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Episode #20 Today’s episode is about a subject that’s kind of scary, redirected aggression in cats. If you’ve ever personally witnessed a genuine case of this happening, as I have, you know how shocking and frightening it can be for cats and people alike. Perhaps you’ve witnessed it with your own cats are maybe even client’s cats. Or heard about it while compiling your cat profile for new clients. But before we get into our discussion of that, I want to start the show with a couple of cat trivia questions. If you’re like me, you love cat trivia so I thought it would be a little fun to throw in a couple of interesting tidbits here. I’ll read them and let you think about them before I give you the answers at the end of this episode. The first one comes from an article in Catwatch magazine. Which is a cool digest-type magazine put out by The Feline Health Center at Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. And in this article, they ask: What are the 10 most expensive cat breeds?  The second question comes from a book called The Behavior of the domestic cat 2nd edition by John Bradshaw, Rachel Casey, and Sarah Brown. Why do cat’s whiskers fan forward when they pounce on prey? Answers coming up at the end. REDIRECTED AGGRESSION So, I talked about Aggressive behavior in cats in last week’s episode. If you missed that episode you might want to check it out because I talk about Pam Johnson-bennet’s book Cat vs Cat.  Today, I want to talk about a specific type of aggression, called redirected aggression. It is an interesting topic because it can be so frightening. Because it can seemingly come out of nowhere. Redirected aggression occurs when a cat becomes highly agitated or frightened by a stimulus in their environment. This could be anything, such as a neighbor cat walking through the yard. Or, after the cat experiences a frightening incident, like a stack of dishes falling on the floor with a loud crash. The cat becomes extremely aroused and frustrated because it can’t release its stress on the target. The cat then redirects that aggression on a substitute, often a nearby cat. Sadly, this can occur between cats that were once close friends and can permanently damage the relationship. Before I get into what can be done to prevent it let me tell you about my experience with it. THE STORY OF CASPER Casper was just a little grey kitten when I first met him. I’ve probably talked about him before in this podcast. I was a residential care aid in a group home for adults with disabilities for 25 years. I drove a large van that could accommodate wheelchairs. And, on this day, I was taking a couple of people to dentist appointments. Luckily, I spotted the little grey fluff, Just as we pulled into the parking lot. He strolled along towards the moving van. When you’re driving a large vehicle with people sitting in wheelchairs you can’t make any fast stops. I learned to be a very observant and careful driver because of that job! I slowed to a stop and he walked right under us. I couldn’t see him anymore. My co-worker jumped out and picked him up. She carried him into the van so we could park. Then I finally got a good look at him. He had big green eyes and the loudest purr. It turned out he belonged to someone in the neighborhood who no longer wanted him. I have no idea why because he was gorgeous and incredibly sweet! So, he joined our family. We named our new fur baby, Casper, and he was quickly accepted by our 4 other cats. He was playful, and fun to be around. A KITTEN WITH A BAD HABIT He did have one annoying habit; I think it came from his time having to fight for food in a busy household full of kids. Casper used to rip into bread bags like a maniac. I think he enjoyed the feeling of popping his teeth into the plastic. When you came home with groceries, all bags of bread, buns, or other bakery items had to be put away immediately. If you left an item like that on the counter, it would be shredded within minutes. Other than that, he was the sweetest cat in the world, not a tough guy by any means. In fact, he was more middle ranking. And he deferred to the two bigger male cats of the house. So, it was a surprise to me to witness two episodes of fierce aggression involving our sweet Casper. CASPER'S FIRST VICTIM Casper was a couple of years old the first time it happened. We had been caring for a foster cat in our spare bathroom. The foster was isolated from the other cats. But there was just enough space under the door for them to smell him. One day, Casper caught just a brief glimpse of the foster cat before I could close the door. That’s all it took. Casper was now staring silently at the closed door when Aussie, one of our younger cats, innocently moved up alongside him. Unbeknownst to Aussie and me, Casper was wound up like a spring, glaring at the door. In a flash, Austin was on his back and Casper was on top biting, scratching screeching. It was unbelievable. It lasted no more than 5 seconds. And then it was over. But the damage was done. No one needed medical attention. But Austin was reluctant to go near Casper after that. Casper seemed completely oblivious to what had happened. He carried on as if nothing had occurred at all. He never attacked Austin again. But 5 years later, there was another incident. CASPER'S SECOND VICTIM This time the trigger was a neighbor cat who had strayed too close to the outside cat enclosure. Casper spotted the cat standing a few feet away. He glared at him, body stiff, tail half lowered. The victim this time was Dodge, a good buddy of Casper’s. Dodge was trying to get a look at what Casper was staring at. He brushed past him and lightly touched Casper’s back. Then bang, Casper exploded into full