Meowllo and welcome to another Service Cat Monday. It’s cold and windy here, but fur the moment, we have sunshine and shadows. Mommy wanted me to let everypawdy know, that we might be writin’ a couple things today that will upset a few folks; but ifin you’ll stick with us, we purromiss you’ll unnerstand our point. We welcome all your questions, comments and suggestions. The only thing we ask, is that when askin’ a trainin’ or behavioral question, purrlease try to be as specific as pawssible. We’re not mind readers, and do wanna try to help ya’ out. But without specifics (you can even include an example) we can’t be sure ifin we’re actually givin’ ya’ the right tips. You can leave those questions/suggestions in the comments or send us an email. As with all our Service Cat postys, the followin’ will be written in Human English fur translator and reader ease. Our Trainin’ posts aren’t meant to be a step by step manual as trainin’ is all ‘bout Repetition and Rewards. Our Trainin’ posts include tips, tricks and techniques used/developed by mommy throughout her many years of trainin’ animals, cats in purrticular. Ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, you can ketch up by clickin’ on the links at the end of this or any Service cat post. We’ve got some great questions to address, so let’s get to them.
The question we’re gonna address today, was left last week. We’re not sure if this is an ongoing situation, or one from the past. Never the less, it’s weighed heavy on our minds since it was posted and we feel we just have to address it. The thought of it has haunted mommy all week, because there are currently breed laws in effect in many States against certain dogs because of misconceptions. And mommy couldn’t live with the thought of that happening to kitties. We’ll sum up the example given fur you: A person adopted a female Tuxedo kitty as well as an 8 year old human boy from a chaotic, violent, drug filled environment. Said kitty was terrified of the human boy and retreated to live in cabinets in the basement. Whether or not kitty had been abused, is/was truly unknown to the adopter. It also appeared that the adopter already had a resident Tuxedo male kitty in the home, possibly her littermate (the comment wasn’t specific). When the female Tuxie finally started to venture out of the basement she was bullied by the resident Tuxie male to the point that the adopter had to pen him so that he couldn’t get to her. And here is the question that was asked: Do you think it’s normal for some breeds to just be bullies and pick on those kitties who didn’t have such a good start in life?
Me’s not a bad kitty, me’s just assertin’ me’s claim.
The short answer is NO!!! Absolutely Not!!! First, let’s take a look at Cat Breeds in particular. ALL cats are descended from the Middle Eastern Wildcat. That’s right, those smooshed faced Persians, Color Pointed cross eyed Siamese, Floofy, floppy Ragdolls, and every other breed descended from the Felis Silvestris. Through natural gene mutation, cats adapted to their environments. Until that is, humans got involved. Breeders started cross breeding, inbreeding, and manipulating nature to create more desirable traits so they could make money. Don’t you go and hit that unfollow button. Me has a point to make. The results are not always in the best interest of the cat species. Now don’t nobody get angry with us, we’re only presenting the truth. And you know it too. Let’s keep going here. There’s conflicting evidence as to exactly when cats became domesticated, but for sure we’ve been part of human’s lives for at least 9000 years.
Felis Silvestris
Now let’s take a look at a cat’s natural behavior. Yes, we have a point for all of this, so just bear with us. A cat has four basic functions bred into each and every one of us, wild or domesticated, naturally evolved or with breeder interference. We are born to hunt, eat, sleep and procreate. For the purpose of this post, we’re going to focus on our innate nature to HUNT. Cats are preprogrammed to hunt prey to survive. Yes, even the adorable kitty purring in your lap. Cats have amazing smell receptors. The thing that makes us great Service Cats is our ability to smell the changes in mommy’s chemical make up before she passes out. That ability also lets us smell fear, other animals (prey and/or appropriate mates), changes in the weather, and other scents we encounter.
