Cats are getting a bit more fighty - is this ok?

[Snailhaterz2]

I've got two cats - a four year old, and a 9 month old kitten. Both neutered, both female. When I first got the kitten she was 3 months old and chased the older cat around the house a lot as she was trying to play. I kept them separated at night for the first couple of months because of that. Its been relatively ok since, except over the last two months when its been getting more fighty, and the older cat is now being more assertive. What happens is that Kitten approaches Cat. They both sniff each others noses, and then Cat pins down Kitten a few times, they wrestle a bit, and they then do a lot of chasing around/ricochetting off furniture. None of their bites seem to be serious, and inbetween times they're happy to be in the same room. No-one is peeing where they shouldn't be, or trying to leave home, so should I assume that they're just sorting out their relationship with each other and just leave them to get on with it??

I don’t think cats like living with other cats generally. Make sure they are not competing for resources and hope it sorts itself out.

Sounds ok to me. As long as the fur isn’t flying or there isn’t aggression you’re ok.

I've got two litter trays, two different feeding stations, and two bedrooms so they don't have to compete for anything. They then chose to use the same litter tray and sleep on the same bed. Weird.

Our cats play like this all the time!

Lots of wrestling, zooming around off furniture - we have three and they have a great time playing together and winding each other up

Sounds fine to me. I also have two females who are essentially housemates that tolerate each other but come to us and not each other for affection. They playfight a lot and it looks rough at times but it's not aggressive. I was quite worried to start with but the realised it is just their way to keep each other entertained.
Are their ears pinned back when they do it? Do they bite properly and use their claws? Is there hissing or growling? If not it should be fine. Also, if they suddenly stop mid 'fight' and have a little groom that's apparently a good sign as it means they're relaxed about the situation.

My pair are brother & sister, heading for 8 years old, and play fight frequently. Girlcat is only 3/4 of the size of Boycat, but usually starts the procedure by either charging past him scrabbling & yelling, or by just facing off to him & attacking him.

I usually find them curled up together in blissful slumber shortly after.

Cats like to play-fight, and this definitely sounds like play-fighting. Touching noses is a friendly gesture and shows they like and trust each other to play nicely.

There's probably also an element of sorting out who's boss (little cat is basically a teenager, and big cat is teaching her some manners).

As long as they're not yelling at each other, hiding from each other or cowering in terror I don't think you need to worry at all.

I have a similar situation- 7 month old kitten, 3 year old cat. Both female and neutered.

I had been worried about getting a kitten as the cat is quite timid and set in her ways.

They’re great pals, though. Spend all day together then they both sleep on my bed at night. They’re really sweet and, when one goes somewhere, you can see her kind of looking back so the other follows.

There’s lots of play fighting- wrestling, soft biting, jumping on each other from behind curtains. It’s never aggressive. I did once see them have a play fight that turned into an aggressive fight and it was markedly different- ears back, hissing, very rigid bodies.

They love each other and we’re so delighted that the cat has company now as she’s so much happier in herself since the kitten arrived.

@ClarasZoo

I don’t think cats like living with other cats generally. Make sure they are not competing for resources and hope it sorts itself out.

Mine completely disagree with you

I know that lots do like being together. Cats Protection warned us that two often don’t get along, and are always in a state of slight stress. If they groom each other and sleep near they are bonded but otherwise just tolerating….

I really don't agree with the narrative that cats can't live in multi-cat households.

I have three and as a cat-sitter, I look after numerous multi-cat households (ranging from two cats to seven) and there are no issues in any of them.

I think humans have a tendency to put their own feelings onto normal feline interactions a lot of the time. I also don't think "behaviourists" like Jackson Galaxy necessarily help - don't get me wrong, he does great work with cats but there's generally no need overanalyse every single move the cat makes

Do they look like they are enjoying playing together or actually having a fight because they hate each other?

We have regular cat wars and they are not prolonged fights, but more posturing in doorways to stop the other getting in rooms, hissing and growling, some thumps and a lot of glaring. Usually solved by giving them breakfast - at other times they vaguely tolerate each other.

Yours sound more like they enjoy being around each other and the older cat could make it clear when she has had enough.

Try a Feliway diffuser - this will make your cats calmer and more relaxed.

Mine fight to fur flying state but they are essentially playing and regularly use each other as pillows I rarely intervene I look in for signals such as "big hands" (cat one uses an open hand claws fully extended if he is trying to hurt closed paw during play) screams (cat three will shriek and run if he doesn't want to play) or biting excessively in the nearly four years they have been living here biting has never broken the skin we have had one tiny eye injury (basically he got "punched" in the eye and it swole up) a bruised leg from falling was the worst injury cat stuck in the dolls house doorway was the funniest

They are three brothers and boy do they act like it

Thank you everyone - that's been incredibly helpful. There is no hissing/growling or ears going back at any point, and I stroke them a lot so would notice if anyone was actually getting hurt... My older cat has been a total wuss in the past, so I'm secretly quite pleased that she's being more assertive - I'd prefer it to be in a way that didn't involve ricochetting off walls and furniture, though!

@Snailhaterz2

Thank you everyone - that's been incredibly helpful. There is no hissing/growling or ears going back at any point, and I stroke them a lot so would notice if anyone was actually getting hurt... My older cat has been a total wuss in the past, so I'm secretly quite pleased that she's being more assertive - I'd prefer it to be in a way that didn't involve ricochetting off walls and furniture, though!

But where's the fun in that

Get them a pop-up cat tunnel, something like this-

www.petstop.ie/cat-tunnel-feline?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItJCr_abB9gIVCLrtCh0bWgtPEAQYAyABEgL49vD_BwE

My two love theirs. They take it in turn jumping out of it to scare the other

My three are bonded but not all three at once it weird all three used to kitty puddle as kittens but now they are older they group up so one with three or two with one or three with one but never one two and three together you usually get one with a human the other two together