Why Does My Cat Growl And Hiss At His Toys?

[CurlyEmy]

My cat loves to play and he’s crazy. Sometimes when he plays, especially with an interactive toy, as he catches it he hisses really loudly and then once it’s in his mouth he growls and walks around with it. Then he growls at another toy and takes that one too so he’ll just walk around with both in his mouth, growling very loudly. Then he’ll drop both, hiss and growl and attack them. Why does he do that? Is that normal?

 

[Kieka]

Completely normal behavior for a mighty little hunter. Cats, especially kittens, will get really into their games and when they see a human nearby growl to warn them off of their "kill" or they are growling at their "prey" directly. Either way, growling in play and at toys is a sign that your kitten is really into his play.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

ALL play in cats and kittens is practice for the hunt! Your boy is just determined to be fierce of heart and swift of paw, a mighty hunter, indeed.

Oh...and they are all crazy!

 

[susanm9006]

What they said, and be aware that if you try to take his prey away he may very well growl or hiss at you. Just his way of letting you know that he captured it so it is HIS.

 

[sargon]

Yeah, it is pretty normal, though it is a bit on the aggressive end of things, so, like others have said, you'll want to be careful when you take the toy away.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

He would probably really enjoy a good wand toy, such as Da Bird. That lets you play with him, without your hands becoming targets. It also lets you wear his little cat fanny out a few times a day!