Mary Allen
From the wolves, we know the term “alpha animal” for the pack leader. A similar boss phenomenon has been discovered in cats that owners often suffer from.
Tension builds up every time Esther Müller* strokes her cat, Paola. At first, the cat calmly accepts the friendly affection, but then suddenly, for no apparent reason, it rolls over on its back as if stung by a tarantula and bites or scratches its owner’s hand. The bites had already become infected twice, so Müller had to see a doctor. The cat lover wanted to win her darling’s favor again with new strokes. But the opposite happened. Paola visibly increased her behavior, the trust between the two was soon severely damaged, the relationship severely disturbed. A vicious circle had developed, dictated by Paola.
Within a few weeks, the cat had further developed its aggressive behavior. Soon she was hissing and raging when Esther Müller didn’t open the door fast enough or didn’t serve the food quickly enough when asked. Then Paola fought with full physical commitment, bit Müller in feet or socks, attacked her upper body, and clawed at her owner’s clothes. In the meantime, she asked herself in desperation: What kind of malicious creature do I have in the house?
Research on anger issues with cats is still largely in its infancy. Symptoms of aggression like Paola’s were known for a long time mainly from dogs, they were called “dominance aggression”. It occurs above all when the system of hierarchy in the pack has gotten out of joint and several animals want to tie the dominion to themselves. Since affected cats are usually very self-confident and sometimes appear in social groups like high-ranking despots who control everything, the phenomenon is referred to as “alpha cat syndrome” based on dogs or wolves, sometimes a little more complicated than “aggression induced by stroking”.
Pay Attention to the Mood Barometer
In the search for the cause, the basic personality of the animal plays the greatest role. The animals usually use gestures, threatening gestures, and aggression in the same way as they would do to fellow animals. In addition to their voice, cats primarily use their body for conversation.
Real barometers of mood are the ears, the long whiskers on the face, and the tail. For example, when the cat is in a good mood and relaxed, the ears are forward, the whiskers are at rest to the side, and the tail is motionless. If a dog comes along, the following happens: The ears point back, the whiskers are fanned forward and the tail twitches. Now the velvet paw is tense and alarmed. If she also crouches and puts her ears and tail close to her body, she gets scared. Touches can now end badly for people.
However, the human being as a conversation partner often misunderstands fine body language. If the first signs that are supposed to mean “I don’t want to be petted anymore” are overlooked, alpha cats like Paola resort to harsher means – they strike. Esther Müller has now practiced the subtle sign language. Ahead turn, a look at the hand, an increased flick of the tailor a slight laying back of the ears are clear indications that it is better to leave Paola alone. And: If Paola tolerates the petting, she will be rewarded with a game unit afterward. This helps.
To counter aggressive behavior during feeding, Müller has purchased an automatic feeder whose lid opens at programmed times. Little by little she works her way towards peaceful coexistence with the cat. Paola also gets a training program for physical and mental exertion. Since then, the cat-human team has been doing much better, even though Paola will never completely shed her tendency to command. But in the animal shelter, this consideration was already seriously in the room, she will definitely no longer come.