Occasionally you will find a cat with unusual aggression patterns.
One of these is food aggression.
Sometimes food aggressions can be put down to one cat trying to be the 'alpha' cat in the family, but there can be other causes as well.
Food aggression is where the cat will attack another cat to protect its food.
It may also try to steal food from other cats.
Typically this type of aggression is from cats that were strays or were perhaps in a shelter where food wasn't plentiful.
The cat has been in situations where it has literally had to fight off others in order to eat.
Once in the home situation, they are still unsure that the food will be forthcoming each day.
You might find your cat trying to 'stare down' another cat to warn it away from the food.
Food aggression can also happen in homes where there is an uneasy relationship between two or more cats, especially if one cat is weaker.
In this situation the aggressive cat is attempting to make itself the 'alpha' or number one cat in the home.
The tension that builds up can cause the weaker cat to become fearful and insecure.
It could also lead to spraying and more aggression.
I had this problem when Tikki was alive.
She would try to push Cassie away from the food at night so she could eat both dishes.
I don't think she needed the extra food, she was just making sure she was the one in charge.
I solved this problem by feeding them in different rooms and made sure that Cassie had finished before Tikki was allowed into the room.
After a few weeks of this, Tikki settled down to the extent that she started waiting for her dinner in the same room as Cassie.
When I started feeding them together again, there were no further problems.
As both cats cat been spayed, there were no problems with either of them spraying urine on vertical surfaces.
If you think your cat has a problem with food aggression, start feeding your cats on opposite sides of the room.
Stay and keep watch on them to make sure both cats get their food.
Make sure you feed them at the same time each day so they know the food is going to be there.
This can be once or twice a day, it is up to you.
If it is a dog that is causing the problem, feed the cat where the dog can't get at it.
This could be in a different room or somewhere high that the dog can't reach.
It will take time, but your cat will realize that the food is now plentiful and going to come each day.
And when that happens, you will have a wonderful companion that is a joy to be with.