As most people know, cats are very territorial. Because of our need to defend and claim our territory, unaltered cats, especially males can exhibit unwanted/undesirable behavior such as marking or fighting. Spaying and Neutering goes a long way to alleviate this behavior. However, defending our territory is still paramount. The smell of fear often signals prey; and the scent of another cat, signals a possible change in the hierarchy. That innate need to hunt may cause us to attack a scared or weaker cat, as we see them as prey. Cats desire live prey. Chasing is part of the hunt. A scared cat with it’s tail tucked between it’s legs and running away is a sure sign of prey. And that instinctual desire to chase, catch and kill kicks in. We can’t fight it, it’s part of our nature.
And the need to be “King of our jungle” may cause us to attack a scared or weaker cat. In the wild, only the strong survive to procreate and pass along their genes to the next generation. For these reasons it’s important for our humans to take appropriate steps to introduce new kitties to resident cats. A cat that exhibits fear, requires extra attention from his/her humans in order to rebuild his/her confidence.
The person who left this question stated that the young boy hadn’t abused the scared cat, but was unsure about the adults in the previous home, yet the cat was fearful of the child initially. We’d like to take a minute not to suggest that the boy had abused the cat, but to relate that children don’t know how to treat animals until they’re taught. Children often approach animals wrongly. It’s not uncommon to hear of a child or even adult who’s been scratched after pulling a tail or trying to restrain a kitty to hard or for too long. Cats can acclimate to chaotic surroundings, but they are generally happier in more structured surroundings.
When Raena came to live here, me was unsure about the whole thing. Sis Lexi had left abruptly, mommy and me had been alone for a couple of months and suddenly there was a new smell with an attitude in me’s house. Her innate drive to hunt caused her to chase anything, including me, that ran from her. It wasn’t till me’s tail went up and me stopped running and turned to face her, that she stopped treating me like prey. Because of me’s uncertainty and confusion about everything that had happened, me no doubt smelled like fear, and weakness. One of the most desirable traits of the Ragdoll, is the laid back nature we have. None the less, Raena initially presented as a “bully”. However, she was and is not a “bully”. She was only acting on her feline instincts.
In conclusion, we say again, NO cat or breed of cat are born “bullies”. Rather, we have an instinctual need to hunt and survive. Some cats have a stronger drive than others, but we all have it. We realize this isn’t much of a training post, but we have several questions about aggressive cat behavior, so we decided to address this issue by introducing the back story to where cats came from and what drives a cat’s existence first. And to stop the perception that any cat is a natural born “bully”. Since we all have the same DNA, that argument would mean that all cats are bullies, and we know that isn’t true.
As me just said, we have an aggressive issue comin’ up. But next week, we’re goin’ to meow a bit ‘bout leash trainin’ do’s and don’t’s and include a question from one of our doggy furiends. In the meantime, mommy wants to stress that you don’t walk a puppy while on crutches…EVER!!! That’s an accident waitin’ to happen. ‘Member you can get caught up on any trainin’ posty you missed by clickin’ the links below.
Till the next time………………………………………Be Blest!!!
Additional Resources: National Geographic (link above)
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Service Cats U.S. 
Thank you for addressing this. I do want to say that my adopted son was always nice to the kitties ( I had three at the time and only one (our newest one) was the bully and picked on the older one.). My son loves cats and is always sweet and gentle with them. But his birth parents had dumped the scared cats sisters at the river after I rescued her and I doubt if she ever got enough to eat, as my son sure didn’t. I would’ve taken all 3 and found them homes if I would’ve known they were so cruel. My son was traumatized by the whole thing. I don’t think the cats was abused though. Just neglected a lot. So she was very fearful and that’s why she got picked on.
I’m glad you are telling me that Tuxies are not normally bullies as they and Tabbies are my favorite breeds and I’m looking for a new friend for Izzy. Izzy is a very laid back, friendly to all people, other cats and even dogs. He is a medium haired gray/brown tabby. He’s only about 8 yeats old and we lost his friendly Tuxie a year or so ago. It’s time he had a new partner before he gets older and doesn’t want one anymore.
