Cats sometimes get on perfectly. Cats that bond will spend time together, eat together, cuddle up together and the home will be filled with harmony. Even cats that aren’t in the same family group can bond, although less likely. Most often, stranger cats will learn to tolerate each other, create their own territory or share the same one with differently timed routines to avoid a fight. In these scenarios the neighbourhood will be a peaceful place. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
There will be cats that just don’t fit together, the ones that will fight, resulting in injuries, stress and anxiety for the cats and even the owners and other residents. The reasons are most likely to do with territory and the cats’ natural behaviour, but that doesn’t mean that the cat owners on both sides can’t work together to try to resolve the situation. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Communication with the Neighbour
Find out the owner of the cat and have a little chat, even if your cat is the cause of the problem. It’s good to communicate and let each other know that you’re happy to work together. Obviously, cats will be cats, but here are a few suggestions:
- Agree certain times to keep in one of the cats, allowing the other some free time to roam. Try to pick times that work with the family, so it becomes part of the household routine.
- If the fighting happens at a set time, keep the aggressor in during those hours. For example, some cats will fight at night using the darkness to their advantage. If so, the aggressive cat should be kept indoors until morning.
- The aggressive cat could be given a safe collar with a bell to help warn other cats of their presence.
- Using cat flaps with a sensor entry system to prevent the cat from entering the neighbour’s house.
- Blocking any walkways or shortcuts that aggressor takes into the neighbour’s garden to prevent easy access
- Consider installing a cat fence or alternative cat containment system for either cat
- Increasing the stimulation for both cats in the home and garden, including cosy areas, activity centres and toys along with the time spent together playing.
We hope that these tips will help to resolve aggression between cats in the neighbourhood. Learn more about aggression between cats over on International Cat Care.