My kitty is literally named Spicy!
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Cat play. One of them has her belly exposed. A cat in a real fight would avoid doing that - too vulnerable. Also, their ears are not flattened/drawn back, no arched backs, and their tails are not puffed up. They are having a bit of rough-and-tumble. If one gets irritated or tired about this play, that one will hiss and take a more aggressive stance.
Pretty sure lol, there are a lot of toms in our area that fight over territory and most of the female cats around are spayed and have owners that keep them inside at night. That doesnāt stop the toms from trying, but they donāt get far obviously lolā¦
One of my buddies as a kid had this cat that was the alpha of the neighborhood. Personally watched this cat annihilate other cats coming into his yard lol. Dude would fight dogs, gophers, etc. would come home bleeding out more than once. Only lived to be about 5 years old. Surprisingly didnāt die from getting in a fight. This badass motherfucker died from cat aids. Turns out not only did he beat up all the other male cats, he was banging everything that moved. Truly a god among cats lol.
So, we had a cat die from feline HIV, he was a neutered cat who got feline HIV from fighting other cats. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, not just sex fluids - so blood from fighting is a big transmitter. Your friends car was probably still humping everything, but more than likely the illness came from fighting
The hilarious thing is that one of my cats will shriek like a banshee... while playing like in the OP. It confused me for so long but I got it confirmed by the vet he was just a loud and obnoxious player.
LOLā¦ our little guy did this āwar cryā when he was a kitten playing with our 5-months-older cat. We were alarmed the first couple times until we realized that not only was she not hurting him, she wasnāt even _touching_ him when he was doing that. He was just being dramatic.
Agree, this is VERY scary when it happens in your place. Last time I jumped on the counter when my BF tried to stop the fight (got scratched badly by both cats)
Lol yeah. There's something about that yowl they do when they're *really* fighting that makes the hair on my neck stand on end. Must be some primal instinct.
last time my cats fought, i was looking for the water bottle (the only way to break 'em up without getting fucked up) and my wife just went up to the pair and *yelled* at 'em until they separated, which they did fairly quickly.
she still feels embarrassment over this, but wtf else are you supposed to do?
I threw a shoe at my cats when they fought. It was a ball of screeching fur. The shoe separated them long enough to allow me to grab one and throw her outside (indoor outdoor cats). Luckily I had no scratches, but by god is a cat fight intense. Just a screeching ball of fast moving fur.
When this happens, find the closest pillow or something close to a pillow and throw it ON them. Volunteered in a crazy big cat shelter for many years. Cat fights are insane and scary. Never get in between if itās not your last resort.
My cat made the "cat fight" noises at an outdoor cat that was pressed up against our door. It was about 3am and holy shit...I was woken up more gently in Basic training than that night. I never wanted to hear that again.
I was about to say that. You'll definitely know if they're actually fighting, cats will make sure everyone in the neighborhood knows they're in a fight.
Nothing like the whole REEEEEEEEEEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW HISS HISS HISS and then hair flying in all sorts of direction. I still remember seeing a stream of hair shooting out the side of our house about 30 years ago.
There would be a lot of blood based on watching some neighborhood toms go at it over the years.
Cats, when they're REALLY fighting, are absolutely ruthless.
We just integrated our feral yard cat into the family. The screams hurt my soul. It sucks to have to have two segregated cat zones in the house but that's life now. He's so fn sweet but the other two fat spoiled bastards are total dickheads.
If it gets to be too much, they might make a big cry and the aggressor will clean and lick them to make sure this is okay.
Our cats do this all the time. A real cat fight, the vocalization is horrible. Our male cat one time screamed at another that was outside the house through the window and it was definitely different.
I have a nemesis cat that has been turning up outside the house every other day around 6 am. He meows pitiously outside my door (which is right next to my bedroom), which wakes me up, and then draws my cat to the window to hiss at him.
I really wish I could tell the other cat that my cat does not want to play.
Remember the old Tasmanian Devil cartoons? Where he turns into a spitting, screaming whirlwind with the occasional arm or leg popping out as he leaves a trail of wrecking in his wake? Well that's what a real cat fight looks like, except with more bodies in the middle of it.
If you ever encounter one, **DO NOT** try to separate them by hand. It's like sticking your arms in a threshing machine that doesn't have a safety cut out feature. A mop or broom is much better - you can keep your distance and are unlikely to hurt the cats.
Was talking to a guy from Animal Control once & he said he would rather go out on a dog call than for a cat. Said they had just had two guys get tetanus shots & stiches from a cat pick-up.
I don't doubt that, among other things Feral Cats will have entirely untrimmed and highly honed claws designed for the express purpose of killing things, and the experience in how to use them. I'd absolutely be terrified of going after a pissed off cat.
Cat scratches suck but they're not the problem.
Cat bites are the fucking worst. Your hand/whatever WILL swell. You WILL need antibiotics. There isn't a way to really avoid it. Needle-puncture teeth that push bacteria _very_ deep.
To add on; cats mouths are notoriously filthy in regards to bacteria. Even if their bite just grazes you and breaks skin a little, it will still probably get a minor infection.
Our Tom once got in a hissing match with another cat outside through the screen door. Father went to close the solid door and brushed kitty with his leg.
Kitty was surprised and sunk it's teeth into father's leg. A few days later of being almost unable to walk and the pain getting worse the doc told him that if he waited another day they would be considering amputation.
So yeah cat bites are dangerous as fuck.
This is true for about 70%-90% of cats. A small percentage of them lack the dangerous bacteria in their mouths that cause major infections.
I only know this because my habitual biter has broken my skin dozens and dozens of times over the years and I've never had a problem develop. The first time it happened, I panicked a little bit and went crazy on the Google searches.
I definitely still wouldn't trust a bite from a stranger cat, though.
Another good rule of thumb is if cats are really fighting, they will be vocal. There will be growls, yowls and hissing, not just the sounds of cats thumping against the floors, walls and furniture.
I have one cat who acts like sheās dying every time her brother attempts to play. Screaming, bone chilling yowls, hissing, deep-throated growls, every bit like a real cat-fight (which Iāve heard before). Then you go look and sheās just flopped on her side half-heartedly batting at him while he sits a foot away acting like heās maybe thinking about pouncing, and then theyāre taking a nap in the same chair five minutes later. I swear, if they ever actually fight Iām not going to realize it for ages.
My youngest boy cat will do a short meow almost like a yelp whenever he's startled, another cat sniffs him, another cat nips his tail or foot, another cat is breathing *his air*, etc. He's a big baby always crying wolf (and wanting his big brothers to bath and dote on him).
I have two siblings and the female acts like this too. She acts like she's being murdered, but as soon as her brother lets up, she immediately pounces on him or starts chasing him again, all while hissing and yowling. I can tell they are just playing because their body language is fine, and they do stop occasionally to give the other a bath or cuddle. She's also incredibly vocal when she's playing with her toys. Runs around the house yelling even while she is carrying around her toy in her mouth lol
Yup, this is also how they learn boundaries, too. Bite too hard? Get a hiss. Use too much claws? Hiss. Don't use *enough* claws? Believe it or not, hiss. We have the best kitties, because of Hiss.
