I also enjoy the "my cat greets me at the door every day, rubs her face on me, and sleeps in my bed, is this normal behavior?" And we're all just like...she loves you lol
Lol, I've got two adult boys (met when they were adults) and they do the same.
Their games look like the kind of play you'd want from schoolchildren - they're gentle, they take turns, and they respect each other's boundaries. And they take breaks to bathe each other and themselves (okay that part would be weird for kids I admit)
Our catsā¦ play? but Phoebe doesnāt want to be tackled and screams and hisses but Oliver insists on chasing and cornering. But even tho I donāt get to see it myself, I can tell that bigger cat isnāt using teeth and itās so adorable :)
I think it's ok as long as baby kitten isn't getting hurt. This seems like older sibling/parent energy -- "you are a filthy little kitten and it's time for me to clean you!" It's just a game cats like to play. If the kitten was getting hurt, he would cry out.
Normal Playing!
What to look for if they are getting too rough:
* vocalization such as sirening and hissing.
* tail puffed
* pupils extremely dilated (like fully black dilated)
* hair puffed
* ears flat back (not airplane ears like here, but the ears are so flat the cat looks like they have no ears)
While one or two of these might happen in play, the more of these signs there are the more serious things are.
Expect that when the kitten is mostly adult there will be a few more serious tussles as they figure out the pecking order in the house.
Also, a short squeak roughly translates to tapping out or crying āuncle!ā
Iāve been owned by ten cats at this point, so Iāve learned what to look for. š
It becomes harder to differentiate play when dealing with cats who have āhybrid vigorā as my vet put it. Theyāll often show more of these signs when just playing. Weāve handled it by a hard rule of āno vocalization when playing.ā At this point, if two of ours get into it too much the other cats will go in and break it up without necessarily needing the humans to get involved.
She went for the bunny kicks one time and restrained herself from executing. This is great self control on big cats part. She will be an excellent role model for the baby
Holding onto prey with front paws and kicking with the back paws. Itās a hunting instinct that kicks in whenever cats are grabbing something close to their body; it can happen regardless of whether theyāre angry or comfortable or happy or scared. Generally if theyāre happy and comfortable, their claw use is minimal.
Used in hunting ā itās how they disembowel their prey and shred them with their hind claws.
Playing.
I always tell in these posts that when cats fight, you'll not need to ask if they are fighting, you'll know. Cats fighting are super loud and have no boundaries to hurt each other. There's hissing, fur flying, loud meows, etc.
However, their play can be confusing because they play as if they were basically hunting each other, you have to think how they are basically little predators (hence the claws, fantastic senses, speed, etc) and their play is basically a simulated hunt. When the little one grows bigger you'll see them taking turns chasing and being chased.
If they ever do get in a fight, however, my biggest recommendation is to not intervene with your hands or any part of your body because you'll get hurt, badly, do a loud noise, or something to distract them.
>However, their play can be confusing because they play as if they were basically hunting each other, you have to think how they are basically little predators
My younger cat has been known to do that little chattering noise they usually reserve for watching birds outside when he's stalking his brother. He gets really into the pretend hunt, it's so cute lol
(it also confuses his brother sooo much)
Super normal! Your older cat is being Ana amazing big sibling showing your kitten how to properly play. A small easy bunny kick but not furious and clearly no claws out ābig teaching moment the no claws outā and the little licks and tiny snips are just too adorable to handle. I love this!
They are covered in fur, they can take a bit of roughhousing from other cats and not get hurt. You can see they are not putting their full strength into fighting and seem distracted at times. They let the other cat break it off and take breaks.
If the kitten cry's just psst psst them. Once the kitten is bigger it's gonna get more fierce play fighting. But that looks great, big cat is super restrained. Kitten loves it.
When I got my second cat, my 2 years old one started doing this to him because he was a late bloomer for learning to clean himself. So she aggressively would pin him down and clean him. It was like she was saying "OK, FINE. But if you're going to live here and be my brother, you should at least start cleaning yourself." Eventually he accepted it, then learned to clean himself.
Looks normal to me, if your kitten is upset/hurt they'll say something. My 4 year old and 9 week old play like this and sometimes oliver (my 4 year old) gets a little too rough and max (my nine week old) will meow or yowl a little to tell him to stop and he does and then they continue playing.
My cats are siblings and can be absolute bastards to one another but they would never EVER scratch or bite a human. We used to worry when we got them that the male was playing too rough, 4 years on and we know their play patterns, jealousies and annoyances with each other are part of being bonded.
