Cat Fights - Should I Break Them Up?

[PaulinPilsen]

Okay, I have two new cats. One is 13 months old (Lisi) and the other is about 8-9 months old (Luna). Both are female and spayed. The big issue that I am facing right now is the constant chasing and instigation from my younger cat, especially in the morning. That is the worst time. Luna will not let up on Lisi and will attack her persistently. Lisi never instigates these fights; and seems to just want to mind her own business. Lisi, however, does not seem to be too afraid of Luna, but it is obvious that she is very annoyed. Today, I had to separate them and put them in separate spaces three times. The part of their fighting that really bothers me is when Luna goes for the neck. That is not cool. Sometimes, I attribute the behavior to Luna's youth as an 8 month old. She is a very energetic and rambunctious kitten, and she definitely has more of a possessive nature than Lisi. There have been times this week where they were in the same room and Luna was able to stay in control. Today was horrible though. She could not stop picking a fight with Lisi. What do you think I should do?

 

[susanm9006]

Are you sure she isn’t playing when she grabs Lisi by the neck? This is typical play behavior that you would see and I suspect what is good going on between the two . It would be helpful if you could post video of one of their fights so we can see body language.

You can also watch some You Tube videos of play fighting and real fighting.

 

[PaulinPilsen]

Are you sure she isn’t playing when she grabs Lisi by the neck? This is typical play behavior that you would see and I suspect what is good going on between the two . It would be helpful if you could post video of one of their fights so we can see body language.

You can also watch some You Tube videos of play fighting and real fighting.

Well, your suggestion to watch a youtube video is a good one. I will see what I can find. One of the things that I have noticed is that Luna is not attacking with ears flat or with a hiss. Her attacks are bouncy, but she will tackle Lisi! Lisi has to defend herself, but I noticed that Lisi will come right back after being threatened. So, all this has mixed messages for me. I'm confused.

 

[susanm9006]

Sounds even more like playing to me especially if Lisi comes back. Cats can play really really rough, play biting, wrestling, and kicking one another. This is not aggression or threatening. During this play they may hiss, growl or yell, but they are having fun and it helps them establish their boundaries with one another . There is not only no need to separate them but getting involved can negatively affect their relationship.

If the noise gets too much to ignore, distract them with fun activities like chasing a laser pointer or wand toy.

 

[war&wisdom]

Neck biting is playing. My kittens do that all the time. Remember that playfighting, for cats, is essentially hunting practice, so it can look scary from the outside.

Also, if you keep separating them, they won't learn each other's boundaries.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I just took two cats apart that were fighting . When you hear the howl of anger and fur starts flying that is a kitty fight ..

​

 

[DreamerRose]

My two do that all the time. Mingo is the aggressor, but they both chase each other often. Sometimes it's funny, like a cartoon. Mingo chases Lily pell-mell through the house one way, then they come back and Lily is chasing Mingo the other way.

But Mingo can get mean and too aggressive. When Lily starts hissing and growling with her ears laid back, I intervene and shame Mingo into stopping it. He usually backs off.

I would never physically try to separate them. That's the way to end up with serious injuries - to me, not them.

 

[PaulinPilsen]

Okay, I'm convinced that my cats are not "fighting" out of anger or fear. It is more than anything else "play" on the part of Luna. Lisi is only a few months older than Luna but it is obvious Lisi is passed this stage of playing this hard. I think she finds it annoying many times. Luna is playing right now. Just bouncing and chasing everything!

uh, oh, Luna is stalking Lisi now. Okay, now here is the pounce. Bam! Now we have a fight. It's noisy. Lisi is doing most of the growling. Lisi's strategy is to run and find a box or other cover. But Luna is beginning to catch on to this strategy and sometimes will go into the box with Lisi! Okay, the fight is over. Luna has stepped back and now collapsed a few feet away. Her ears are forward. She doesn't look mean or aggravated. I don't know what Lisi looks like because she likes to hide. Okay, it appears that Lisi moved her position because now Luna went after her. They went into another room. I hear a little skirmish (growling) again but only for about 5 seconds. The noises of the fight are not blood curdling, but they do sound aggressive. I don't hear anything now.

My guess is that I will see Luna soon and then I will see Lisi. Luna just showed. I never noticed this kind of behavior with my other cats (both passed away). But I introduced them when they were elderly cats. My old cats never "fought" each other like I have seen these two do. (Lisi just showed and looking for me to pet her). I'm glad that you guys are here to talk to about this, because I would be feeling that this relationship between these two new cats is not working out. I'd be contemplating maybe giving one up. But maybe all this is normal between two young cats in a new environment.

 

[susanm9006]

Awesome, just the behavior I would expect and so fun to watch, although sometimes you might need earplugs. These two seem well matched and will be buddies for life.