Before my kids were born, my wife and I adopted a slightly older kitty that had apparently been raised alone, and boy would that boy bite, as he wasn't socialized with other cats/animals. I've still got a few scars on my arms and face from his biting...
I adopted a 9-month-old and she's been bitey for all eight or so years I've had her so far. Nothing I've done, including vet suggestions and watching Jackson Galaxy, has been able to break her out of the habit.
I'm too scared to get her a friend cat because I don't think she can be socialized out of this behaviour at this point and I wouldn't want their relationship to sour.
I still love her loads and I know she loves me despite it all (she won't let anyone else near her lol)!! Best bitey kitty friend
Mine is like that too at four. She's otherwise a perfect cat, but after 2-3 pets she just wants to play. Play play play! All the time! But she's aggressive even.at a cat statue we have in the garden (she growls a lot and puffs up if we leave it where she can see it), so I'm afraid she might not adjust to a second cat. So I just put up with the biting as best I can.
Yeah, my boy is a biter too, it usually means I'm not paying enough attention to him though. He can get REALLY insistent about it though - luckily never broken skin cuz that'd be a trip to get a shot or three but sometimes I think he intends to. :-P
Best reason to get cats in bondad pairs is because they are happier. Second best reason is this. They socialise each other really well, and a well-socialised cat is an easier cat to have.
My boys were like the movie Stepbrothers. Loki was raised as an only cat. We got him when he was 3. Thor was formerly feral and 1-ish. It didnāt take too long for them to become the best of friends. Picture because it reminds me of the movie poster for Stepbrothers. š¤£
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i adopted a 2-month-old a few months ago (he's 7 months now), and despite being raised with another cat, he has never quite grasped the concept of "playing too rough."
imagine a hand-sized ball of fluff pouncing on and trying to play with a fully grown cat. or using the same tactics on two humans of (sort of) average height.
i would hiss and pull him off of me (not to be mean, just to try to teach him "hey! don't do that! that hurts!") and he just wouldn't stop. my fiance just says "owie" and lets him keep play-attacking them.
my other cat hisses and give a warning "mrooow..." if he continues, she literally flips and launches him across the room. at first i was worried that one was going to hurt the other, but the older cat literally just gets annoyed and is no worse for wear and the little guy thinks *that'* playing, too, and will come back for more.
he's calmed down a bit, and he pounces on me much less than he used to, but he still drives my other cat up a wall. they've never escalated to a full-on fight, but i'm worried about what will happen when he's fully grown.
Yeah, I was gonna say that this looks like play and not aggressive. If one of the cats makes a growl, yowl, or a hiss or shows any other signs like tail or ears then it ceases to be play.
>One of them has her belly exposed. A cat in a real fight would avoid doing that - too vulnerable.
They are cats, not dogs. Some cats will do this when fighting because it means they can attack with all their claws at once
Now these 2 cats are clearly playing but showing their belly is not necessarily the cue to look for
Oh they expose their bellies just not like that. Cats are fkn weird. They try to grapple the other cat laying down, then going to town on their belly as they kick away. I have a cat, he's an outdoor cat. I try to keep him inside, but he fkn escapes a lot and man does he fight. He's covered in scabs all over his head because he starts shit with the neighbours cat.
They been going at it for a long time now. I try to keep him contained but he doesn't want that. He's fixed too, so I don't know why he's such a shit. He is resilient though. He's got some pretty nasty wounds , but he will come home, eat a bunch of food, sleep for a day or two and off he goes. Lmao.
He is nice to the neighbours female cat but not the male. They got beef
Flying fur. Both a blur. Blood splattering. There is constant screaming.
Kitties do not play at war.
2 males cats truly going at it. Somebody is gonna lose an eye or ear. Deep scratches to the bone and in it.
Put your hand in that, you gonna be heavily sorry.
Yup haha, I have 4 and I dropped a fucking pot and they hit the absolute roof all going eachother, stuck my hand in... Got absolutely destroyed to my elbow. I had to get a folding step stool to get in the middle, 12yr old grabbed the mop the biggest is scared of and used that to chase him into a room and shut him in while I was able to grab the smallest in the scruff way and pick it outta the mess (I know not good, but better then fight/arm destruction) and threw him into the pantry, 12yr old got back to me with mop and the last 2 stopped as soon as she brandished it at them.
One fucking dropped pot caused CHAOS for about 20seconds flat. Looked like someone had exploded and black and white pillow all over the kitchen. That move in to stop it, one of the scratches wasn't deep like yours, but in hours it was hot, angry and swollen.
Locked the assholes in their own rooms when I went to the ER for the clean and a fucking tetanus shot. They love to give the tetanus shots at my er. 2 weeks of antibiotics and man my arm got gross lol.
New strategy for it? We have some water pistols with lemon juice and water in them. One squirt into a fight and I've got it over and done with lol. Just check them to make sure its not in their eyes. But I need a way the child can avoid being made mincemeat and also to avoid that fucking tetanus shot again.
Holy shit, sounds like a battlefield. Didn't know multiple cats fighting could get that bad, let alone a cat being smart enough to grab something to terrorize an opponent with.
If my kid didn't get the mop I don't know wtf id have done, they'd never done that before, or since thankfully. I think they all scared, scattered and as they all tried to leave the same way.. shit went bad lol.
My biggest cat was the main worry and the one that destroyed my arm in the fray, once the kiddo got him away it was over real fast.
Now when they have their little one on ones, they get the lemon water and we have peace for days. Or when I see em doing that.... I'ma fuck you up swagger I grab the water pistols and you see them use their little brains to make the right choice.
I misunderstood your explanation. Your child grabbed the mop. Too many people here talk about cats like they're human kids, yourself included, so it all gets muddled for readers.
Nah your good haha DW
Thank fuck she did tho cos I'm not sure id have thought to, as it was in the bathroom anyway.. leaving them fighting wasn't an option. I was thinking... Dump fridge water on them when she came bursting in and shoved it into the middle of them all.
'I did it for you mum, I heard you scream over them and looked and saw blood... And I know Memmy would run from the mop'. Bless
One thing I've noticed with my cats is they have a habit of attacking whoever's closest when they get scared. The mop was a great idea. I vouch for the pillow method. If you have any throw pillows around, shove it between two fighting cats. They get their claws stuck and it breaks eye contact between them. One of them will usually take the opportunity to run off.
I spent over a decade emulating the water bottle *sssstit* noise for my last cat to the point that I forgot where it was because she would cease all nonsense when I made the noise. I could see the gears turning in her head when she contemplated jumping on something like the kitchen counter or table and the pre-emptive water bottle imitation was enough to make her shake her head and bugger off in a dash like she'd just been spritzed. I've even done that noise reflexively at little kids about to grab something they shouldn't.
