Is This Normal Behavior

[Tabbyboys]

Hello this is my first post here I hope I’m in the right place to ask this. I have had Stewart in the house for 5 years now. He was feral when he showed up about 6 months old. We have had a stray cat that we have fed named Rocco. He’s a friendly cat and has been around since last fall. Anyways we just got him neutered last week. The vet said he is about five. We have been slowly introducing him to Stewart. For the most part they seem like they get along. They will eat by each other,rub noses when they meet,sit in the same room. My question is he chases Stewart which Stewart has always liked to be chased but he likes to tackle him like a football player. Stewart will be sitting and Rocco will jump on him then chase him. sometimes to me it seems to get out of hand. No one is hurt,no hissing or growling a lot of swatting. Is this normal or is Rocco too aggressive. Should I leave them alone or separate them?
Barbara

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thank you for bringing in Stewart, and now Rocco. They will have such better lives thanks to you.

I've never had 2 cats at the same time, so I haven't actually seen "mock battles", but from your description, it does sound like play, or friendly "fighting" and nothing to worry about.

Until other members reply, here's a TCS article on How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight. At the very end it mentions "mock battles".

 

[susanm9006]

It seems pretty normal behavior between two active cats. Play can get really rough but as long as one doesn’t seem terrified of the other and no fur is actually flying, it is just play and figuring out their relationship. I wouldn’t get involved unless they get too loud and then you can distract them with something like a laser or wand.

 

[Kal_shadowsmom]

I think this is perfectly normal behavior. As susanm9006 said, as long as the fur isn't flying, it should be ok.

It's great that they get along so well too!

 

[Tabbyboys]

Thanks for the reassurance I do separate them when it gets too much for me Stewart is still a little cautious around him. I guess because he plays so rough

 

[ArchyCat]

And Rocco still has some testosterone. That may be contributing to his 'competitive' behavior. It may take another week or two for it to recede.

Thanks for rescuing the cats.

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS Tabby! You did choose the right place to ask a behavior question. Thank you for rescuing two wonderful tabbies from the dangerous outdoors.

What Arcby meant was after cats are neutered, they become less likely to fight as a result of losing their testosterone factories.

 

[jen]

Totally normal. Even with some hissing, growling, swatting would be normal too. They need to communicate to each other to learn boundaries and the way they do that is all the above mentioned. Let them be!

 

[Tabbyboys]

I want to thank you for the replies. It helped me to feel confident to let them get to know each other. They are doing much better. Their play is usually less rough. Rocco has started to clean Stewart. He lets him for awhile then they start biting each other’s neck and rolling around. They will sit by each other about a foot away but not with each other. Rocco still gets a little too rough sometimes and then he goes back in his room. But most of the time he is out except at night,he still goes in his room. He still goes in his room if we go out also. Hopefully I will be able to leave him out all the time. I feel bad putting him in there,but it has a cat tree,food,litter and toys.
Thanks for this site. It is nice to have a place for questions.

 

[x-ta-z]

Perfectly normal. My two ladies (11 and 13) play fight all the time and they sometimes tell each other when they had enough through hissing and growling. Mind you that doesn't often stop them from taking turns tackling each other.

When it gets serious you will know. It is a very different type of fight which unfortunately I had to witness last year when we had an intruder coming into our home and my younger cat directed her fear and aggression towards my older cat. not a pleasant experience.

 

[KarenKat]

Sounds like Rocco and Stewart are getting along! We just introduced Olive to the household about 7 months ago and Gohan would chase and tackle her everytime he saw her. There would be growls, hisses and mad scrambles, and because of that we did not consider this play. Instead it was Gohan being territorial. They also never sat near one another or touched noses, but also no fur or blood flew. So from that standpoint your two sound like they are getting along really well, maybe on the way to fast friends.

And don’t feel bad about locking him up at night or when you go out. Since cats are more active at night there is a chance they could startle each other and get hurt. When we started integrations and we reached the stage of letting them meet, we left the door open at night. We woke up one night to a Panther-like scream and a hair raising growl from Olive under the futon. She was startled by Gohan, scrambled to hide and tore a claw. We closed the doors for a while after that at night. So even though they get along, it’s great you are taking precautions until Rocco gets used to the house.

And congrats on having a new addition!

 

[rubysmama]

It sounds like they're starting to get along really well.

Do you have pics of them you can post?
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[Tabbyboys]

This is Rocco

 

[Tabbyboys]

This is Stewart

 

[Furballsmom]

Rocco, Stewart, furBABIES!!!
They're gorgeous, I'm so glad they have you!!

 

[vince]

It's amazing! Your Rocco and Stewart are lookalikes for my Sir Eats-A-Lot and Chesterfield, respectively.

Anyhow, My two play like yours. Their battles look like a WWE match. Bam! Pow! Thud! Bumpety-bumpety-bump! Hiss! Rowr! It's all a sham battle, and I think yours is too. As long as they don't draw blood and there isn't any fur flying, it's all good.

Mine play-fight like this off and on all day, even with an occasional complaint and hiss, yet they're best buds and sleep and groom together.

Watch their body language: If their hair doesn't go up, they don't bear their teeth and their ears aren't folded back, it's just play. Play is episodic too, with more give-and-take.

 

[rubysmama]

Rocco and Stewart are super handsome boys. Hopefully they'll be best buddies soon.