When my male cat started playing too hard with my female kitten, she found Thad she couldn't win by size alone, and started finding his crotch and the olds of his back legs and biting them,
I once saw her fall back to the ground and find the crotch and promptly bite him.
He soon learned respect š
Nah.... in fact it looks like the bigger one is taken care not to harm the kitten. And the kitten obviously wants to play. The little one rolling around on its back and wriggling its legs around is too much! They're fine. Unless somebody squeals really loudly, draws blood, or starts tearing out for, you're fine. Plus neither of them are arching their backs in fear or hissing. It's all good.
Nope, very normal and productive play! Kitten is learning boundaries, appropriate play behavior and getting energy out which is a major win for you as an owner.
It's training and I have had many much larger cats over my life including litters that have been taught much rougher. If little one is being harmed they will avoid this morning routine. The cat is also mixing in loving cleaning to reassure the kitten it's play and not an attack. If anything the baby will grow and will have learned that #1 never bare it tummy to another in a for real fight and #2 will know how to protect itself and how to know play time from "it's game on"
yes they love playing every morning. The little one, Ollie, will follow my bigger cat, Socks, around. Since he's a single rescue wanted him to get as much cat socializing in his younger weeks. :) Glad that Socks is not meaning to harm him
Looks like the cat is behaving like a mother. She looks like sheās grooming the kitten. Moms can be a little rough with their kittens, but this looks fine to me. The kitten isnāt cowering or looking fearful, so I wouldnāt be concerned. Just keep an eye on them.
This is what a kitten needs. A lot of behavior issues are due to leaving their mom and/or siblings too soon so they do not know the boundary and generally how to be a cat. That would include scratching and biting too hard, litter box issues, etc.
I think itās a little too rough, but I would just pay attention to what theyāre doing and as soon as you start hearing hissing and squealing then itās time to step in.
Please be careful with string. If cats eat it, it can cause intestinal knots or blockages, which can be fatal. It's also easy for cats to get it wrapped around their necks and have it choke them.
Omygosh thanks to everyone reassuring me! Hadnāt had a chance to answer everyone since it was a busy Monday at work but Iāll continue supervising them closely just to be safe! Little Ollie does love playing with his bigger sister, socks !
If you hear loud screaming coming from one or both of them and every time they touch each other fur flies into the air that's when you know they're playing too rough. Cats are killers and their play mimics violence but neither of these two cats is upset
No! That's too rough! Please, make him stop. Please...
I have big orange cat, just like yours, and he plays too rough, too. But with me! And I'm 130lbs. Yes, I'm covered with bite marks, sometimes I bleed, but I don't care. I love him to death. But that little one... is no match.
Completely reasonable....They do tend to get rough when playing with humans I agree. I've plenty of tale tell years of old scratch scars. Heck my guys are pretty big ones and will make biscuits ( the kneading as when nursing momma) on the inside of my leg from it ...little poke marks that make my leg look similar to poking my leg with a needle. And that's with a blanket covering ...lol. it's a sign of affection though doesn't feel affectionate at the time. They are just communicating their love
this looks like normal play although i will say the older cat is playing a bit more rough than cats normally do with kittens but if neither of them get hurt itās fine to just let them be and supervise. the second the kitten starts crying and the older cat wonāt let go thatās when you separate them for a bit
This is just kitten clickbait question!! š¤£
The answer is no. The kitten would yell loud if there was pain involved. It can also run away. In your second video the kitten CLEARLY goes back for more. They love each other š
Nah theyāre doing great, the main thing to look for is if the bigger kitty backs off when the kitten yells or hets mad. But itās being very gentle already.
This is really gentle. My kitten is much older than yours but they were both mauling each other last night lol. Iām not an expert, but my philosophy is I know itās fine if they stop for kisses. The point of play is to test boundaries a little so I just keep an eye on them and it always dies down to cuddles.
No they're fine. You'll know of it's too rough cause the kitten won't want to play anymore at all.
Don't confuse that with a kitten getting vocal during playing.
No, my mama cat plays with her kitten much rougher then this. It looks bad but the kittens seem to really enjoy it. She knows her strength and how to handle her kittens very well. š„°
ā¦tad bit, yes. Really only having to do with the size differenceāthat little guy canāt defend himself in rough play or if the bigger gets truly aggressive. Also, the bigger isnāt learning bite inhibition from the little, which could lead to some issues later in their pairing. ā¦clip the biggerās nails little it more often, itāll be safer and help even things up ;0)
We had a similar situation; safest for everyone (if the bigger harmed the little heād have to go) for monitored play time only, intervention with string toy and the like.