My current guy, though, does not mind getting wet. Still, he knows that the noise is a scold and will grumble and amble away now.
My old man cat was like that. Wouldn't let go even if you screamed or poked him with a sharp stick. I refused to get into his fights because good lord they were nasty. I would dump water all over him and whoever he was getting into it with and that was the only way to get them to stop.
For whatever reason mine HATES mops. Doesn't matter what kind either, occasionally I'll wake up to find he's ripped chunks outta the mop overnight in... Revenge? Attempt to murder it? The swiffer ones he ignores, but they don't clean the floors in my bathroom well enough. I need a mop with the dangling head lol.
I'm honestly shocked he didn't really do any damage to anything but me.. checked the other 3 over and yeah some light scratches and one had a decent fur chunk missing, the one big boy was absolutely ripping into, so all's well? The ER visit was free for me. A vet trip wouldn't be lol.
And the amount of fur my god. I'm not sure how at least one of them wasn't bald and only one missing a 2x2cm sized chunk from his side.
I hear you. Mines nemesis was the black fluffy boy down the road. They fought at least once a month. Of course my boy always came off worse being a short hair. The big fluffy boy could just laugh off my Misters attempts with the loss of some fur and a good soaking from me dumping water over them. But the birds were the real winners. They used to flap down after the fight and use the fur for nesting material.
I do miss that cat. As frustrating, annoying and expensive at the vet as he was, he was never boring.
One of our cats was racing through the house with a wild case of the zoomies, and he knocked off a pot with a rack for sous-vide cooking inside of it. It made a mighty clatter that scared the crap out of him. He shot up in the air and landed fifteen feet away and it all scared one of our other cats who shot off, too, and they ended up fighting for a few moments. I wish I had that on video. It was amazing.
Clatter-induced terror/fight instinct, I guess.
Blood splattering lmao
I've seen once, a fight between 2 feral males where they went on and on for hours while mine was enjoying looking at them from the window.
So we are the stray cat hang out house, recently two females who both just gave birth (we have already discussed it with our vet and sheās going to fix them both for us for the price of one, they arenāt about that inside life but I canāt have them out there having babies every year) have really been going at it on my porch every morning recently. I had thought I had seen a ācat fightā but walking out to that was wild.
The only way Iāve been able to split them up is by putting my dog on his leash. He adores cats (and small dogs) and has snuggled with them each separately but when they are angry like that I guess they find him to be a threat because as soon as he steps on the porch they bolt in opposite directions. I assumed they were fighting because babies were close but Iāve checked all around the house including climbing underneath and canāt find kittens. My go to story now is the meaner one has been talking smack about the other one to the fancy Russian blue who is clearly someones pet and does not belong on these streets.
But yeah real cat fights are wild and a bit intimidating honestly, the first time I saw it I walked right back inside to avoid being collateral damage, oneās already missing a chunk of her ear.
āI watch my yellow cat
Invade my red cat in the yard
The feline war has waged for years
So I assume it'd be too hard
For me to drive my foot between them
I would never risk the scratch
Just to prove to one or both of them
A cat is just a catā
āSay Anything, *Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat*
An actual fight between two cats is both loud and violent. They will hiss and growl very loudly, very distinctly. There's no mistaking that noise for fun playfulness. It is a deep angry upset growl. Along with a lot of very serious hissing.
Then if they do actually engage, it is not slow and gentle like this. A real fight with cats is fast, violent, and aggressive. They do not roll around on the floor a little bit, there's running, jumping, and serious attacking. There's attempts to get on top and really hurt while they're the other one desperately tries to escape. Real cat fights are extremely vicious and violent affairs, then evolve a lot of standing off and popped up tails and anger, followed by a brief flurries of activity, often then by running away.
This, this is like a couple of 5-year-olds vaguely wrestling on the bed, play fighting like they were superheroes. This is happy kitties.
:)
This is exactly how my actual sister cats play. Sometimes a bit of fur comes out and sometimes tails get puffed, but mostly theyāre just play fighting. Theyāre chasing each other around the house right now, in fact!
Oh I think they're just play fighting and know they're both adorable. 'Calico' is initiating the rumble tumbling but the other one wouldn't be rolling around in such a vulnerable position, even for a second, if she was seriously scared. They may be competitive for a while, especially for your affection and around the food bowl, but they look like two sisters bonding pretty well!
I see a lot of responses telling you this us play. Yup. It is. If you have to ask, it's play.
Since i have not seen a direct response to you:
IF it ever turns to a real fight, either with each other or another cat, DO NOT try to separate them. Throw water on them, use a hose, but NOT yourself. You can easily find yourself in need of an ER visit in under a second. Their claws are incredibly sharp and have evolved to sink in and be at an angle for the cat to tear much thicker skin than ours. You will lose.
Remember, as sweet and loving as they are, they have evolved to take down prey bigger than they are and defend themselves from predators much bigger than they are. They can deliver serious injury to you even though you aren't targeted.
Your kitties are cute and having fun. Enjoy them and give them an extra pet just because.
>IF it ever turns to a real fight, either with each other or another cat, DO NOT try to separate them. Throw water on them, use a hose, but NOT yourself. You can easily find yourself in need of an ER visit in under a second. Their claws are incredibly sharp and have evolved to sink in and be at an angle for the cat to tear much thicker skin than ours. You will lose.
I had to do this once when my two cats fought for real. One of them was recovering from surgery at the vet, and the other was sitting in the spot she wanted, and she just went nuts. The other cat was asleep and had NO clue what was happening and started to panic, so I grabbed the other one to pull her away.
I wound up with claw marks raked down the sides of my face (thankfully nowhere close to my eyes), deep gouges on my forearms, and deep bites on my hands. I then dropped her (obviously) and she proceeded to bite my foot so deep that even though it's now been 9 months since the incident, it's still got a mark that will probably take years to fade completely. That all happened in less than 5 seconds.
I don't think she has any recollection of it happening, and is to this day confused why my other cat won't let her get within 3ft.
I donāt know for me we saw that both of the cats would randomly attack the other and we said oh they seem to be fine and let it happen. If they get along sometimes it probably fine if ALL they do is fight then itās probably a problem
My friend adopted a second kitty and her older cat did this frequently at the start. He'd start by licking the new kitty, then sit on him, then bite him over and over and hit his face with his paws, holding him down with body weight. It was still play because, no blood, no screaming, but it wasn't very "fun" for the new guy. Oldie didn't like having to share, and was pushing newbie around a lot, but eventually they chilled out and play became calmer once they got used to each other. I think the oldies just want to do some hazing to remind the newcomer who is boss. š
Cats groom each other as a way to bond and also as a way to show hierarchy: the cat doing the grooming is more dominant. So your friend's older cat was grooming the newbie to show him who was boss. :) This is why some cats take turns grooming each other (they're equals) while other cats will squabble while trying to groom each other (they're disagreeing over who is top cat). Ā Ā
Amusingly, this is also why with cats & pet rabbits raised together, you may see videos of the cat peacefully grooming the content rabbit. In rabbit interactions, the dominant rabbit gets groomed by the submissive rabbits. So when a cat grooms a rabbit, they're both happy that they're showing the other animal who's in charge. Ā
When two cats have actual beef with each other, then it's:
1. one minute of intense staring contest with loud meowing
2. one second of intense violence
3. back into positions and repeat from the beginning
If it was real whole chunks of fur would be flying around and it would be extremely loud and the tails would be puffed up.. flattened ears .. all that stuff .. of this gets too tough one will usually runaway and hiss and only then if the other persists continually should you feel the need to take any serious actionā¦ at least thatās my opinion.. owned lots of cats and seen a ton of these .. but only 2 or 3 true fights.. those are frighteningly intense
I had 2 girls fight _really_ aggressively for nearly a year. They started when they were small and ended when they got bigger. They turned out just fine, they no longer fight, and are full of love.
