, the feelings of fear and anger linger for days or weeks. Or, the stressor may continue to come back, such as in the case of a stray cat provoking aggression.
There is also the possibility of trigger stacking, which is when multiple stressful situations add up to keep a cat continuously stressed. To avoid this, you’ll want to stay calm, remove the stressor quickly, and make your cat feel as safe as possible in the days following a stressful or traumatic event.
Reintroducing Cats After Redirected Aggression
If your cat’s redirected aggression was targeted toward another cat in the household, it may feel like it takes much longer to end. This may be because the cats weren’t separated, so the problem continued to grow, similarly to trigger stacking.
Even if you separated your cats, their relationship may be damaged. Although the perceived threat has passed, the cat who was attacked may expect it to happen again. While the attacking cat is over the event, the attacked may act timid and fearful.
They may slink around the house, hiss and growl, run from the attacker, or even lash out preemptively due to the anticipation of a fight. All of these things can cause more fights to break out in the home.
The best thing you can do in this case is to ensure the stressor has been removed, and then reintroduce the cats slowly, like you’re bringing a new cat home. Keep in mind that it may take longer this time because you’re not starting with a neutral relationship, but a negative one.
If the stressor is something that will return on occasion, like fireworks, plan ahead and keep your cats separated to prevent future bouts of aggression.
How to Stop Redirected Aggression in Cats
1. Separate the Aggressive Cat
Whether your cat is lashing out at you or another pet, the first step is separation.
If you’re the one being attacked, it’s typically safest to walk away and put space between the two of you, rather than trying to move your cat to a new space. If possible, put a closed door between you until your cat calms down.
While it can be tempting to try to soothe your cat, this can cause greater injuries to yourself and is usually unwanted, even if your cat is typically affectionate.
If your cat is attacking another pet, separate them carefully. Try using a large, flat object, like a piece of cardboard, to get between them. Tossing a large blanket over them can also help as it obscures their sight, confuses them for a moment, and gives you some protection so that you can quickly carry them away.
Don’t put yourself between your pets or try to grab ahold of them without protecting your hands and arms, as you may be injured. Stay as calm as possible so that you don’t add to either pet’s fear.
Keep the cat away from others until they calm down. If it takes a long time, you may need to give them their own space with a litter box, water, and food.
Reintroduce pets slowly and carefully to prevent more aggression from occurring.
2. Remove Stressors
Next, you’ll want to find and eliminate whatever triggered the redirected aggression. This could be anything your cat finds scary, from the vacuum cleaner to a stray cat wandering outside at night.
To find your cat’s trigger, think about what was happening when they became aggressive. What sounds did you hear at the time? Could your cat have smelled something that set them off?
If it’s happened more than once, did it occur in the same or similar spaces in your home, such as near windows or doors? Did it happen at the same time of day? These questions can help to narrow down your search.
Of course, eliminating things your cat finds stressful is often easier said than done. You may need to close the blinds on your windows to obscure your cat’s view outside, or place them in a quiet room by themselves while you run the vacuum cleaner. If your cat is triggered by loud noises outside and you have a basement, it’s often quieter downstairs than it is on the ground floor.
3. Desensitization and Counterconditioning
When whatever is stressing out your cat cannot be avoided, the best method is to desensitize them to it. For instance, you might feed your cat treats whenever an outdoor cat approaches your window. You can also toss them away from the window to redirect your cat from watching the one outside.
Ideally, this process would begin with your cat far away from the windows while other cats are around or even away from them entirely. As your cat becomes more comfortable, you can proceed to allow them closer.
This can be a long and sometimes complicated process. If you have the ability to hire a professional cat behaviorist, they may think of solutions that you couldn’t on your own!
4. Make a Plan
Hopefully, your cat will never experience redirected aggression again. But, it’s best to have a plan in case their trigger reemerges or something else causes their aggression to return.
The best case scenario is to make a plan to avoid the aggression entirely, such as separating your cats when you know your neighbors will be lighting off fireworks.
However, you may also need a plan in place to separate your cat from others if they become aggressive. This is especially necessary if you’re unsure of the trigger or cannot control it from happening.
It can be as simple as keeping a large piece of cardboard within reach to easily break up fights between pets, or thick gardening gloves to protect your hands. Learning cat body language is also useful so that you can separate your cat from others at the first subtle signs of stress.
Is There Medication for Redirected Aggression?
Some cats do well on long-term medications to prevent their redirected aggression, especially if it’s happening regularly or you cannot find the cause. Short-term medications can also be useful when you know what triggers your cat’s aggression and can predict when it will happen next, such as fireworks on certain holidays.
If you’re considering medication for your cat, talk to your veterinarian. They can help you to decide whether it’s the best option and, if so, which medication is best for your cat.