attack mode. Throwing the much larger Dodge onto his back, biting, scratching pulling fur, both cats were screaming, and I could see the shock in Dodge’s eyes. And just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Casper walked away while Dodge stood their glaring at him, eyes wide in disbelief. Like before, Casper appeared to have no idea anything had happened. And we never saw another incident like this happen again. Fortunately, as shocked and angry as Dodge was, his relationship with Casper seemed to return to normal after a while. In Casper’s mind, it wasn’t his friend he had taken down, it was the cat on the other side of the enclosure fence. That was the real target of his aggression. END OF A FRIENDSHIP Another time I heard about a serious case of redirected aggression, it involved a client’s cats. And the experience left her traumatized. The two cats were closely bonded siblings. There were no other cats or other pets in the house. These cats were well looked after, and their every need met. They slept together; played together and ate next to each other. They were a pair of happy brothers. I looked after them for years without problems. Then one day I realized that I hadn’t heard from the client in a long time. I sent an email asking how she and the boys were doing. She replied, recounting what had transpired. The boys had a terrible fight. One brother had suddenly attacked the other for “no reason” she said. The attack left them both bleeding and terrified. It sounded like it had carried on for much longer than just a brief fight. And their relationship was ruined. My client was shocked and heartbroken. Scared that it would happen again. I asked what happened just before the fight. The client had seen a strange cat walking passed the patio window around the time of the incident. So that must have been the trigger for the attack. One brother became highly aroused and enraged at the sight of the strange cat. When his anxiety could not be relieved it was redirected at what was available, his brother. This can happen to anyone nearby when a cat in this state. A dog or even a human. PREVENTION AND REPAIR So, what can be done to help clients prevent or repair damage to relationships between the cats? Any cat involved in a sudden and severe fight should be checked by a veterinarian. In the meantime, separate the cats temporarily until everyone calms down. But DO NOT PICK THEM UP! Doing so could trigger an attack on you. Keep your demeanor low key and positive so no one feels that they're being punished. Try to determine what triggered the reaction. Did the cat see another cat or raccoon outside? Is it possible to cover the window through which the animal could be seen? When the cats are together again, observe them carefully for any sign of ongoing fear or aggression. Sometimes the attacking cat will continue to see the other cat as the source of his fear and rage, triggering more attacks. If this happens, you may have to separate the cats for a longer period and go through a reintroduction. Pam Johnson-Bennett outlines the steps of reintroduction in her book, Cat vs Cat If the problem persists, contact a veterinarian. The vet may want to prescribe medications that could help get the problem under control until the relationship can be repaired. As frightening as these attacks can be, being a keen observer of cat body language and what’s going on in the environment will help prevent reoccurrence. Because prevention is so much better than dealing with a ruined feline friendship. Ask your client to keep a Diary of their cats’ behavior, including exactly where it happened and who was involved. Including the frequency. Try to pinpoint what the target was if not identified at the time of the attack. If a fight seems imminent, distract, and separate before anything happens. Try to control your own emotions and reactions, too. Keep everything as calm as possible. ANSWERS TO TRIVIA QUESTIONS The first question was, what cat breed is the most expensive? According to an article in Catwatch Magazine, who got this list from a website called therichest.com Starting from least expensive to most expensive 10 Ragdoll 9 Peterbald 8 Maine Coon - my favorites! 7 Egyptian Mau 6 Siberian Forest Cat 5 Scottish Fold 4 Bengal Cat 3 Khao Manee, an exotic white cat from Thailand. 2 Savannah Cat And finally, number 1, the most expensive cat in the world is listed as the Ashera Cat. They’ve listed the price for the Ashera Cat at $125,000. That must be from the most prestigious cattery around. Because I’ve seen these cats selling for $22,000 in ads. Still, that's a very expensive cat! And for the second trivia question: Why do cat's whiskers fan forward when they pounce on prey? And the answer comes from THE BEHAVIOR OF THE DOMESTIC CAT  I’ll give you a hint. Have you ever put a treat down right in front of a cat and wondered why they don’t seem to see it? That’s because they can’t. It’s presumed that whiskers move forward to compensate for the cat’s poor eyesight at close range. In other words, cats are seeing their prey with their whiskers. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a tiny amount when you purchase from my link. The good news is that it helps me at no extra cost to you! Well, that’s it for this episode. If you would like to hear more of this podcast, please subscribe and leave me a review wherever you are listening to it. Thanks for spending some time with me! Until next week, Happy cat sitting! Just a reminder, the information in this podcast is general cat care advice and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional care from a veterinarian or qualified behaviorist. If you have any concerns regarding a cat’s health, please seek the advice of a veterinarian.