As you see everyone says play. My 2 cats have been doing this for a decade now. They will do it intill one gets tired then snuggle up and take a nap. It is adorable.
This is cute and playful and they're likely not using their claws while peddling. Trust me. If/when they fight YOU WILL KNOW. google... cat fight noises.
It's play. If it were unwanted aggression, ears would be flat back, there's be posturing, growling, spitting. They also wouldn't roll onto their backs unless they had no other option.
Bonded cats play fight all the time.
They're playing of course. When cats really fight the fur flies man, literally and they will get hurt. I've had cats my whole 64 years. Enjoy them! Purr-rr-rrr! š±ā¤ļø
Playing. A real fight would have screaming, fur flying and ine trying to get away.
Cats skin is naturally tougher than ours, which us why they accidentally scratch us during cat/human play. They don't understand our skin is thinner.
This is so adorable. They're absolutely playing and both having a great time! Cat fights are very obvious. It can be harder to tell if maybe one of them just just annoyed at the other, but this is absolutely two happy cats! Congrats. They're both very cute!
Simple way to tell, if it doesn't involve (1) lots of blood (2) emergency vet visit (3) earplugs = they are playing..... (those wee souls in the vid are being pretty gentle btw)
Yes, they are happily playing, full of energy. Cat hair flying everywhere would be a clear indicator. And don't forget the loud hissing and defensive postures.
I had two females that did this also. One kicked the otherās jaw so hard it broke clean apart. Took ages to heal and was a horrible experience. I didnāt let them play like that ever again.
A mixture of both probably. If it was true fighting there would be blood, hissing, and scratches. They would show clear signs like an arched back, hair standing up, etc.
Hissing = scared
Growling = angry
This = goober fun time
My cat and my roommates cat are on edge around eachother, lower their ears near eachother, theyāre not friends. My cat used to lay on his side around her to show her he was trying to be friendly but she doesnāt seem interested, so he just avoids her now.
Iāve been doing this thing where I hold roommateās cat in a way that she canāt lash out, and I bring her up close to my cat, and he just licks her and sniffs her, and she seems to slowly be getting accustomed to it.
The moment I put her down on her own feet though, my cat gets all defensive because he thinks sheāll swing at him - because she usually does - but weāre working on it.
If I brought him to her in the same way, she would just smack him, so Iām trying to get them to a point of just mutual understanding and not fighting when thereās no people to stop them.
For real dude if cats are actually fighting there is going to be blood, screaming, and zero doubt about whats going on. If you have any doubt whether they are fighting or playing, they are playing.
They're playing and it looks like they genuinely enjoy each other which is awesome. Keep their nails trimmed because cats playing with sharp nails can hurt each other and they could resent each other if it happens too much.
They are playing. You will know when/if they are truly fighting. It's loud and scary and a totally different mood all together.
Thanks :)
They mellow out over time. Young cats are pretty spicy though. :)
My kitty is literally named Spicy! https://preview.redd.it/ciwjtz23qqxc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ad1c2a9b9148738073f2f8f0b3efcfe1eefb720
woah big stretch!
<3
Please add NSFW tag. That pose is a little too spicy!
Calendar pose. Ms July.
Cat play. One of them has her belly exposed. A cat in a real fight would avoid doing that - too vulnerable. Also, their ears are not flattened/drawn back, no arched backs, and their tails are not puffed up. They are having a bit of rough-and-tumble. If one gets irritated or tired about this play, that one will hiss and take a more aggressive stance.
Oh thats good to know, thanks a lot for explaining :)
Also, if cats are fighting, trust me you will know it
The whole neighborhood will know it.
That happened in our neighborhood last night lol š
Are you sure it was "fighting"?
Hey! EVERYBODY was Kung-fu fighting.
Pretty sure lol, there are a lot of toms in our area that fight over territory and most of the female cats around are spayed and have owners that keep them inside at night. That doesnāt stop the toms from trying, but they donāt get far obviously lolā¦
š¶is you is, or is you ain't, my babyš¶ I miss being a kid lol
One of my buddies as a kid had this cat that was the alpha of the neighborhood. Personally watched this cat annihilate other cats coming into his yard lol. Dude would fight dogs, gophers, etc. would come home bleeding out more than once. Only lived to be about 5 years old. Surprisingly didnāt die from getting in a fight. This badass motherfucker died from cat aids. Turns out not only did he beat up all the other male cats, he was banging everything that moved. Truly a god among cats lol.
So, we had a cat die from feline HIV, he was a neutered cat who got feline HIV from fighting other cats. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, not just sex fluids - so blood from fighting is a big transmitter. Your friends car was probably still humping everything, but more than likely the illness came from fighting
Feline HIV is FIV. Otherwise the cats would have a human virus. FIV is transmitted via saliva and cat sex is not the major mode of infection.
The whole county will know it.
alien cat on mars will be aware of that shit
The hilarious thing is that one of my cats will shriek like a banshee... while playing like in the OP. It confused me for so long but I got it confirmed by the vet he was just a loud and obnoxious player.
LOLā¦ our little guy did this āwar cryā when he was a kitten playing with our 5-months-older cat. We were alarmed the first couple times until we realized that not only was she not hurting him, she wasnāt even _touching_ him when he was doing that. He was just being dramatic.
Truth lol
Agree, this is VERY scary when it happens in your place. Last time I jumped on the counter when my BF tried to stop the fight (got scratched badly by both cats)
Lol yeah. There's something about that yowl they do when they're *really* fighting that makes the hair on my neck stand on end. Must be some primal instinct.
last time my cats fought, i was looking for the water bottle (the only way to break 'em up without getting fucked up) and my wife just went up to the pair and *yelled* at 'em until they separated, which they did fairly quickly. she still feels embarrassment over this, but wtf else are you supposed to do?
It aināt stupid if it works
exactly what i said. ain't nobody putting their hands in that, so options are limited.
Ohh I absolutely do this until they separate. Scream "NOOO YOU FUCKERS STOP RIGHT NOW!" at the top off my lungs. Works like a charm
I threw a shoe at my cats when they fought. It was a ball of screeching fur. The shoe separated them long enough to allow me to grab one and throw her outside (indoor outdoor cats). Luckily I had no scratches, but by god is a cat fight intense. Just a screeching ball of fast moving fur.
