If you are bringing a new cat into your home, or you’ve noticed that your cats’ play fights have become a little too rough, it’s handy to be aware of how you can prevent cat fights before someone gets hurt. Breaking up a cat fight mid-match is daunting for all purr-ents, so give yourself the upper hand with this guide to preventing cat fights and conflicts before they begin.
Make any new cat introductions carefully
Cats are territorial creatures that can feel threatened by any newcomer felines. Creating a positive association between cats meeting for the first time is essential for conflict-free living. Scent swapping, activity and personality matching, space consideration and newcomer isolation are just some of the ways you can make the transition to a multi cat household as peaceful as paws-sible. Have a peek at our guide to cat introductions here for more.
Observe your cats’ behaviour, body language and sounds
Look for early signs of conflict through observation of your cat’s behaviour, body language and vocalisations and intervene before things get out of hand. Sometimes it can be hard for a purr-ent to determine whether our cats are playing or fighting. Develop your feline sense of conflict with our guide here.
Keep your cat indoors or in a secure outdoor cat enclosure
While we have some semblance of control over our cats’ safety within our home, fur babies that wander the wilds of the neighbourhood are bound to face feline conflict. Keeping your kitty indoors or secure and happy in an outdoor cat enclosure is your best bet for stopping the local bully cat from having a go at your moggy mate.
Give your cats their own space indoors and outdoors
Cats need their own personal space, no matter how much they like to invade ours! Cats need to be assured that they have a safe space to escape to if fur siblings, hoomans or strange visitors to the house start to rub them the wrong way. Make sure your kitty has a secret spot, room or outdoor enclosure they can retire to and avoid possible spats with their fur-mily.
Don’t be disheartened if, despite your best cat loving efforts, your kitties get into the odd tumble. Just like hoomans, cats will occasionally have conflict in their life so check your cats for injury and treat as needed after any altercation. Move on from the melee with some feline fun! Have a peek at the top 5 ways to play with your cat here.
