My cat can’t share his toys!

[Jaxicore]

Hi! I have two maine coon boys, Ezra and Onyx. They are COMPLETELY different. One of the biggest things in play. Onyx is very chill when he plays. He’s more of an ambush cat but gets tired easily. Ezra is crazy when he plays but one weird thing he does is growl and hiss at us when we play with him. Both boys are very well trained. They know commands like come, sit, no, food, get down, simple things and they also learned how to play fetch. It’s they’re favorite game other than Ezra’s obsession with knocking glasses over onto our head in the middle of the night. The only problem is Ezra with hiss and growl at us when we play with him and is very possessive over the toys to the point Onyx doesn’t really play anymore unless we hild Ezra away from the toys. Does anyone have any advice on how we can calm Ezra down when he plays. We’ve tried almost everything and we’re out of ideas so help please!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does Onyx seem bothered by the hissing and growling? Are there any other signs of aggression? If not, I would say that these behaviors by Ezra are just part of his play process. Use Onyx as your clue as to whether this is really an issue or not. If it doesn't bother him, it is just Ezra's way of expressing himself when playing.

 

[Nebaug]

Hi, I have one of those. He is very prey driven and takes hunting and guarding his prey very seriously. All 3 of mine prefer different stimulation so I make sure to mix and they take turns. One likes fur and low movement. One likes feathers and high flights and the third is somewhat in between. When I see the (aggressive) one getting to excited I just switch lure and he retrieves to rest and observe. As they are getting older (all 3 under 2 years old) he is more … relaxed. Pictures please

 

[D_H]

They know commands like come, sit, no, food, get down, simple things

Simple you say..

How about playing in different rooms?

 

[catsknowme]

I had a purebred Maine Coon (JC) who was similar to Ezra. As 2 country vets explained to me, MCs are a working breed, similar in intelligence and energy levels to Border Collies so they need extra mental and physical stimulation; MCs are the quintessential farm cat as well as family cat. During the few years that I lived in town, JC required harness walks and for inside play, I attached a teaser toy to the end of lunge whips and retired fly fishing poles. For awhile, our small backyard with a "cat proof" fence gave JC great satisfaction until he finally was able to make a running leap at the fence to launch himself up and over; none of the other cats, including ferals, could escape. I attached a large cat carrier to a baby buggy frame and wheeled JC to the city park so he could cruise on his leash to socialize.

 

[danteshuman]

I would try two things. 1) play with your cats separately in separate rooms or with two people inn2 different rooms. 2) I would also build your cats a catio or start taking your boys outside. Hang bird feeders by a window or the catio. Make sure they can look out the window (with a place for them to perch) preferably with a sturdy secure screen so in good weather you can open the window.

I lived in an apartment so I bought a very tall bird feeder pole and put pots under it. I give my hyper boy 1-4 hours of harness time every day. Jackie goes out on his long leash, hunkers down somewhere & I read or play games on my tablet. Dante taught me that you have to tire out their minds to tire their bodies. Dante also taught me that outside time is like Ritalin for cats! My punk Dante wouldn’t bully my other cat if he got his outside time! Just an hour makes a huge difference.

knocking over things is a classic “I’m BORED!!!” Try puzzle feeders, interactive toys you rotate. I have special rainy day toys for Jackie, his favorite is 2-4 hexabugs running around at once. I also give my boy a box filled with tissue paper & some toys or a cat scratcher house that I change up once a month.

picture of how Jackie spends most of his time & my bird feeders:

 

[Alldara]

It can be very important in multi-cat households to play with your cats separately. This is really
and normal and usually the best solution as other solutions can undermine your cat's confidence (stopping play, etc).

Here's a good video on the difference between social and individual play: You can skip across to that section of the video if you like.

Hissing and Growling during play: totally normal. It means they're really getting in to it! Some cats do it, some don't.