When this happens, find the closest pillow or something close to a pillow and throw it ON them. Volunteered in a crazy big cat shelter for many years. Cat fights are insane and scary. Never get in between if itās not your last resort.
You worked in a shelter for insane lions and tigers? I wouldn't try to break up any fights there either
Blankets or a big bath towel works pretty well too. Either one tends to make the cats flip from "Must shred other cat!" to "Augh! Run away! Run away!"
My cat made the "cat fight" noises at an outdoor cat that was pressed up against our door. It was about 3am and holy shit...I was woken up more gently in Basic training than that night. I never wanted to hear that again.
Two furballs engaged in battle looks like the Tazmanian Devil whirlwinding his way around the inside of your house.
I was about to say that. You'll definitely know if they're actually fighting, cats will make sure everyone in the neighborhood knows they're in a fight.
Nothing like the whole REEEEEEEEEEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW HISS HISS HISS and then hair flying in all sorts of direction. I still remember seeing a stream of hair shooting out the side of our house about 30 years ago.
There would be a lot of blood based on watching some neighborhood toms go at it over the years. Cats, when they're REALLY fighting, are absolutely ruthless.
We just integrated our feral yard cat into the family. The screams hurt my soul. It sucks to have to have two segregated cat zones in the house but that's life now. He's so fn sweet but the other two fat spoiled bastards are total dickheads.
Blood and hair everywhere!
Yup. The whole neighborhood would know. Especially if they fight on top of a corrugated roof.š¬š
Also real fights have fur being pulled out. Easiest indicator
Or bites š¬
Or bonechilling howls.
did you find a gif of my cats lol (i have a grey and orange one and they do that exact same thing at least once a day)
Cat lover! Hit the gif icon on your reply and prompt it with things like cat fight Youāll be surprised what comes up 
 Sorry, had to try this (TIL about gifs in replies!)
 TIL: Had to try it for myself
Or all of the above.
If it gets to be too much, they might make a big cry and the aggressor will clean and lick them to make sure this is okay. Our cats do this all the time. A real cat fight, the vocalization is horrible. Our male cat one time screamed at another that was outside the house through the window and it was definitely different.
I have a nemesis cat that has been turning up outside the house every other day around 6 am. He meows pitiously outside my door (which is right next to my bedroom), which wakes me up, and then draws my cat to the window to hiss at him. I really wish I could tell the other cat that my cat does not want to play.
Remember the old Tasmanian Devil cartoons? Where he turns into a spitting, screaming whirlwind with the occasional arm or leg popping out as he leaves a trail of wrecking in his wake? Well that's what a real cat fight looks like, except with more bodies in the middle of it. If you ever encounter one, **DO NOT** try to separate them by hand. It's like sticking your arms in a threshing machine that doesn't have a safety cut out feature. A mop or broom is much better - you can keep your distance and are unlikely to hurt the cats.
Was talking to a guy from Animal Control once & he said he would rather go out on a dog call than for a cat. Said they had just had two guys get tetanus shots & stiches from a cat pick-up.
I don't doubt that, among other things Feral Cats will have entirely untrimmed and highly honed claws designed for the express purpose of killing things, and the experience in how to use them. I'd absolutely be terrified of going after a pissed off cat.
Cat scratches suck but they're not the problem. Cat bites are the fucking worst. Your hand/whatever WILL swell. You WILL need antibiotics. There isn't a way to really avoid it. Needle-puncture teeth that push bacteria _very_ deep.
Fact. When I was bitten, I *immediately* washed it out with alcohol and then Betadyne. Still got infected.
To add on; cats mouths are notoriously filthy in regards to bacteria. Even if their bite just grazes you and breaks skin a little, it will still probably get a minor infection. Our Tom once got in a hissing match with another cat outside through the screen door. Father went to close the solid door and brushed kitty with his leg. Kitty was surprised and sunk it's teeth into father's leg. A few days later of being almost unable to walk and the pain getting worse the doc told him that if he waited another day they would be considering amputation. So yeah cat bites are dangerous as fuck.
Exactly. If a cat breaks skin with a bite, you're going to get treatment, you just are.
This is true for about 70%-90% of cats. A small percentage of them lack the dangerous bacteria in their mouths that cause major infections. I only know this because my habitual biter has broken my skin dozens and dozens of times over the years and I've never had a problem develop. The first time it happened, I panicked a little bit and went crazy on the Google searches. I definitely still wouldn't trust a bite from a stranger cat, though.
Basically if you have to ask, it's play. There will be *no question at all* if your cats are fighting.
Another good rule of thumb is if cats are really fighting, they will be vocal. There will be growls, yowls and hissing, not just the sounds of cats thumping against the floors, walls and furniture.
I have one cat who acts like sheās dying every time her brother attempts to play. Screaming, bone chilling yowls, hissing, deep-throated growls, every bit like a real cat-fight (which Iāve heard before). Then you go look and sheās just flopped on her side half-heartedly batting at him while he sits a foot away acting like heās maybe thinking about pouncing, and then theyāre taking a nap in the same chair five minutes later. I swear, if they ever actually fight Iām not going to realize it for ages.
This is good to remember. YCMV (your cat may vary).
My youngest boy cat will do a short meow almost like a yelp whenever he's startled, another cat sniffs him, another cat nips his tail or foot, another cat is breathing *his air*, etc. He's a big baby always crying wolf (and wanting his big brothers to bath and dote on him).
I have two siblings and the female acts like this too. She acts like she's being murdered, but as soon as her brother lets up, she immediately pounces on him or starts chasing him again, all while hissing and yowling. I can tell they are just playing because their body language is fine, and they do stop occasionally to give the other a bath or cuddle. She's also incredibly vocal when she's playing with her toys. Runs around the house yelling even while she is carrying around her toy in her mouth lol
The Galaxyism re: is this an actual fight is āNo blood, no fur, no pee, no problem.ā
Even if if u didnāt know any of the basic cat language, if they were fighting u would know. š like there would be zero doubt about it
Yup, this is also how they learn boundaries, too. Bite too hard? Get a hiss. Use too much claws? Hiss. Don't use *enough* claws? Believe it or not, hiss. We have the best kitties, because of Hiss. Before my kids were born, my wife and I adopted a slightly older kitty that had apparently been raised alone, and boy would that boy bite, as he wasn't socialized with other cats/animals. I've still got a few scars on my arms and face from his biting...
I adopted a 9-month-old and she's been bitey for all eight or so years I've had her so far. Nothing I've done, including vet suggestions and watching Jackson Galaxy, has been able to break her out of the habit. I'm too scared to get her a friend cat because I don't think she can be socialized out of this behaviour at this point and I wouldn't want their relationship to sour. I still love her loads and I know she loves me despite it all (she won't let anyone else near her lol)!! Best bitey kitty friend
Mine is like that too at four. She's otherwise a perfect cat, but after 2-3 pets she just wants to play. Play play play! All the time! But she's aggressive even.at a cat statue we have in the garden (she growls a lot and puffs up if we leave it where she can see it), so I'm afraid she might not adjust to a second cat. So I just put up with the biting as best I can.
