Cat aggression toward humans frequently has identifiable welfare-related causes including pain, fear, and frustration that require assessment before behavioral intervention.
Human-directed aggression in cats is often a welfare signal from the cat rather than a behavioral failure. A cat who bites when its belly is touched may have abdominal pain. A cat who attacks when approached from behind may have reduced hearing or vision. A cat who escalates from normal behavior to severe aggression may have an intracranial process affecting impulse control. Behavioral intervention without pain evaluation treats the symptom rather than the cause, prolonging both the welfare problem and the aggression. The welfare assessment comes first, and treatment follows from what the assessment reveals.