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Territorial Aggression: Usually cats only feel the need to defend their territory from other cats. Cats are however highly territorial, even more so than dogs.

What To Do

• Check first with your veterinarian to rule out medical causes for the aggressive behavior.
• Seek professional help. An aggression problem will not go away by itself. Working with aggression problems requires in-home help from an animal-behavior specialist.
• Take precautions. Your first priority is to keep everyone safe. Supervise, confine and/or restrict your cat's activities until you can obtain professional help. You are liable for your cat's behavior.

What Not To Do

• You should never attempt to handle a fearful or aggressive cat. Cat bites and scratches become infected easily. If you do receive an injury from your cat, clean the wound carefully and contact your physician.
• Punishment will not help and will make the problem worse. If the aggression is motivated by fear, punishment will make the cat more fearful and, therefore, more aggressive.