Playing Or Fighting?

[leeannintx]

1yr-old resident male cat Ferdinand likes to hunt the almost 3-mo-old kitten Izzy. Where is the line between playing and fighting? Does this look like fighting? Sometimes Izzy's ears go back, and there's some crying and hissing on her part. At three times her size, Ferdinand can keep her pinned down easily.

Ferdinand was removed from his litter around 3 weeks (or younger). He came to us as a stray, and so we don't know how much socialization he got. Izzy showed up as a stray at about 6 wks old.

(Sorry about the video quality.)

 

[Subspace]

Looks like playing to me.

You'll know when cats fight because they go berserk! And you'll see fur patches everywhere.

 

[susanm9006]

Playing. While she does yelp the activity between the two is largely silent. If they were fighting there would be howling, growling and hissing going on.

 

[leeannintx]

Looks like playing to me.

You'll know when cats fight because they go berserk! And you'll see fur patches everywhere.

Thanks so much.

 

[leeannintx]

Playing. While she does yelp the activity between the two is largely silent. If they were fighting there would be howling, growling and hissing going on.

Thank you! It doesn't escalate to howling, but there is hissing and something that sounds like a "raaarghhhh" by the little one. He mostly just bites. But then when they stop, the little one doesn't run off.

 

[Topherius]

Playfighting (honing hunting skills). Things may get a bit rough here and there but most times they know their limits and back off....I was my kittens wrestle partner and she still does it 2 years later but knows when she goes too far and backs off. Kittens can be little instigating monsters lol