At what point does scrapping become fighting? (cat)

crayola

Hi all. Further to my earlier post about cooped-up cats it seems we are looking at a while longer with both cats indoors. I can't realistically see us being able to let our older cat out without her kitten following - they are very close: last night I tried separating them for just five minutes as they were scrapping a lot, and the scene was a bit heart-breaking, with the kitten crying for its Mum and the Mum howling outside the door. Needless to say I reunited them immediately!

However I do feel I need to be aware where to draw the line between 'scrapping'/play-fighting and actual fights where one cat could get injured. How on earth do you figure this out?

As an example of what they do, the 11-week old kitten will often jump on top of his Mum, who will respond by batting him away. That's not so bad. Occasionally though, she will fight back a bit more strongly, clamping him in her jaws (usually the scruff of the neck) and holding him there till he stops moving. I have also seen her kick him with her back legs while doing this in that way that cats do when they are killing prey, but never badly enough that he's bothered for long. They will both curl up together in a purry heap most days so clearly do not hate each other, but they do also spend a fair bit of time 'psyching' each other out.

Obviously I can intervene when I see this happening, but I work in an office 3 days a week so can't always be there to supervise.

Does this sound like normal falling out or something worse?

MmmrsC

Don't worry she will sort him out, kittens are pretty vocal and fast when it comes to pain. If you think she's being too much (for you) a loud HEY! should send her the message. she is diciplining her child so she should be the judge. We had this when we kept a kitten and do remember how full on they got, giving mum somewhere to be where son can't hassle her might be an idea, she'll go there if he's naughty probably twice before he gets the message:j

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Normal cat politics involves screaming like a banshee, nose scratches, the occasional nick of the ear and great clouds of fluff drifting across the floor. Young male cats can be a pain in the behind for a good few months without an experienced owner or a mum cat to teach them their place.

If mum is distressed enough to gape or foam at the mouth a bit, then it is past the point of normal. But she is doing all she can to make sure he doesn't bully her later, if left to it.

tizerbelle

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Normal cat politics involves screaming like a banshee

Oh soooo true! If Piggy Cat is in a strop and wants to get Dippy Cat in trouble she will wait till he is sat about 2 metres away from her and will then scream as if her leg is being ripped from her body. Cue arrival of worried cat-slave with immediate reaction of yelling at Dippy to leave Pippy be, before realising they are no where near each other and Dippy is looking very very confused

Crayola, when mum cat is pinning the little demon cat to the floor by the scruff till he calms, ii is just how cats calm over exuberant kittens. It is supposed to teach them who is boss and they are held until they submit/give in. And the use of the back legs isn't anything to be worried about either - she won't be doing it full force (you would have had blood by now if she were) and it is also teaching her little one how to fight / kill prey.

So it's all natural, stop fretting so much (you are going to make yourself ill with worry) as has been said before - if the noise is too much for you then usually clapping your hands / stamping feet / dropping something on the floor is enough to spook them so they stop what they are doing and give you some peace for a while.

3v3

I have two male (neutered) cats and sometimes they play fight. At first my youngest ds was quite distressed about it: the noise, the pin-downs, the ear-grips, then the harum-scarum chasing and repeat performances. Total duration: 10 minutes max. And all harmless fun.

Time to worry is if they draw blood; then you know it's not play fighting.

*doodle*_2

You know when they are fighting for real - lots and lots of screaming and fur flying.

Your little 'un is only 11 weeks old. Just leave her mum to it and stop fretting too much.

gingin_2

I posted about this maybe 4 or 5 months ago after introducing a kitten to an older cat, it was so stressful to watch I was making myself ill with worry.

4 months on and y older one still does the kicking with the back leg thing but it's normally because little cat has done a dive bomb on him. Mine still play fight every day, rolling around on the floor, both of them trying to lick each other on the head ( a dominance thing) but there has never been an injury and one always walks away.

charlie-chan

gingin wrote: »

I posted about this maybe 4 or 5 months ago after introducing a kitten to an older cat, it was so stressful to watch I was making myself ill with worry.

4 months on and y older one still does the kicking with the back leg thing but it's normally because little cat has done a dive bomb on him. Mine still play fight every day, rolling around on the floor, both of them trying to lick each other on the head ( a dominance thing) but there has never been an injury and one always walks away.

My two cats do exactly the same. The kitten will voice a loud miaow or squeal if the older cat is too rough.

crayola

gingin wrote: »

trying to lick each other on the head ( a dominance thing)

Ooh, is it really? I never knew that! That is interesting, because this is almost always how it starts. I was mightily confused about that because it looked like they were trying to be nice to each other yet it always proceeds to a scrap. Thanks for the insight!

Buttonmoons

My two always fight (female age erm 4ish lol) and male (2ish) its nearly ALWAYS him that instigates, he pretty much just walks on top of her and starts biting her neck/head, and then they scrap and chase each other, sometimes its fine, but there is occasions when chunks of fur fly off, and Its usually the males fur I see, and I cant help but smirk because he's a bit of a bully, and massive, in comparison to the female who was the runt and is just tiny tiny, but she gets the better of him lol.

He used to, for a while, walk over to her, and actually karate kick her with his back leg as he turned around in the face ,it was really really funny :rotfl: