 STATUS-RELATED AGGRESSION IN CATS Cats do not have social systems that are identical to those of dogs or humans, but they still have a system wherein some individuals have higher rank or lower rank than others. Usually any conflicts about controlling status occur only with other cats. Occasionally some cats manipulate people in a manner similar to that of dominantly aggressive dogs. This has been termed assertion, or status-related aggression. Some cats have been described as disliking attention or as rejecting petting ("the leave-me-alone bite"). This certainly can be a component of status-related aggression, but for many cats, rejection by biting is only an indicator of an underlying problem. If clients watch these cats closely, they often note that the cat stares at them and that, for reasons they cannot explain, they will avoid the cat's stare. Some cats constantly block clients' access to furniture or to pathways by standing in the way. Some cats rub everywhere a particular person has been or rub (or even spray) the people that they are trying to control. As long as the cat is not aggressive in these situations, there should be few concerns, but many of these cats actively solicit attention by jumping into a client's lap and then biting the client if they are petted or shifted. Cats with very exaggerated status-related aggression may lie on their people, batting at them to make them settle in positions that the cat controls and then biting the people if they do not do this or if they move. Some cats block access ways and stare at or hiss at the person who tries to go around them. Clients find themselves not doing things that they would otherwise do because they feel uncomfortable about it. These cats are very successful at passively controlling their people. This can be true to such an extent that many people do not realize it is happening. Clients complain that, at times, these cats like to be petted, but at other times they are savage if they try to cuddle the cats. This occurs because the cat has to control the situation. When the cat initiates the petting it might tolerate petting if the client does not get very manipulative (which may be how cats perceive effusive petting and cuddling); when the client initiates the petting the cat often resists by using aggression. A hallmark of these cats, unlike many of those exhibiting other forms of aggression, is that they seldom swat with their claws first. Instead they become stiff, may twitch their tail erect the hair down their back and tail, put their ears back dilate their pupils, unsheathe their claws, growl, and bite. A final similarity between these cats and dogs with dominance aggression is that both occur at social maturity. Social maturity begins later (probably between 2 and 4 years of age) in cats than in dogs. Clients are often unable to understand why the cat "changed." The client did not necessarily "do" anything to cause the change; the change is related to the manner in which the cats now perceive the world. The same thing happens to humans in their teens and early 20s. The key to controlling status-related aggression is the same as that for controlling dominance aggression-do not let the cat have control. This is more difficult than it sounds because most of the cat's behaviors have been so passive that the client has not even recognized them as aggressive. Do not give up. These cats may never be cuddly (and you would be well advised to never expect them to be so), but they can learn to live harmoniously in the household and will usually do well with a cat that is cuddly. Finally, it is critical to remember that these cats are potentially very dangerous. Cats with profound status-related aggression look for openings when the person is unsuspecting (e.g., when they are talking on the telephone) and will bite without preamble and then leave. Checklist
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