Cat holds other cat by throat and growls - play or fight?

[justcats]

Our one cat, Lee, has a history of being food/toy possessive. When he eats food, he often continuously growls while doing so. When he has a toy he really likes, he will continuously growl while holding it in his mouth. In my partner’s experience, Lee’s growl is all bark and no bite. I can’t attest to that myself, as I don’t want to experiment with taking something from Lee while he’s growling. He sometimes gets aggressive when cornered/threatened, so I usually give him a wide berth when he’s in this state.

Our other cat, Lola, is very non-aggressive.

We have been trying to introduce Lee and Lola for months. We’ve made a lot of progress, and now when they meet up, often Lola will flop in front of Lee, and Lee will start grooming her.

Sometimes though, this will suddenly turn into Lee biting Lola in the throat. When he does this, he will start growling the same way he does with toys/food, and won’t let go unless we spray him with water several times. During this, Lola will be silent and limp.

I’m worried this isn’t play between two cats, but moreso play where Lee views Lola as legitimate prey. I worry that if we’re not there to disrupt him, he might actually kill her. But I’ve also read that cats do play by biting each other’s necks, and Lola does still choose to go get groomed by Lee each time they meet up.

What confuses me is the constant growling. And I don’t know if Lola views it as play because Lee’s never seriously injured her, but if he might if we weren’t there to intervene.

What do you think?

 

[susanm9006]

If she was terribly frightened or being hurt she would fight back, if they are grooming one another, they are friends. This is just rough play and she doesn’t seem to mind it. Please do not spray him and let it play out or distract the two with treats. She will let him know when she has had enough.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Let it play out and don't intervene, unless absolutely necessary. See what happens. If you keep them apart when no one is home, you can continue to do that until you see how their interaction plays out when Lee is doing this.

If he has a background of possessiveness with toys and food, he might also demonstrate the same behavior with Lola, as if he is 'guarding' her like he does his food and toys. It may be the only way he knows how to show emotions, regardless of what the situation is. Nonetheless, spraying a cat will only reinforce defensive behavior, not discourage it. If you have to intervene, let your partner split them up with a toy or treat for distraction. You can watch a few times, and if it proves your partner's assessment of 'all bark and no bite', then you can begin to help in the distraction process as well. There may be no need for distraction if Lola either stops him when she's done or he tires of it and quits.

I don't know what he actually does when you say he gets aggressive when cornered/threatened - other than perhaps more growling and puffing up - but I don't know of too many cats who like feeling cornered or threatened, and their reaction is generally out of fear, so they are going to respond one way or another. Some might try to flee, while others will act all big and mean - both actions are done in the hopes of protecting themselves from whatever is scaring them.

 

[justcats]

If she was terribly frightened or being hurt she would fight back, if they are grooming one another, they are friends. This is just rough play and she doesn’t seem to mind it. Please do not spray him and let it play out or distract the two with treats. She will let him know when she has had enough.

I hear you. I get scared that she may be having a sort of “freeze” response because he’s literally got her by the jugular. But I do hear you that intervening with negative stimulus is probably the wrong move. It’s just difficult to watch. They’re both very big cats who can do some real damage to one another if things escalated. I get scared that with one quick move.

I will try to keep intervention positive going forward.

 

[justcats]

I don't know what he actually does when you say he gets aggressive when cornered/threatened - other than perhaps more growling and puffing up - but I don't know of too many cats who like feeling cornered or threatened, and their reaction is generally out of fear, so they are going to respond one way or another. Some might try to flee, while others will act all big and mean - both actions are done in the hopes of protecting themselves from whatever is scaring them.

He has a history of attacking people and animals in his space. We’ve been working with him on this for months. I sincerely believe he may have been abused before my partner took him in. He has attacked people who entered the house, and stalked and attacked a small dog who my partner was petsitting at one point. He has bit me and scratched me to the point of drawing blood, simply for moving near him (not moving towards him, just walking by him in a hallway as he lies there, or reaching for something in his vicinity). When that’s happened, I was specifically trying to move in a slow, predictable manner. One time he bit me and scratched me repeatedly after having chosen to lie on me, and I wasn’t petting him at the time.

He’s a very large cat. That’s why I’m cautious to experiment. My partner has had him since he was a kitten, and has pretty fast reflexes, so he can avoid being scratched or bitten usually.

He kinda sounds like a menace when I describe all this, but he’s honestly an incredibly affection and sweet cat most of the time. I love him to bits. He’s just also the least “readable”/predictable cat I’ve ever owned (I’ve had cats all my life and am generally a bit of a “cat whisperer” with other people’s cats). I find his body language hard to understand, so I get anxious when Lola is with him.

I hear about him possibly guarding her. Do you think we should back off when he’s growling while biting her then? It’s possible we’re triggering his “guarding” instinct by being too close.

