Cats fight for a lot of the same reasons people fight: space, food, prime denning spots, access to members of the opposite sex, or just plain crankiness and boredom. Sometimes cats “fight” just for the sheer heck of it—for a rousing, vigorous workout. But they also “fight” because they’re cats, obeying hardwired, instinctual programs laid down by millions of years of evolution. They “fight”—actually, react instinctually with an instant defensive-aggressive posture—in response to stimuli that they perceive as potentially threatening. Cats don’t intellectualize, plot revenge, hold elaborate long-term grudges, or battle to defend religious dogmas, philosophical positions, or political opinions. They react. A cat reacts to an immediate stimulus in his environment: another cat who tries to grab his sunny spot, an intruder cat sauntering shamelessly through the yard, being grabbed by a sticky-handed toddler, a sudden or loud noise, a bright light in his eyes.