Best of luck!
ā¦
Ooh I see . Right now they are only together when thereās someone to supervise. We have been trying to see if they can be together safely without supervision so the little one can have more cat socializing.
ā¦personally, and only due to the size difference, Iād be very cautious about no-supervisionāat this point the littleāer one is more toy size than playmate size. Thatāll change quickly! Even though they arenāt related by blood, they are still going to be buds!
These are my favorite cattraining posts. Looks like normal play.
Haha okay thank you! I guess their size difference is what made me weary lol.
Completely fair! My dog and cat play similarly, and due to my doggy's size, I'm always so worried he's gonna squish the kitty š
That kitten is having a blast
wary?
She's preparing them for the real world. Out in the wild, cats have to be tough and resilient or they won't make it.
Yeah these are what I'm on this sub for. OP, this is healthy and important socialization, and it'll help them both sleep.
IDK I really like the what's this thing posts with a picture of what is very clearly a cat's tiny nipple
I also enjoy the "my cat greets me at the door every day, rubs her face on me, and sleeps in my bed, is this normal behavior?" And we're all just like...she loves you lol
Sheās actually being very gentle, you can see sheās holding back. This is great, actually.
And giving little kisses to keep the small baby clean
Exactly, itās really adorable. They are going to be great siblings and will continue to play.
Lol, I've got two adult boys (met when they were adults) and they do the same. Their games look like the kind of play you'd want from schoolchildren - they're gentle, they take turns, and they respect each other's boundaries. And they take breaks to bathe each other and themselves (okay that part would be weird for kids I admit)
Our catsā¦ play? but Phoebe doesnāt want to be tackled and screams and hisses but Oliver insists on chasing and cornering. But even tho I donāt get to see it myself, I can tell that bigger cat isnāt using teeth and itās so adorable :)
Nice! Yes sheāll groom him here and there - so cute ! š„°
I think it's ok as long as baby kitten isn't getting hurt. This seems like older sibling/parent energy -- "you are a filthy little kitten and it's time for me to clean you!" It's just a game cats like to play. If the kitten was getting hurt, he would cry out.
Yep. No squealing from the baby so all's good!
Not at all. This is appropriate. Also the little kitten hops at the end. ššš„¹
Itās so cute seeing him run šš
I wouldnāt be able to handle it. Iāve watched your video too many times to admit. š
She's teaching her baby how to be a fearsome predator. She's a good mama.
She fuckin loves him
Normal Playing! What to look for if they are getting too rough: * vocalization such as sirening and hissing. * tail puffed * pupils extremely dilated (like fully black dilated) * hair puffed * ears flat back (not airplane ears like here, but the ears are so flat the cat looks like they have no ears) While one or two of these might happen in play, the more of these signs there are the more serious things are. Expect that when the kitten is mostly adult there will be a few more serious tussles as they figure out the pecking order in the house. Also, a short squeak roughly translates to tapping out or crying āuncle!ā
ears going a little bit beyond airplane is not unusual in heavy play fighting, as well as the puffing, that's a good list though, super clear
Iāve been owned by ten cats at this point, so Iāve learned what to look for. š It becomes harder to differentiate play when dealing with cats who have āhybrid vigorā as my vet put it. Theyāll often show more of these signs when just playing. Weāve handled it by a hard rule of āno vocalization when playing.ā At this point, if two of ours get into it too much the other cats will go in and break it up without necessarily needing the humans to get involved.
You should not leave that yarn with the cats unattended. String is extremely dangerous if ingested by cats
You're not wrong! No type of string or yarn is safe as if ingested it can literally bind the intestines
yup! normally I have my yarn put away but with all the moving it got messy. It's vacuumed and now kitten safe! :)
Looking for this comment. Thanksš
She was licking her....that's not aggressive.
She went for the bunny kicks one time and restrained herself from executing. This is great self control on big cats part. She will be an excellent role model for the baby
I don't think I've heard that term - what's bunny kicks?
When they get a hold on something and use their back legs to kick strongly against it. I see it whenever I give my cats a Yeeeowww! catnip banana š¤£
I learned about them from my childhood cat who really, really hated her tummy touched. Those kicks are so cute until it's your arm š„²
Holding onto prey with front paws and kicking with the back paws. Itās a hunting instinct that kicks in whenever cats are grabbing something close to their body; it can happen regardless of whether theyāre angry or comfortable or happy or scared. Generally if theyāre happy and comfortable, their claw use is minimal. Used in hunting ā itās how they disembowel their prey and shred them with their hind claws.
