Cats have a reputation for being bossy, but some kitties take this behavior to an extreme. If you own an alpha cat, you must get control over her to end her behavior problems.
What's An Alpha Cat?
Dr. Nicholas Dodman has written an excellent article, The Alpha Cat Syndrome. He says that an alpha cat shows the following characteristics:
- She's a natural leader who tries to take charge of nearly every situation.
- She'll try to bully and pressure you into obeying her right away.
- You touch her only when she allows it, and only for short periods of time.
- She's very protective of her food and toys.
An alpha cat will bite your feet or your nose to get you out of bed in the morning. She loudly demands to be fed at a certain time and in a certain way.
Petting-induced aggression is very common with these cats. She'll ask you to pet her, but she gets tired of it quickly. Soon her eyes narrow, she'll glance sideways at your hand, and her tail will start lashing from side to side. If you don't stop petting her, she'll bite or scratch you.
How To Train An Alpha Cat
Dr. Dodman suggests using behavior modification techniques to gain control over an aggressive cat. Your cat needs to learn that nothing in life is free, and that you are the supplier of good things. If she wants good things like food and petting from you, then she needs to be nice to you.
The first thing you should do is to avoid all confrontations. If your cat bites you to get you out of bed in the morning, don't let her in the bedroom at night. Get some earplugs so you can ignore her howling at the door. She'll give it up after a few nights, so stand firm. If she bites you when she's in your lap and you're petting her, put her down and don't let her come back for a while.
Use a clicker to train your cat. The cat learns that she gets a treat when she hears the clicker. Then she learns that she can make the clicker click by doing certain things when you tell her to do them. She gets a click and a treat only if she does what she's told.
Feed your cat twice a day so you're in charge of when she eats. Use the clicker to teach her to sit quietly until you feed her. If she doesn't cooperate, she misses a meal. It won't hurt her to go hungry for a few hours, and she'll learn that getting fed is conditional upon her listening to you and showing good manners.
Ration the petting so that your cat wants your attention. Pet her only when she has done something to deserve it, like obeying a voice command. Even if she has earned petting, watch for signs of aggression. Petting sessions should be short and end quickly if she attacks.
Don't ever respond to demanding behavior from your cat. Walk away. Give her what she wants later, but only after she does what you've told her to do, like sitting, coming when called, or just waiting patiently for something.
By showing "tough love," it's possible to change your cat's behavior by teaching her to respect you. You're the supplier of all good things, but she must earn them first.