I went to our humane society a couple of weeks ago and they had the best Tuxie but they wouldn’t let me have him because he didn’t get along with other cats. I wish they had some sort of meet and greet like they do for dogs there. Izzy loves all his neighbor cats. Hangs out on their porches with them, stares in their windows. Walks with me and the dog. He’s so friendly.
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We’re glad we could help Izzy and awnty Julie. We’re so sorry and sad dat any of da kitties had to go thru this ordeal and wish they all could’a had a chance at life. Da bestest bet fur Izzy’s new furiend is purrobably another tabby kitty. Tabbies usually are more laid back and acceptin’. And ifin da shelter says a kitty doesn’t get along with others, it’s bestest to let it alone. They offen know bestest. Good luck and we can’t wait to hear ’bout Izzy’s new furiend. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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You are sure right about Tabbies, whether they are great, brown or yellow. Always sweet and lovable. Even Siamese/ tabby mixes are sweet. But you know how human girls like bad boys? Tuxies are the bad boys. They get into all sorts of trouble, knock things off tables just to bug you or get the dog to eat or break it, etc. But Tuxies wrap their arms around your neck and purr and purr and you just have to love hem.
So what type of kitty do we really want? A little sassy and very loving or just laid back and sweet? Good question, don’t ya think? I guess as long as everyone gets along together. But a little excitement or drama is sometimes a good thing, but not too much!
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And I forgot to say that Pepper, was Izzy’s best friend and never picked on him. Pepper only picked on Lucky because she was about 12 years old and he knew she was weak and a scaredy cat. Izzy was younger than him so he didn’t bully him at all. I can’t say Izzy was brave or stood up for himself or anything. They just got along. But Lucky was an old lady tabby (not a male tuxie like I think you thought.) and was fearful before Pepper came to live with us. So Pepper saw a victim and went for it. She’s passed on since and Pepper died last year when he got hit by a car. So Izzy now visits the neighbor cats when I let him out with me and the dog. (We all walk together every evening – the three of us). It’s so funny!
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No, we didn’t think anythin’, we were suggestin’ dat you get a tabby now to be furiends with Izzy. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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There is NO BAD Cats, not tuxies, tabbies, or any other cat. That was the whole point of this post. All cats get into everythin’ ifin they’re allowed. It’s a cat’s nature to be inquisitive and curious. Nor do any cats do things to annoy their humans. Not even us.
As fur da type of kitty you NEED? You need a happy well adjusted, laid back kitty. We really do suggest a rescue tabby.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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I didn’t mean to suggest tuxies or any other breed are BAD cats. And you are probably right that Izzy would be happy with another tabby. I was merely trying to get other people’s observations about the different cats breeds and their temperaments. My favorite cats have been tuxies as they do have such strong personalities and show so much affection and are very smart and playful and super sociable to people. But maybe not so much to other cats unless they are brought up together.
I have had many cats, from 3 at a time to 15 at a time, from Siamese mixes to tabbies, black cats and tuxies and I had never seen this behavior before in 30 years of owning cats. Maybe it was just this one cat that was so aggressive but I see from others responses that it seems to just be the certain group dynamic and not the breed/coloring that can cause this behavior.
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Yes, behavior isn’t dictated by color patterns. And da behavior you describe is not only tuxies. Nor is it every tuxie. This post answered the question of where cats came from and what dictates their natural behavior. Then you have to include their surroundings. It’s Nature vs. Nurture, or rather, Nature and Nurture dat makes a kitty behave in a purrticular way. There are certain natural instincts dat can be over-ridden by Nurture, but they will always be there. However, anytime you plan to add a furmily member to your home, da goal is to keep da home happy and relaxed. ifin you already have furries, their needs should take precedence over da humans wants and desires. Such as, you may want a “bad boy”, but dat’s not what’s bestest fur Izzy. And since it’s to be his furiend and he will have to share his home with them, his needs should be utmost in da decision. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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Excellent post. I know cats do things out of fear and that is why Jinx goes after the other cats. XO
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Fank you awnty Ellen. We’ll be addressing aggression soon. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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What a good training lesson! We sure agree no cats are born bullies and all cats are trainable! I also totally agree that walking any cat while on crutches is a bad idea. Many years ago, our dad was trying to carry a case of cat food when he was on crutches. of course, one of the the crutches slipped and he broke his wrist in the fall
Purrs and hugs dear friends,
Pete and the whole family
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Thank you so much for this post. There’s so much in it that’s helpful, and it’s so clear!