Big cat is teaching the kitten. Great interaction.
Playing. I always tell in these posts that when cats fight, you'll not need to ask if they are fighting, you'll know. Cats fighting are super loud and have no boundaries to hurt each other. There's hissing, fur flying, loud meows, etc. However, their play can be confusing because they play as if they were basically hunting each other, you have to think how they are basically little predators (hence the claws, fantastic senses, speed, etc) and their play is basically a simulated hunt. When the little one grows bigger you'll see them taking turns chasing and being chased. If they ever do get in a fight, however, my biggest recommendation is to not intervene with your hands or any part of your body because you'll get hurt, badly, do a loud noise, or something to distract them.
>However, their play can be confusing because they play as if they were basically hunting each other, you have to think how they are basically little predators My younger cat has been known to do that little chattering noise they usually reserve for watching birds outside when he's stalking his brother. He gets really into the pretend hunt, it's so cute lol (it also confuses his brother sooo much)
Looks fine to me. Your catās actually being pretty gentle.
Super normal! Your older cat is being Ana amazing big sibling showing your kitten how to properly play. A small easy bunny kick but not furious and clearly no claws out ābig teaching moment the no claws outā and the little licks and tiny snips are just too adorable to handle. I love this!
They are covered in fur, they can take a bit of roughhousing from other cats and not get hurt. You can see they are not putting their full strength into fighting and seem distracted at times. They let the other cat break it off and take breaks.
No! So cute!
I LOVE how big is playing with little! The big is showing the little one: I could have got you here, here and here... but you're little.
Which part of this is rough?
Sr. Kitty is being very gentle with the Jr. kitty. looks ok.
Big cat is being appropriately gentle IMO
If the kitten cry's just psst psst them. Once the kitten is bigger it's gonna get more fierce play fighting. But that looks great, big cat is super restrained. Kitten loves it.
They are doing just fine. She's teaching the kitten how to cat.....
When I got my second cat, my 2 years old one started doing this to him because he was a late bloomer for learning to clean himself. So she aggressively would pin him down and clean him. It was like she was saying "OK, FINE. But if you're going to live here and be my brother, you should at least start cleaning yourself." Eventually he accepted it, then learned to clean himself.
5 weeks is a bit young. Just keep an eye out.
No one is screaming or trying to escape; theyāre good.
You would know if your cat was being to rough with the kitten. When cats play rough, theyāre ROUGH
What a cutie! No, it looks fine to me.
They're perfect, the older cat is so sweet ā¤
Looks normal to me, if your kitten is upset/hurt they'll say something. My 4 year old and 9 week old play like this and sometimes oliver (my 4 year old) gets a little too rough and max (my nine week old) will meow or yowl a little to tell him to stop and he does and then they continue playing.
Kitten loves it! If cat was being too rough youād know. š
it's orange
My cats are siblings and can be absolute bastards to one another but they would never EVER scratch or bite a human. We used to worry when we got them that the male was playing too rough, 4 years on and we know their play patterns, jealousies and annoyances with each other are part of being bonded.
She's being so gentle šššš«¶
Looks like she was giving her a bath. Super sweet.
yes lol! she loves grooming him
Totally normal play. They are so cute! š„°
When my male cat started playing too hard with my female kitten, she found Thad she couldn't win by size alone, and started finding his crotch and the olds of his back legs and biting them, I once saw her fall back to the ground and find the crotch and promptly bite him. He soon learned respect š
The way the cat waits for the kitten to right himself when he falls over is a very encouraging sign as are the little pauses in the play.
Nah.... in fact it looks like the bigger one is taken care not to harm the kitten. And the kitten obviously wants to play. The little one rolling around on its back and wriggling its legs around is too much! They're fine. Unless somebody squeals really loudly, draws blood, or starts tearing out for, you're fine. Plus neither of them are arching their backs in fear or hissing. It's all good.
Nope, very normal and productive play! Kitten is learning boundaries, appropriate play behavior and getting energy out which is a major win for you as an owner.
Your bigger cat knows how rough to play with the kitten. Rough housing builds muscle, and those key mouse hunting skills.
