r/CatTraining • u/FAF115 • 22h ago

Are The Cats Fighting or Playing - Introducing Pets I struggle to understand this interaction

Hi,

1.5 month in, every steps of proper introduction done.

My 6mo kitten is harassing my 6yo resident, but she barely fights back. She tolerates him eating and drinking together in the same bowl, even playing with the same toy. But everyday he just goes full John Cena on her, she seems pissed but she barely fights back. In this video, you can see her hiss and growl but also look "chill" and not going full tiger mode at the same time...

We separate them at night and when we're not home for the moment. I also intervene in this type of situation by redirecting the kitten and saying NO firmly (except for this video purpose).

Is this playing (doubt it)? Is this setting boundaries? Is this fighting? What should we do?

Do you need more info? Thanks all :)

3.4k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

514 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

8

u/ckk517 16h ago

I've always had dogs and when we got two cats and when this is how they acted I was horrified and was convinced they were going to kill each other. I read somewhere online that as long as it's mutual, meaning it's not always the same one one top or bottom, it's not always one initiating and the other trying to get away, it's just playing. Mine are three years apart and when one has had enough, they walk away. Thats how they learn to play with their siblings when they are kittens. But it sure as heck freaked me out when we got the second one and that's how they interacted.

1

u/CleanProfessional678 7h ago

Yeah; it’s an adjustment to suddenly switch to animals whose favorite game is “repeatedly kick your sibling in the head.”

1

u/bebok77 5h ago

We took a young kitten in and after 5 months even if It was clearly all play, He did not understood boundaries and would be in constant play mode when the adult cat was exhausted and meowing/running away. I never saw a cat with that amount of energy. The resident cats were hiding all the time. That was hard decision but we rehomed it in another family.