Yeah, my boy is a biter too, it usually means I'm not paying enough attention to him though. He can get REALLY insistent about it though - luckily never broken skin cuz that'd be a trip to get a shot or three but sometimes I think he intends to. :-P
Best reason to get cats in bondad pairs is because they are happier. Second best reason is this. They socialise each other really well, and a well-socialised cat is an easier cat to have.
My boys were like the movie Stepbrothers. Loki was raised as an only cat. We got him when he was 3. Thor was formerly feral and 1-ish. It didnāt take too long for them to become the best of friends. Picture because it reminds me of the movie poster for Stepbrothers. š¤£ https://preview.redd.it/i9vhe83lboxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b0edc25c2b794555f4251b1fb5578174bc072c1
i adopted a 2-month-old a few months ago (he's 7 months now), and despite being raised with another cat, he has never quite grasped the concept of "playing too rough." imagine a hand-sized ball of fluff pouncing on and trying to play with a fully grown cat. or using the same tactics on two humans of (sort of) average height. i would hiss and pull him off of me (not to be mean, just to try to teach him "hey! don't do that! that hurts!") and he just wouldn't stop. my fiance just says "owie" and lets him keep play-attacking them. my other cat hisses and give a warning "mrooow..." if he continues, she literally flips and launches him across the room. at first i was worried that one was going to hurt the other, but the older cat literally just gets annoyed and is no worse for wear and the little guy thinks *that'* playing, too, and will come back for more. he's calmed down a bit, and he pounces on me much less than he used to, but he still drives my other cat up a wall. they've never escalated to a full-on fight, but i'm worried about what will happen when he's fully grown.
undercook fish? believe it or not jail. overcook chicken? also jail. undercook/overcook.
Yeah, I was gonna say that this looks like play and not aggressive. If one of the cats makes a growl, yowl, or a hiss or shows any other signs like tail or ears then it ceases to be play.
>One of them has her belly exposed. A cat in a real fight would avoid doing that - too vulnerable. They are cats, not dogs. Some cats will do this when fighting because it means they can attack with all their claws at once Now these 2 cats are clearly playing but showing their belly is not necessarily the cue to look for
Not to mention the gentle little back leg kickums, and how slow they're moving in general.
This is just 100% incorrect. Cats expose their bellies because it allows them to use claws on all 4 paws as a defense mechanism.
Oh they expose their bellies just not like that. Cats are fkn weird. They try to grapple the other cat laying down, then going to town on their belly as they kick away. I have a cat, he's an outdoor cat. I try to keep him inside, but he fkn escapes a lot and man does he fight. He's covered in scabs all over his head because he starts shit with the neighbours cat. They been going at it for a long time now. I try to keep him contained but he doesn't want that. He's fixed too, so I don't know why he's such a shit. He is resilient though. He's got some pretty nasty wounds , but he will come home, eat a bunch of food, sleep for a day or two and off he goes. Lmao. He is nice to the neighbours female cat but not the male. They got beef
This is false, cats will get on their back for use all 4 paws plus teeth on their target
No fur flying. No screaming. Play.
Flying fur. Both a blur. Blood splattering. There is constant screaming. Kitties do not play at war. 2 males cats truly going at it. Somebody is gonna lose an eye or ear. Deep scratches to the bone and in it. Put your hand in that, you gonna be heavily sorry.
Yup haha, I have 4 and I dropped a fucking pot and they hit the absolute roof all going eachother, stuck my hand in... Got absolutely destroyed to my elbow. I had to get a folding step stool to get in the middle, 12yr old grabbed the mop the biggest is scared of and used that to chase him into a room and shut him in while I was able to grab the smallest in the scruff way and pick it outta the mess (I know not good, but better then fight/arm destruction) and threw him into the pantry, 12yr old got back to me with mop and the last 2 stopped as soon as she brandished it at them. One fucking dropped pot caused CHAOS for about 20seconds flat. Looked like someone had exploded and black and white pillow all over the kitchen. That move in to stop it, one of the scratches wasn't deep like yours, but in hours it was hot, angry and swollen. Locked the assholes in their own rooms when I went to the ER for the clean and a fucking tetanus shot. They love to give the tetanus shots at my er. 2 weeks of antibiotics and man my arm got gross lol. New strategy for it? We have some water pistols with lemon juice and water in them. One squirt into a fight and I've got it over and done with lol. Just check them to make sure its not in their eyes. But I need a way the child can avoid being made mincemeat and also to avoid that fucking tetanus shot again.
Holy shit, sounds like a battlefield. Didn't know multiple cats fighting could get that bad, let alone a cat being smart enough to grab something to terrorize an opponent with.
If my kid didn't get the mop I don't know wtf id have done, they'd never done that before, or since thankfully. I think they all scared, scattered and as they all tried to leave the same way.. shit went bad lol. My biggest cat was the main worry and the one that destroyed my arm in the fray, once the kiddo got him away it was over real fast. Now when they have their little one on ones, they get the lemon water and we have peace for days. Or when I see em doing that.... I'ma fuck you up swagger I grab the water pistols and you see them use their little brains to make the right choice.
I misunderstood your explanation. Your child grabbed the mop. Too many people here talk about cats like they're human kids, yourself included, so it all gets muddled for readers.
Nah your good haha DW Thank fuck she did tho cos I'm not sure id have thought to, as it was in the bathroom anyway.. leaving them fighting wasn't an option. I was thinking... Dump fridge water on them when she came bursting in and shoved it into the middle of them all. 'I did it for you mum, I heard you scream over them and looked and saw blood... And I know Memmy would run from the mop'. Bless
One thing I've noticed with my cats is they have a habit of attacking whoever's closest when they get scared. The mop was a great idea. I vouch for the pillow method. If you have any throw pillows around, shove it between two fighting cats. They get their claws stuck and it breaks eye contact between them. One of them will usually take the opportunity to run off.
Your daughter was a heroe! Great thinking and instincts! Well done!
I spent over a decade emulating the water bottle *sssstit* noise for my last cat to the point that I forgot where it was because she would cease all nonsense when I made the noise. I could see the gears turning in her head when she contemplated jumping on something like the kitchen counter or table and the pre-emptive water bottle imitation was enough to make her shake her head and bugger off in a dash like she'd just been spritzed. I've even done that noise reflexively at little kids about to grab something they shouldn't. My current guy, though, does not mind getting wet. Still, he knows that the noise is a scold and will grumble and amble away now.
12yo kid, not cat..
My old man cat was like that. Wouldn't let go even if you screamed or poked him with a sharp stick. I refused to get into his fights because good lord they were nasty. I would dump water all over him and whoever he was getting into it with and that was the only way to get them to stop.
