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Every pet sitter has been—or will be—confronted with a hissing, growling irate feline. And no matter how well prepared you are to deal with the situation, it will set you back a step (or two)! An angry, aggressive cat is in some ways scarier to confront than an aggressive dog. What’s a pet sitter to do?  What steps can you take to protect yourself—and fulfill your commitment to caring for that “Hell-Cat” while the owners are away?

I met Dr. Jane Brunt at the Cat Writers Association’s annual conference many years ago. Jane is the feline advocate and current executive director of the CATalyst Council.  If you’re not familiar with their work, I urge you to look into it (www.catalystcouncil.org).  CATalyst is an amazing resource for cat owners and for pet-care professionals like pet sitters who want to provide the best possible care for their feline clients. When I sat down to write this blog, Jane was the first person I thought about when it came to answering questions about feline aggression.

“As a feline practitioner, I explain to owners that cats are both predators and prey, and people are often perceived as the predator,” she noted. “This could be especially important to cat sitters to understand and learn how to both read body language and approach cats on their own terms, including not approach them as indicated and circumstances allow. Fear is the Number One cause of feline aggression, so  understanding that (and responding appropriately) will help those who wish to help cats. As you know, for many of us, it’s all about the cat!”

Being prepared (and well-armed with information) is important. Dr. Brunt recommended board-certified veterinarians in behavior or clinical practice or organizations that can provide evidence-based recommendations to professional pet sitters. There are various behavior guidelines of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and others that were compiled by specialists and other scientists, plus The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Indoor Pet Initiative and other resources that can provide helpful information.

Links
Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorists:
http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/  
American Association of Feline Practitioners Guidelines:
http://www.catvets.com/public/PDFs/PracticeGuidelines/FelineBehaviorGLS.pdf
AAHA Guidelines:
https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/02-guidelines/behavior-management/2015_aaha_canine_and_feline_behavior_management_guidelines_final.pdf
OSU’s Indoor Pet Initiative:
https://indoorpet.osu.edu/

What to Do?
Dr. Tony Buffington, a veterinarian and professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University, has spent his 30-year career studying cats and how their environment affects their health. He is the founder of the Indoor Pet Initiative, which features strategies for keeping indoor-housed pets happy and healthy, and authored more than 100 scientific publications, 30 book chapters, and three books.

Dr. Buffington pointed to information provided by the International Cat Care Organization (ICC, www.icatcare.org) when it comes to feline aggression towards humans: “It is extremely distressing if a cat bites or scratches badly and when this happens the priority has to be safety and prevention of further injury. Do not attempt to touch or approach the cat, particularly if it has remained highly aroused after the attack, (e.g., aggressive vocalization or body language) or is generally behaving abnormally for the individual.

“The first task is to separate the cat from any humans or other animals that could potentially be attacked. This cat may well be very frightened itself so keeping as calm as possible will reduce the likelihood of further incidents. You may be able to shut yourself and others out of the room where the cat remains or allow it to escape into another room and shut the door. Make sure you don’t stand in the way of any potential escape route and certainly don’t attempt to shout, confront or punish to ‘dominate’ the cat as this will undoubtedly result in increased aggression as it will be seen as threatening behavior.

“Protecting vulnerable parts of your body, such as legs and arms, is important and heavy boots and gloves can be useful temporary indoor clothing. You may also feel safer to protect your eyes with glasses or goggles if you need to approach the cat for any reason. Cats often calm down after a couple of hours of the incident but it is always wise to be cautious.”

Why Does Aggression Happen?
“As ICC remarks about aggression state, aggression is a consequence of an emotional state,” Dr. Buffington continued. “Emotional states arise from interactions with one’s surroundings to guide behavior.  For pet sitters, I imagine that arousal (petting), fear (defensive aggression), re-directed aggression (defensive or offensive) might be common causes. This becomes ‘problem behavior’ when it results in fear or injury in another (pet or human) individual.”

So, what can pet sitters do about a client’s cat that becomes aggressive during a pet-sitting assignment? PSI members tell us that they encounter problems after the initial meet-and-greet, after the cat’s owner has left. The meet-and-greet went fine, then when the sitter returns, the cat is hissing, spitting and even chasing/attacking. Is there any additional advice you have for professional pet sitters who encounter an aggressive cat during a pet-sitting assignment?  

“I agree with Dr. Brunt that being able to read cat body language, and know how to approach cats is important,” Dr. Buffington concluded, “and likely known to pet sitters (or should be!).  I would also ask the owners to describe the cat’s behavior around strange people and animals, which the sitter will be once the owners are away.  I would like to get input from PSI members for their ‘best practices’ in this domain.  I don’t commonly cat sit for owners of cats I don’t know, and would be interested to learn from sitters who are expert at situations like this.  Veterinarians with house-call practices also might be an interesting source of experience and expertise.”

Dr. Buffington’s eBook and free course called “Cat Mastery” on iTunes University provide excellent understanding of the ethos of normal feline behavior:

Cat Mastery e-Book:
https://affordablelearning.osu.edu/catalog/bookshelf/cat-mastery 
Cat Mastery on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/cat-mastery/id868264019

You can also check out his YouTube videos for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI8NsYIyQ2A and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgm80EZg0CI.

What do YOU Do?
Please comment below with any input about the way you handle the problem of a client with a bad “cat-itude.”