Mary Allen
The fight-or-flight response in cats occurs whenever a potential opponent falls below the so-called critical distance. The velvet paw remains in a wait-and-see attitude but is on high alert. Learn more about this instinctive feline behavior here.
When you watch cats interact or approach a strange cat, you can often see the fight-or-flight response. In an instant, the velvet paw decides whether it is safe or in danger, whether it should attack or run away.
What Happens in the Fight-or-Flight Response?
When faced with a situation cats are unfamiliar with or potentially dangerous to, their entire bodies, senses, and brains adapt to the fight-or-flight response. This is an instinctive behavior that can be observed in almost all animals and also in humans. The cat pauses at that moment, frozen in place, alertly tense from the tip of tail to ears. The brain sends an alarm signal to the body and the adrenal cortex releases a rush of adrenaline. This passes through the sympathetic nervous system and flows through the bloodstream until the entire body and mind are on alert.
Acute stress occurs, in addition to adrenaline, cortisol is released, the heart rate, respiratory rate, and pulse accelerate. Blood pressure rises, blood sugar and blood fat increase, the pupils dilate, the senses are wide awake and sharpened. Muscles tighten, the immune system temporarily shuts down, as does digestion, metabolism, and drive—all energy is now channeled into the fight-or-flight response.
If the cat actually feels threatened and thinks it can take on the opponent, it will stay, but show clear defensive behavior, such as hissing, a cat‘s hump, or paw slaps. If the threat cannot be dispelled in this way, it must become clearer and attack – a fight ensues. If the opponent seems too powerful or if the cat is unsure, it will flee.
Need for Closeness & Distance of Cats
When the fight-or-flight reaction is activated depends on the so-called critical distance. This is the distance at which cats feel threatened by a potential opponent and must decide whether to behave defensively (flight) or offensively (fight). However, the critical distance cannot generally be quantified in specific meters or centimeters, since the respective distance is determined by many different factors.
One of these factors, for example, is the individual distance of each cat. This is the smallest distance the cat can tolerate tolerable from a conspecific, another animal or human that could potentially become dangerous or uncomfortable. The individual distance depends, for example, on the cat‘s personality – anxious cats have a higher need for distance, trusting cats let others get closer to them. House tigers that have hardly had any bad experiences also feel a lower individual distance than animals that have already experienced a lot of bad things.
In addition, the context also determines the critical distance. For example, if the cat knows there is a well-protected hiding place nearby, such as a tree or its home, it will let the potential threat get closer. On level, unprotected terrain, the critical distance is much greater. When given a choice, cats prefer to flee – as a rule, a fight only ensues if the critical distance is disregarded so quickly that the fur nose has no time left to flee. For example, if you suddenly pet a strange cat want and surprise her with your affection, she defends herself with her claws and possibly even painful bites. If you respect the critical distance and let the furry friend decide whether it wants to get to know you or not, the risk of an attack is very low.