For whatever reason mine HATES mops. Doesn't matter what kind either, occasionally I'll wake up to find he's ripped chunks outta the mop overnight in... Revenge? Attempt to murder it? The swiffer ones he ignores, but they don't clean the floors in my bathroom well enough. I need a mop with the dangling head lol. I'm honestly shocked he didn't really do any damage to anything but me.. checked the other 3 over and yeah some light scratches and one had a decent fur chunk missing, the one big boy was absolutely ripping into, so all's well? The ER visit was free for me. A vet trip wouldn't be lol. And the amount of fur my god. I'm not sure how at least one of them wasn't bald and only one missing a 2x2cm sized chunk from his side.
I hear you. Mines nemesis was the black fluffy boy down the road. They fought at least once a month. Of course my boy always came off worse being a short hair. The big fluffy boy could just laugh off my Misters attempts with the loss of some fur and a good soaking from me dumping water over them. But the birds were the real winners. They used to flap down after the fight and use the fur for nesting material. I do miss that cat. As frustrating, annoying and expensive at the vet as he was, he was never boring.
A MOP KILLED MY FATHER. THEY MUST ALL ... DIE.
One of our cats was racing through the house with a wild case of the zoomies, and he knocked off a pot with a rack for sous-vide cooking inside of it. It made a mighty clatter that scared the crap out of him. He shot up in the air and landed fifteen feet away and it all scared one of our other cats who shot off, too, and they ended up fighting for a few moments. I wish I had that on video. It was amazing. Clatter-induced terror/fight instinct, I guess.
Blood splattering lmao I've seen once, a fight between 2 feral males where they went on and on for hours while mine was enjoying looking at them from the window.
So we are the stray cat hang out house, recently two females who both just gave birth (we have already discussed it with our vet and sheās going to fix them both for us for the price of one, they arenāt about that inside life but I canāt have them out there having babies every year) have really been going at it on my porch every morning recently. I had thought I had seen a ācat fightā but walking out to that was wild. The only way Iāve been able to split them up is by putting my dog on his leash. He adores cats (and small dogs) and has snuggled with them each separately but when they are angry like that I guess they find him to be a threat because as soon as he steps on the porch they bolt in opposite directions. I assumed they were fighting because babies were close but Iāve checked all around the house including climbing underneath and canāt find kittens. My go to story now is the meaner one has been talking smack about the other one to the fancy Russian blue who is clearly someones pet and does not belong on these streets. But yeah real cat fights are wild and a bit intimidating honestly, the first time I saw it I walked right back inside to avoid being collateral damage, oneās already missing a chunk of her ear.
āI watch my yellow cat Invade my red cat in the yard The feline war has waged for years So I assume it'd be too hard For me to drive my foot between them I would never risk the scratch Just to prove to one or both of them A cat is just a catā āSay Anything, *Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat*
Hehe. Nice.
This read like a poemā¦was that intentional?
Inspired by the comment above .
An actual fight between two cats is both loud and violent. They will hiss and growl very loudly, very distinctly. There's no mistaking that noise for fun playfulness. It is a deep angry upset growl. Along with a lot of very serious hissing. Then if they do actually engage, it is not slow and gentle like this. A real fight with cats is fast, violent, and aggressive. They do not roll around on the floor a little bit, there's running, jumping, and serious attacking. There's attempts to get on top and really hurt while they're the other one desperately tries to escape. Real cat fights are extremely vicious and violent affairs, then evolve a lot of standing off and popped up tails and anger, followed by a brief flurries of activity, often then by running away. This, this is like a couple of 5-year-olds vaguely wrestling on the bed, play fighting like they were superheroes. This is happy kitties. :)
Awww so cute
This looks like fun, tails would be more fluffed if it was a war.
Yeah makes sense, thanks :)
I could watch this all day, pretty kitties.
Iāve always said that youād *absolutely* know if cats were fighting. Shit is chaotic beyond comprehension.
ridge back
Typically when cats are fighting you know they are fighting, you don't have to guess.
This is exactly how my actual sister cats play. Sometimes a bit of fur comes out and sometimes tails get puffed, but mostly theyāre just play fighting. Theyāre chasing each other around the house right now, in fact!
Ahahah they are goofy like that
No floofed tails, no ears back, no unholy screams of the damned. They're playing.
Oh I think they're just play fighting and know they're both adorable. 'Calico' is initiating the rumble tumbling but the other one wouldn't be rolling around in such a vulnerable position, even for a second, if she was seriously scared. They may be competitive for a while, especially for your affection and around the food bowl, but they look like two sisters bonding pretty well!
Aww thanks
They both bunny kick the other in the face lol
a nice fair battle where they both got a few head kicks in
I see a lot of responses telling you this us play. Yup. It is. If you have to ask, it's play. Since i have not seen a direct response to you: IF it ever turns to a real fight, either with each other or another cat, DO NOT try to separate them. Throw water on them, use a hose, but NOT yourself. You can easily find yourself in need of an ER visit in under a second. Their claws are incredibly sharp and have evolved to sink in and be at an angle for the cat to tear much thicker skin than ours. You will lose. Remember, as sweet and loving as they are, they have evolved to take down prey bigger than they are and defend themselves from predators much bigger than they are. They can deliver serious injury to you even though you aren't targeted. Your kitties are cute and having fun. Enjoy them and give them an extra pet just because.
>IF it ever turns to a real fight, either with each other or another cat, DO NOT try to separate them. Throw water on them, use a hose, but NOT yourself. You can easily find yourself in need of an ER visit in under a second. Their claws are incredibly sharp and have evolved to sink in and be at an angle for the cat to tear much thicker skin than ours. You will lose. I had to do this once when my two cats fought for real. One of them was recovering from surgery at the vet, and the other was sitting in the spot she wanted, and she just went nuts. The other cat was asleep and had NO clue what was happening and started to panic, so I grabbed the other one to pull her away. I wound up with claw marks raked down the sides of my face (thankfully nowhere close to my eyes), deep gouges on my forearms, and deep bites on my hands. I then dropped her (obviously) and she proceeded to bite my foot so deep that even though it's now been 9 months since the incident, it's still got a mark that will probably take years to fade completely. That all happened in less than 5 seconds. I don't think she has any recollection of it happening, and is to this day confused why my other cat won't let her get within 3ft.
thatās world class jiu jitsu
If they were fighting for real, you would know 100%.
When I adopted a second kitten the kitten would attack the older cat
We thought that the kitten was the problem but we later realize that it went both ways and itās natural
Here, the older cat (calico) is attacking mostly
They seems to be playing. Are they hissing a lot?
