06/04/2022
Let’s talk about redirected aggression.
This can be one of the scariest kinds of aggressions because it can seem like it comes out of nowhere.
Sometimes it is directed at another animal, and sometimes it can be directed at humans.
Generally redirected aggression happens when an animal is looking at something or hearing something that is causing them to become very agitated, and then another animal or a person interacts with the animal in an already highly agitated state.
Instead of directing their aggression at the original cause, they redirect that aggression on to this new innocent bystander.
For cats, an inciting cause could be seeing another cat or a dog from a window, or even seeing potential prey such as birds, squirrels, or in the case of this video, a lizard.
For dogs, an inciting cause could also be other dogs or cats, people, delivery vehicles, garbage trucks, bicycles, skateboarders, or prey animals.
If an animal is doing this inside the home then the best thing to do is to prevent that visual stimulation from happening in the first place. You can do this by closing the curtains or blinds, covering the windows with paper, or using privacy film coverings for the glass.
In extreme cases you can also use a motion activated water sprayer to discourage other animals from entering the area where your pet can see out the windows.
Have you ever seen a pet show redirected aggression? I would love to hear about your experience in the comments!
