Is stopping cats from fighting the right thing to do? A reader asks cat expert Celia Haddon...
Q) My cat was involved in a fight with another cat in my garden, and I grabbed her and took her into the house. She turned on me and bit me hard on the hand, between the forefinger and thumb. The wound swelled up and I had to get antibiotics. What is a safer way to interrupt a cat fight?
Your Cat reader
A) CELIA SAYS: Interrupting a cat fight is always dangerous! The puncture wounds from cat bites often become infected because of the bacteria in a cat’s mouth. Shouting from a safe distance can have no effect if the two cats are completely engrossed in the fight. Throwing water, if you can get close enough but not too close, sometimes works. A garden hose would be ideal. If the fight is inside the house between two resident cats, then the heavy cushion from the bottom of a sofa or armchair can be used to separate the two. If two resident cats are having severe fights, one of them should be rehomed for their own welfare.