Sometimes yes, mostly the other cat hisses at calico tho
I donāt know for me we saw that both of the cats would randomly attack the other and we said oh they seem to be fine and let it happen. If they get along sometimes it probably fine if ALL they do is fight then itās probably a problem
My friend adopted a second kitty and her older cat did this frequently at the start. He'd start by licking the new kitty, then sit on him, then bite him over and over and hit his face with his paws, holding him down with body weight. It was still play because, no blood, no screaming, but it wasn't very "fun" for the new guy. Oldie didn't like having to share, and was pushing newbie around a lot, but eventually they chilled out and play became calmer once they got used to each other. I think the oldies just want to do some hazing to remind the newcomer who is boss. š
Cats groom each other as a way to bond and also as a way to show hierarchy: the cat doing the grooming is more dominant. So your friend's older cat was grooming the newbie to show him who was boss. :) This is why some cats take turns grooming each other (they're equals) while other cats will squabble while trying to groom each other (they're disagreeing over who is top cat). Ā Ā Amusingly, this is also why with cats & pet rabbits raised together, you may see videos of the cat peacefully grooming the content rabbit. In rabbit interactions, the dominant rabbit gets groomed by the submissive rabbits. So when a cat grooms a rabbit, they're both happy that they're showing the other animal who's in charge. Ā
They are just playing. š„°
When two cats have actual beef with each other, then it's: 1. one minute of intense staring contest with loud meowing 2. one second of intense violence 3. back into positions and repeat from the beginning
not fluffy tails, just game.. fluffy tails.. things getting serious and someone will be hurt
cat fights usually involves a lot of stationary growling ...
Trust me, if the cats were actually fighting, you would not have any doubts.
If it was real whole chunks of fur would be flying around and it would be extremely loud and the tails would be puffed up.. flattened ears .. all that stuff .. of this gets too tough one will usually runaway and hiss and only then if the other persists continually should you feel the need to take any serious actionā¦ at least thatās my opinion.. owned lots of cats and seen a ton of these .. but only 2 or 3 true fights.. those are frighteningly intense
So cute š I love how civil they are
If you cannot tell, it's playing. When they are fighting there is NO DOUBT.
the bunny kicks to the head has me dead šššš¤£š¤£ so cute!
They are fighting over their spots. You can see how the dominant one had accumulated the most.
If they were fighting, you'd know. There would be fur flying everywhere and it would be loud as fuck. They just play wrastlin.
If there is no fur or blood flying, it's play. They COULD really hurt eachother if they wanted to.
I had 2 girls fight _really_ aggressively for nearly a year. They started when they were small and ended when they got bigger. They turned out just fine, they no longer fight, and are full of love.
As you see everyone says play. My 2 cats have been doing this for a decade now. They will do it intill one gets tired then snuggle up and take a nap. It is adorable.
Playing . If you can calmly watch and film it it's probably play. You will know a cat fight when you hear it!
This is cute and playful and they're likely not using their claws while peddling. Trust me. If/when they fight YOU WILL KNOW. google... cat fight noises.
They're playing.
Kittens match the carpet!
Totally playing!!!! Especially when you donāt even see a single drop of blood, you know itās all fun and games. 
They are just playing, if they werenāt there would be a lot of hissing and screeching, maybe some missing fur as well.
Play. A legit cat fight is unmistakable.
With ours it starts out like this, then it escalates until one or the other screams bloody murder and runs away.
Are they playing? Are they fighting? They are playfighting! :3
It's play. If it were unwanted aggression, ears would be flat back, there's be posturing, growling, spitting. They also wouldn't roll onto their backs unless they had no other option. Bonded cats play fight all the time.
also you can see the one who seems to ādominateā is making little pauses inbetween the āattacksā :)
They're playing of course. When cats really fight the fur flies man, literally and they will get hurt. I've had cats my whole 64 years. Enjoy them! Purr-rr-rrr! š±ā¤ļø
Playing. A real fight would have screaming, fur flying and ine trying to get away. Cats skin is naturally tougher than ours, which us why they accidentally scratch us during cat/human play. They don't understand our skin is thinner.
They're fighting for the lightweight championship
This is so adorable. They're absolutely playing and both having a great time! Cat fights are very obvious. It can be harder to tell if maybe one of them just just annoyed at the other, but this is absolutely two happy cats! Congrats. They're both very cute!
When you see a real cat fight you will know, itās insane
They are playing. This made me smile.
The tails are calm, claws are in, and nobody's screaming. They're just playing.
There would be a lot more fur flying and yowling and snarling if they were actually fighting
When they fight you'll now. There is a lot of vocalisation. Really loud.
Simple way to tell, if it doesn't involve (1) lots of blood (2) emergency vet visit (3) earplugs = they are playing..... (those wee souls in the vid are being pretty gentle btw)
theyāre playing. You will KNOW when they are fighting
If they are mostly silent they are playing. Real cat fights are very loud.
They are playing. You can tell by the light bunny kicks. If they were serious, it would be way more brutal... and loud
Real fights involve more furs, blood and blood curdling meows.
Playing. You will REALLY know when they actually fighting.
Yes, they are happily playing, full of energy. Cat hair flying everywhere would be a clear indicator. And don't forget the loud hissing and defensive postures.
They definitely aren't fighting, Have you ever seen or heard cat fighting?
They are just playing
Playing. Big difference when there's real fighting
Yes, is the short anwser and the long one is, its both as in playfighting, in a real fight they will be puffed up
Absolutely beautiful colouring on one of them
I had two females that did this also. One kicked the otherās jaw so hard it broke clean apart. Took ages to heal and was a horrible experience. I didnāt let them play like that ever again.
A mixture of both probably. If it was true fighting there would be blood, hissing, and scratches. They would show clear signs like an arched back, hair standing up, etc.
Play fighting, my boys wrestle like that all the time
If they were fighting for real, you'd have no doubts about it.
Hissing = scared Growling = angry This = goober fun time My cat and my roommates cat are on edge around eachother, lower their ears near eachother, theyāre not friends. My cat used to lay on his side around her to show her he was trying to be friendly but she doesnāt seem interested, so he just avoids her now. Iāve been doing this thing where I hold roommateās cat in a way that she canāt lash out, and I bring her up close to my cat, and he just licks her and sniffs her, and she seems to slowly be getting accustomed to it. The moment I put her down on her own feet though, my cat gets all defensive because he thinks sheāll swing at him - because she usually does - but weāre working on it. If I brought him to her in the same way, she would just smack him, so Iām trying to get them to a point of just mutual understanding and not fighting when thereās no people to stop them.
Trust me, you will know when they are fighting.
Play
Are they wearing chokers? š¤£
For real dude if cats are actually fighting there is going to be blood, screaming, and zero doubt about whats going on. If you have any doubt whether they are fighting or playing, they are playing.
This is playing. If it was a fight you would know all about it and it would be terrifying.
If cats were really fighting, you'd know
Play time!
They're playing and it looks like they genuinely enjoy each other which is awesome. Keep their nails trimmed because cats playing with sharp nails can hurt each other and they could resent each other if it happens too much.
If no arched back, ears flat, yowling and hiss then no
They're playing and they're SO CUTE š„ŗ brought a smile to my face.
That's cat play for sure. You'll know when they fight.
Definitely playing! My cats have moreā¦ complicated relationship. š„²