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Pawsum. We’re so glad you found it helpful. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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dezi & raena; my gorgeous gal pal rosie across the street from me was rescued from a drug house and my stars if she still doesn’t have a bit of “trauma” from it this many years later. the good Lord Himself only knows what she had to endure and I have curses in my head I think every day to those that put her through what she went through; her “cousin” came over to make friends once and sadly; it didn’t go well, but then rosie’s not saying what her went through { human or pet wise } and I guess I cant say as though I blame her ~~~~~~~~ hugs from dai$y ♥♥
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What a great post and important information to share! And we definitely agree. Hugs to you all!
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Fank you awnty Rachel, we hope it’s well received by all. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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Great post, all of it, especially the resounding No!! Thank you for this one. ❤
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Fank you. We sure everypawdy feels da same. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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Thank you for your post! It was so interesting to us. Our Emmett likes to chase our Aine sometimes, and this helps us maybe figure out why. When she stands up to him, he backs off. We learned a lot — thank you!
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Dat’s pawsum mews. We’re so glad you could figger out some of da behaviors goin’ on in your house. We cats are mysterious, but not so, dat you can unnerstand us. Sometimes we just have to go back to da beginnin’ Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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Very interesting post my friends. I agree totally with you that there are no bully breeds…just situations. Kali always runs from Shoko and Shoko gives her a bad time. Kali is not a well kitty and I believe Shoko smells this. However, after saying this, Shoko can be incredibly gentle with Kali. Go figure.
Jean
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Fank you awnty Jean. Mommy says cats are incredible and full of contradictions. Thus shoko’s nurturing as opposed to her innate need to hunt. Mommy says dat comes from years of livin’ together. Even our base nature can be overcome by luv. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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We had a similar situation to you and Reana when Purrseidon moved in – she was 4 weeks old and Mr. M was about 7 years old. M had lived feral for years, so knew how to take care of himself – until a baby wanted to chase his tail. I think it took him about 2 years to ‘bap back’, I mention him particularly because he is a tuxie and was accustomed to being the ‘lion king’ because I don’t consider fighting to be typical of him or any other tuxie I’ve met.
That having been said, he doesn’t seem comfortable with the addition of bunny brothers – particularly Halo, who loves to fight. M hasn’t eaten anyone, but he does exert dominance (at least he tries) thus he and Purrseidon wrestle some, but I think this is merely an adjustment phase.
And yes, kids as well as some adults, need to be taught how to behave around animals.
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We’re glad things worked out awnty Jeanne. When Raena moved in, mommy was yellin’ all da time. But not at her, ‘stead she yelled at me. Stop runnin’ Dezi, Stand your ground Dezi, Whap her Dezi. Furinally me stopped and so di da bullyin’. There’s always an adjustment period as we cats likes routine and sameness. Mommy says we’re like old folks in fur. MOL Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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We mainly said things like, “be nice’ or “gently” and tried to use a soothing tone. That said, it took about 2 years for Purr to slow down to a dignified stroll and that still isn’t her typical speed.
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MOL Yeah, we know all ’bout dat. Raena is non stop, and still tries to assert her dominance on occasion. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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If she follows Purr’s pattern, hopefully she’ll start calming down in another year.
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Bein’ a Ragdoll, it’ll like take her another 3 years. Mommy says dat’s what it took me, and me wasn’t quite da pistol Raena is.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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Oh my goodness! That’s a long, long time to ignore kitten antics.
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Yeah awnty Jeanne, da joys of da Ragdoll breed. MOL Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
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