 

[war&wisdom]

It's completely normal. Please don't give one of them up just because they're playing!

 

[PaulinPilsen]

It's completely normal. Please don't give one of them up just because they're playing!

I won't! Thank you guys for helping me "observe" this behavior between these two. Again, my older cats (who passed away) never behaved this way. My Romeo was such a "cool" guy. He never fought with any animal - cat or dog. Luna is now falling asleep on a chair. I hear Lisi in another room - I'm not sure what she is doing. She is using the litter box.

uh, oh. Luna hears Lisi using the litter box, and does not like this. I have a litter box issue. I have two set up. One in separate bathrooms. Luna is MUCH more possessive over the litter boxes than Lisi. Luna just ran over to the bathroom, and caused another fight. This time ears are more flat. Lisi is growling, crouching and backing up. Luna and Lisi are facing off. Luna just attacked Lisi, and the scuffle is about 5 seconds. They are done. Neither cat were "puffed" up, but this time they had flat ears. But it's done. Lisi took in a few kibbles and now is sitting next to me. Luna is on a chair across from me and grooming herself. Okay, how can I get one cat to use one box and the other cat - the other?

 

[susanm9006]

They will probably work that out but you don’t want accidents so I would try picking up Lisi and placing her in the other litterbox and stand guard for a minute to see if she uses it and to shoo away Luna if need be.

 

[She's a witch]

I don’t think cats have a notion of personal litter box so it’s natural that they share boxes. If I were you I would actually set up another box (good practice is to have one per each cat plus one) just in case.
My smaller cat hisses at the other one when she doesn’t feel like chasing and wrestling and she would also hide in a box when he is too rough with her (he’s much bigger). I would make sure that Lisi has her safe space where she could hide if she needs to and I would ensure Luna will not get there; that can be easy to set up if Lisi is smaller, if not, maybe try to set up a box where only one cat can get.
Does Lisi enjoy Luna’s company when Luna doesn’t attempt to play with her? Does Lisi ever want to play with her or does she always hiss and avoids that?

 

[PaulinPilsen]

Well, I am gaining insight after observing my cats and reading over the interpretation that all of you are providing me. I am now convinced that actually my cats are getting along, and they are now really just figuring it out so that they can get along even better.

I say this for a few reasons:
1). Lisi is not afraid of Luna. She always comes back after a fight.
2). There are many occasions when the cats are very near each other, and they are okay with each other without incident.
3). They eat in separate bowls only 2-3 feet apart.
4). Neither cat ever "puffs" up even in their fights. Lisi growls a lot at Luna, but Luna is a brat and Luna deserves it.
5). Lisi, so far, is not looking to play with Luna. But Luna always causes trouble and wants to play. Lisi is not afraid of Luna, but Luna is a brat, so I can see Lisi trying to keep the boundaries, and blessing her stars that she has a moment of peace.

 

[war&wisdom]

Well, I am gaining insight after observing my cats and reading over the interpretation that all of you are providing me. I am now convinced that actually my cats are getting along, and they are now really just figuring it out so that they can get along even better.

I say this for a few reasons:
1). Lisi is not afraid of Luna. She always comes back after a fight.
2). There are many occasions when the cats are very near each other, and they are okay with each other without incident.
3). They eat in separate bowls only 2-3 feet apart.
4). Neither cat ever "puffs" up even in their fights. Lisi growls a lot at Luna, but Luna is a brat and Luna deserves it.
5). Lisi, so far, is not looking to play with Luna. But Luna always causes trouble and wants to play. Lisi is not afraid of Luna, but Luna is a brat, so I can see Lisi trying to keep the boundaries, and blessing her stars that she has a moment of peace.

I agree, it sounds like they get along great!

 

[PaulinPilsen]

After all this cat drama, I’ve been toying with the idea of renaming them Velma (Luna) and Roxie (Lisi) after the characters in Bob Fosse’s Chicago. They are slays doing the cellblock tango!

 

[PaulinPilsen]

I want to give everyone an update on my new cats Lisi and Luna. So, initially, I was very concerned that these cats would not get along. The fighting was persistent, and Luna, the younger, seemed to bully Lisi, the older one around. I wasn’t sure of it at all. I was even thinking of giving one up because of it. I didn’t know well enough. Well, through the insights gained here and continued observation, I did determine that the “fights” were not aggressive enough to think that they were not getting along, especially since Lisi kept coming back for more aggravation. Well after another week, the fights are much less frequent. Well, at least, they are not every minute of the day! And now they are often close together. They still fight with Lisi making the most noise but it is obvious now that it is play. They are getting along great! I think I have two new family members.