 

[justcats]

*hear you about him possibly guarding her

 

[FeebysOwner]

If Lee has actually attacked some people, including you, for 'just being there' why does your partner say he is all bark and no bite? Is it just because your partner is 'defending' him in a way? I think his growling may mean something different than what one might think - primarily because he does it with his food and toys, both of which to me means he 'covets' them. So, I was taking it to mean that he might covet Lola too - or, it is simply his primary way of conveying himself.

I think you both need to be alert and cognizant when he grabs her by the throat and growls. but don't assume that it necessarily means he wants to harm her - unless you see differently, which you can only do by giving some leeway before intervening/distracting. As you said, your partner has quick reflexes, so he can intervene before Lee would do any real harm to Lola, if that even is Lee's intent. Honestly, with Lola not appearing to fear him, she must not sense he means her harm.

Have you folks ever talked about giving him some sort of anti-anxiety meds to see if that would help him?

 

[fionasmom]

A very safe object with which to separate cats is a tennis racket. You are not hitting the cat, but using it to guide one cat away from the other. It is very cat proof because it is lightweight and has no sharp sides, so they cannot be hurt. I have an aggressive, young flame point boy and he has come to understand that the sight of a tennis racket means to stop a behavior.

Anti-anxiety meds are certainly another option to consider.

I am not as comfortable with the fact that this biting is the throat and not the back of the neck which is often a play/dominance behavior. At this point, I would not leave the cat alone together if you go out.

Does he show any signs of feline hyperesthesia syndrome? My aggressive boy is starting to show symptoms in that direction.

 

[justcats]

If Lee has actually attacked some people, including you, for 'just being there' why does your partner say he is all bark and no bite? Is it just because your partner is 'defending' him in a way?

…

Have you folks ever talked about giving him some sort of anti-anxiety meds to see if that would help him?

My partner specifically feels that when he’s growling while being possessive of something, it’s all bark and no bite. This is because he’s able to intervene and take whatever object Lee is coveting without being bit. I’m not eager to experiment with trying to take something from Lee though, because of my experiences with his “unprovoked” aggression. So we don’t have a way to confirm that it’s safe for me to directly intervene when Lee’s growling.

My partner is quick to acknowledge that Lee can be aggressive/territorial outside of the growling moments. He’s definitely defensive of him too though, which I get, because Lee is a really sweet cat when he’s not feeling threatened.

He’s actually already on anti-anxiety meds. His current behavior is a massive improvement compared to when he wasn’t on any meds.

I do think you may be right that he may be coveting Lola/that growling is one his main ways of communicating.

 

[justcats]

I am not as comfortable with the fact that this biting is the throat and not the back of the neck which is often a play/dominance behavior. At this point, I would not leave the cat alone together if you go out.

Does he show any signs of feline hyperesthesia syndrome? My aggressive boy is starting to show symptoms in that direction.

Thanks for the tip about a tennis racket! We’ll definitely pick one up. That sounds like a great way to break them apart.

I feel the same about the biting being on the front of the throat. It really feels like a more domineering than playful gesture to me, but I know some cats play very rough. We never leave them together unsupervised.

I don’t think he’s hypersensitive on his back, but he does have long hair that often gets matted, and he’s very sensitive near his mats. We try to brush him regularly to help.

 

[Caspers Human]

Contrary to what some people seem to think, you are the master of the house, not the cats. The human decides what the "House Rules" are. If your House Rules say that neck biting is not allowed, then the cats should obey. It doesn't matter whether the cats are playing, fighting or anything else.

Decide upon what level of rough housing your cats are allowed to do and make it a House Rule. When they start getting out of hand, say, "Hey, you cats! Settle down!" If they listen, all is well. If they keep wrestling... "I said, SETTLE DOWN!" If they get to their third strike, separate them and send them to their rooms for fifteen minutes.

That's what you would do if you had two young kids, wrestling in your living room. Wouldn't you?

Cats should be no different!

When our to cats, Casper and Elliot, start rough housing more than we like, all I have to do is walk into the room and say, "Gentlemen!..."

They stop, almost immediately, because they know what my House Rules are.

 

[Alldara]

If he has a history of "going at" other living beings it is time to retire the water bottle!

Cats know it's the humans that spray them (only happens when humans are around after all!) and it's making him fearful of YOU. Yes, he will still be affectionate etc, but it's not trust-building. My mum did that with my first cat, and it very much contributed to him being a nervous cat.

Cats are aggressive out of fear usually. A nervous cat, a cat who doesn't feel like things are "his" is going to be a more aggressive cat.

As for the neck grabbing, it's not a behaviour that I personally like to let happen. I use a stick part of a toy to give a gently poke or toss a toy past them.

 

[Alldara]

Oh. To add, the best thing it to prevent it before it happens. Making sure you're getting a lot of his energy out with play and that any dry food is given through movement.