There is always a time where aggressive cat behavior rises to the fore. No matter how docile they are the majority of the time, even the most laid back and loving animal will occasionally display bouts of temper and fear. Your job is to find the cause of those negative emotions, and do whatever you can to limit or eliminate that source.

Before you try to adjust the behavior of your cat, remember a few simple things. Keep some perspective in mind. Your cat doesn't care about its own behavior, since it will act as it feels natural to do so. Also, physically disciplining a cat due to problem behavior will never help in the long run.

Problems involving aggressive cat behavior can include the destruction of furniture, going to the bathroom outside the litter box, fighting with your other cat(s) or even attacking you. When solving these problems it is necessary to change the cat's behavior through non aggressive means, so remonstration becomes associated with the act, not with you.

Do not be angry when your cat scratches your furniture, because it is not willfully trying to destroy your furniture or make you angry. The solution is to buy a cat scratching post and provide positive reinforcement. Cats like praise, and so it will learn to use the post. If this technique does not work and the cat still goes for the furniture, just move the furniture next to the post. The cat will catch on.

One particularly frustrating aggressive cat behavior is fighting with another cat. Cats are frequently territorial when more than one cat is living in the same house. They also are born with an instinct to hunt and stalk. Another cat in the home or your shoestrings creates a good source for prey. The best solution for this problem is to make sure the cats each have their own litter box and food bowl.

Just like people, cats can have mood swings. Changes in mood can cause docile cats becoming aggressive cats. Illness can also cause temporary cat problems that manifest as aggression. Cats that are ill often feel vulnerable, and therefore find the need to defend itself. When you know your cat well, you can recognize the signs of imbalance early before the cat becomes aggressive.