Hissing while playing

[scoutthecat]

Hey guys so this may be a bit silly and dumb but I recently moved into a new house and along with the move came two new cats from roommates. One of the cats is a real jerk so I don't really let the two interact and it seems mine has no intention of going near her. Then we have the new cat Lenny who is a very energetic orange cat. He likes to play with my cat and a bit rough sometimes. Scout sometimes engages but often I hear him kind of hiss and meow kind of aggressively. I look over and it appears he is being pinned in their fight. Lenny will let go after he starts hissing but scout continues the play fight as soon as he is freed.

So I'm unsure if he is being hurt or just a sore loser. I think they are playing but my cat hasn't had a cat friend since he was a kitten. His friend passed away about 2 years ago. Could be a unsocial cat.

 

[Kris107]

If the pinned/hissing cat continues to engage, he is probably playing. I had a cat who hissed but sometimes she was the instigator! I even saw her smack her brother, flop to the ground under him, and then proceed to act like the victim. Keeping watching and reading their interactions - play referee if one is being relentless or too rough. Also, you can also post a video here too!

 

[ArtNJ]

Hissing can be communication, and its a normal thing for a smaller, less active, or less play crazy cat to hiss when they have had enough or the other cat is being a bit too rough for their taste. My two are 12 and 8 pounds. When they were younger small cat routinely hissed when big cat was being a little too rough and/or she had enough for the play session. As K Kris107 noted, if your cat appears interested in playing sometimes, that is a pretty strong indicator that the hissing is just an expression of temporary annoyance in the moment when things get to be too much rather than an indication of a true lasting problem. Think of it this way; a 4 year old human boy might cry for mom at times because big human bro is being too rough . . . but he will be right back to bugging big bro to play in a few minutes. And little bro gets a net benefit from having a playmate, even if big bro is a little obnoxious sometimes with the head noogies. Its the same with cats, except instead of crying for mom the smaller, less active or just less play crazy cat will hiss.