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My cat is aggressive towards me or other pets. What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 9.7 lbs

How to deal with aggressive cat?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on February 6th, 2020

It would be hard to give a specific answer without more information. If your cat is being aggressive toward other cats, separating them and making sure each cat has access to their own food, water, litter, etc can help reduce tension. If your cat is being aggressive toward you, a good first step is a trip to the vet as pain or illness can sometimes cause behavioral changes in cats. If Chester checks out healthy, speaking with a veterinary behaviorist may be helpful in figuring out what is going on, and working on a combination training/medication plan to help reduce the behavior. https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

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    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 13th, 2017

    Getting them fixed would be the best start as this will take away the hormones. From there you can try pheromones such as Feliway spray to help keep them calm. I am unsure if the dynamics but maybe one is more outdoor, the other more indoor to help keep them separate. Make sure there is no competition such as food or water.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 15th, 2017

    Unfortunately there is not much you can do, i have had many cats over the years, many of them where aggressive toward other cats and no matter what i tried i never managed to find a decent solution for this problem. in some cases the aggressiveness will get better overtime but it is unlikely to resolve completely.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on May 9th, 2018

    I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Gallagher! Aggression towards owners in cats can be due to predatory play behavior, over-stimulation, fear, or can be redirected aggression as a result of being upset by something else. Aggression issues are often treatable, but you will need to work with an expert who can evaluate your kitty in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on the problem. You can find more information on how to locate a qualified feline behaviorist near you here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist

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