Playing Or Aggressive Behaviour? Video

[Claire07x]

Okay so I got a new kitten to keep my resident company. Grey is 14wk female, Koda, and white is 9wk male, Kyro.

When they interact this is all that happens, and I'm not sure if it's playing or fighting. Some people on Facebook said playing but I just want a second opinion because of the Kyro squealing sometimes and Koda not backing off.

We got Koda at 8 weeks to keep an older cat company. She's sadly no longer with us so we got Kyro Thursday, for Koda, and the slow into but Koda was too keen and snuck in the room with us so they're kept separate now but we let them interact in short bursts. Every time this is all that happens.

Does this look like playing or aggression? Video was too large to upload here so YouTube link below! Any advice and opinions welcome and very much appreciated.


Love,
A very concerned cat mother

 

[rubysmama]

Oh... that's totally adorable. They're so close in age, they're practically litter mates. And clearly are best buddies already.
So even though I'm no expert, I'm going with playing, as well.

Just in case you're interested, there's videos in this TCS article which should totally ease your mind.

Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing?

 

[Claire07x]

Oh I sure hope they bond well, it's feeling rough at the minute but it might just be me reading the signs wrong!!

That article was super helpful, especially the real life examples section. I think based on that they're just playing so I'll not separate them unless it gets worse and see what happens when they get tired out from the playing. Hopefully become good friends hahaha

Thank you so much for that love xx

 

[Purr-fect]

I think they are playing. My boys do the same thing, though not with as much energy, but a lot more vocal.

 

[1 bruce 1]

That's all play and nothing more, and totally adorable. I see absolutely no problems here, just two kittens who like to play and are having a ball doing so.
Enjoy it, and shoot as many videos and pictures as you can so you can re watch them when they become adults
Real aggression is very stiff (in their body language), and a lot of weird vocalizations that you probably have never heard but would know right off the bat that something isn't right. It would be very, very rare (maybe even unheard of) to see this in 9 and 14 week old kittens.

 

[Genecop]

Play, practice, etc...

 

[sivyaleah]

They are totally playing with each other. There's no aggression at all there. If one or the other had gotten annoyed, they would have ran off from the other, or jumped up on a chair to get away. Instead they keep tumbling around, mock fighting. It's adorable, as everyone one else mentioned.

Fighting, starts slowed down, eyes locked, with low growling and swishing tails. It's very different and hopefully you'll never see that with these two. They certainly appear to be on the fast track to being good friends!

 

[susanm9006]

Most definitely play and pretty gentle at that. It can get much much rougher and much louder and it is still play. They seem to be a perfect match for one another.

 

[Claire07x]

Oh I'm so glad, thank god for this forum btw! You really did all put my mind at ease. We've had nose sniffs and sleeping in the same cat tree (though a level apart) along with a hell of a lot of playing today so I think it's all good! Should I expect them to play pretty much the whole time they're together or is there anything else they'll do together to show they're friends not does?

Again thank you all so much, you really helped me calm down and stop myself thinking I'd made a terrible mistake!!!x

 

[susanm9006]

Buddies usually groom one another although at kitten stage a grooming session can turn into wrestling, biting or playing at any point. They usually will also sleep together but judging by this video you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Claire07x]

Okay great, so no need to worry that all they do is play fight or mainly leave each other be, the rest will come in time as they seem to be buddies? X

 

[1 bruce 1]

Oh I'm so glad, thank god for this forum btw! You really did all put my mind at ease. We've had nose sniffs and sleeping in the same cat tree (though a level apart) along with a hell of a lot of playing today so I think it's all good! Should I expect them to play pretty much the whole time they're together or is there anything else they'll do together to show they're friends not does?

