Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 74

Cats are territorial creatures and, while overt aggression within a group tends to be low, aggression to outsiders can be intense. Defense of territories is normal in free‐living colonies, especially during breeding season (Turner 2014). Even though most housecats are sexually altered, they are still very likely to hiss and yowl at outside cats. This is a common trigger for urine spraying as well. Cats within a multi‐cat household are prone to territorial (and fear) aggression toward one another when first introduced, particularly if the cats are not slowly introduced using positive associations (Levine et al. 2005). In many situations, cats do form a social bond or at least largely tolerate the presence of the other cat. Cats, however, do not associate with each other randomly, and the expectation of a harmonious multi‐cat home is not a given outcome. Aggression to unfamiliar people is typically a result of fear, but territorial aggression is possible (Landsberg et al. 2013). The problem is often complicated by the inability of the cat to escape and other underlying fears or anxieties.