Again thank you all so much, you really helped me calm down and stop myself thinking I'd made a terrible mistake!!!x

Two kittens are never a mistake
Yep, susanm9006 is right, they will groom one another and probably sleep near one another. Our cat buddies cuddle up close and look like a big pile of cat with a few heads, a bunch of legs and tails. When they're the same color, you can't tell who has what appendage.
Only speaking for myself, but when our cats have hit the 4-6 month mark, they stop being roly poly kittens and start turning into cats, so you might see a bit of boundary setting going on between the two. They're very close in age, so I bet you won't see much more than occasional slapping or just your basic sibling rivalry. (If you have a brother or a sister, or more than two children of your own, you can pretty much guess how that will go It's just bickering.)

 

[Claire07x]

Just wanted to pop on and say thank you all so much for your advice!!!

Thank you all so much for your advice and opinions! If I hadn't had them, I'd have stopped them playing and tried to reintroduce all over again, completely stalling their bonding.

After much playing, tonight we've had Koda groom Kyro while he's napping then plonk down next to him to sleep for the night. Then this morning lots of playing, now some quick cleaning and snuggling for after breakfast naps. My heart is so full and I'm so happy, I now know we made the right decision in getting Koda a friend and can stop thinking that I made a terrible decision as both as happy as Larry!

Again thank you all for your comments, you really did make a massive difference and my partner, Koda, Kyro and I all appreciate it.

 

[rubysmama]

Oh, they are paws-itively precious.

 

[Claire07x]

Next issue is spay/neutering them.

My vet won't operate til 6months, so 2 months for Koda, 4 for Kyro. This obviously won't work as Koda is 14wks so, as far as I've read, won't be long til coming into heat and the vet said Kyro will produce sperm in about 4 weeks.

So do I take them somewhere else that will spay/neuter at 4 months or accept that they don't do it because it's so risky and just separate them when she's in heat?

 

[rubysmama]

Funny you mention spaying/neutering, as that ran through my mind, but then I forgot to post about it.

Since female kittens can go into heat as early as 5 months, and since (I think I've read) female cats can get pregnant without actually showing a visible heat, I think I'd get a second opinion from another vet. Or at least address your concerns with your current vet.

Here's a few TCS articles you might find helpful.

When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat?
Spaying And Neutering - What To Ask Before The Surgery | TheCatSite
Spaying And Neutering - What To Look For After Surgery | TheCatSite

 

[susanm9006]

Many, many vets will spay much younger so I would definitely find one.

 

[Claire07x]

Okay so finally got someone who'll do it - apparently super uncommon in Scotland but they'll do it. So she's registered and booked in and she'll be 4months & 6 days old.

Should I be wary of anything? Any risks with her being so young? I hope not but just super wary. Research says it should be fine but with most vets saying no I'm worried a lil and would love to know if anyone here's had their babies spayed at 4months?

Thanks

 

[rubysmama]

Every surgical procedure, even for humans, has risks, but they are usually small, and the benefits outweigh the risks. And for kittens, getting pregnant at 5 months (or younger) is probably more risky than the spay surgery.

In Canada and the US, and possibly other countries, shelters spay or neuter kittens before adopting them out, as they are trying to prevent unwanted kittens, and can't be sure the adoptive parents will get the kittens "fixed" once they take them home. So kittens can be quite young. I think the main thing they check is to ensure the kitten weighs at least 2 pounds.

I Googled and found this link that seems to cover a lot: New Advice on Sterilizing Kittens: Earlier Is Better

The below quote is from the article, and is something you might want to mention/ask the vet about:

"The main difference between spaying kittens at 6 months of age versus 4 to 5 months of age is the perioperative environment, Dr. Levy says. Young kittens have a higher risk of becoming chilled or hypoglycemic.

“That means we feed them a few hours before surgery so they don’t become hypoglycemic, and we have a big focus on keeping them warm,” she says. “This involves making sure the air temperature in the rooms is warm, they’re not kenneled in a cold place before they’re anesthetized, all the surfaces they’re on are warm, and the whole procedure is efficient so they wake up quickly.”​

Last summer TCS has a special forum where vets answered questions about early spaying/neutered. Here's the link if you want to check it out.
Experts from "Feline Fix By Five" talk Spay/Neuter