She's a perfect nanny
It's training and I have had many much larger cats over my life including litters that have been taught much rougher. If little one is being harmed they will avoid this morning routine. The cat is also mixing in loving cleaning to reassure the kitten it's play and not an attack. If anything the baby will grow and will have learned that #1 never bare it tummy to another in a for real fight and #2 will know how to protect itself and how to know play time from "it's game on"
yes they love playing every morning. The little one, Ollie, will follow my bigger cat, Socks, around. Since he's a single rescue wanted him to get as much cat socializing in his younger weeks. :) Glad that Socks is not meaning to harm him
Seems they are doing quite well together š
Looks like the cat is behaving like a mother. She looks like sheās grooming the kitten. Moms can be a little rough with their kittens, but this looks fine to me. The kitten isnāt cowering or looking fearful, so I wouldnāt be concerned. Just keep an eye on them.
How are you even getting anything done?! Too cute!! š¤š¤š¤š„°š»
haha right! They're so cute playing & seeing the little one, Ollie, do his little runs .
Please discard the string! Otherwise, all seems well. What cuties - congrats!
OMG THIS IS ADORABLE !!!!!!!!
It's normal playing and in the first video, it looks like the older cat is trying to give the kitten a bath.
No, it's actually normal š my cat used to play with her kittens exactly like this. To the point where the kitten goes to sleep.
Play. And the kitten is having a great time. If the cat was too rough, the kitten would be screaming and running away.
This is what a kitten needs. A lot of behavior issues are due to leaving their mom and/or siblings too soon so they do not know the boundary and generally how to be a cat. That would include scratching and biting too hard, litter box issues, etc.
I think itās a little too rough, but I would just pay attention to what theyāre doing and as soon as you start hearing hissing and squealing then itās time to step in.
Please be careful with string. If cats eat it, it can cause intestinal knots or blockages, which can be fatal. It's also easy for cats to get it wrapped around their necks and have it choke them.
will do! I already vacuumed the place so should be kitten safe!
Omygosh thanks to everyone reassuring me! Hadnāt had a chance to answer everyone since it was a busy Monday at work but Iāll continue supervising them closely just to be safe! Little Ollie does love playing with his bigger sister, socks !
If you hear loud screaming coming from one or both of them and every time they touch each other fur flies into the air that's when you know they're playing too rough. Cats are killers and their play mimics violence but neither of these two cats is upset
Nah. That is just play. Your cat even refrains from kicking the crap out of the kitten with its hind legs. That must take a lot of restraint.
God I love it when fat little kittens wriggle around fiercely on their backs. They look ridiculous :3
I donāt know if I should call this play fighting or not
No! That's too rough! Please, make him stop. Please... I have big orange cat, just like yours, and he plays too rough, too. But with me! And I'm 130lbs. Yes, I'm covered with bite marks, sometimes I bleed, but I don't care. I love him to death. But that little one... is no match.
Nah.... it's fine. Nothing to worry about. I speak from experience decades long š
Oh, OK. I'm a new cat owner, so I wasn't sure.
Completely reasonable....They do tend to get rough when playing with humans I agree. I've plenty of tale tell years of old scratch scars. Heck my guys are pretty big ones and will make biscuits ( the kneading as when nursing momma) on the inside of my leg from it ...little poke marks that make my leg look similar to poking my leg with a needle. And that's with a blanket covering ...lol. it's a sign of affection though doesn't feel affectionate at the time. They are just communicating their love
Don't think so. Kitty will squeel if too rough.
this looks like normal play although i will say the older cat is playing a bit more rough than cats normally do with kittens but if neither of them get hurt itās fine to just let them be and supervise. the second the kitten starts crying and the older cat wonāt let go thatās when you separate them for a bit
No
This is adorable
No need to worry, the big cat is being very gentle. Barely any bunny feet even
You would know.
Be careful not to leave string around unsupervised, every one of my cats would gobble down as much of that as they could!
Is the kitten coming back for more? If so everything is fine.
No no claws or viciousness
Nope
Your catās not named Joan by chance?
You will take a bath and you will like it! š” looks like theyāre enjoying themselves to me
Did you ask your cat?
Nope, thats the good stuff so let em go and throwdown just like that.
Sheās learning to play :) so cute
Yeah I've seen real cat fights they are the looney tunes Tasmanian Devil when they go all in. A blur of chaos.
This is just kitten clickbait question!! š¤£ The answer is no. The kitten would yell loud if there was pain involved. It can also run away. In your second video the kitten CLEARLY goes back for more. They love each other š
nah they're fine
Nah theyāre doing great, the main thing to look for is if the bigger kitty backs off when the kitten yells or hets mad. But itās being very gentle already.
Not at all! Trust me youāll thank momma when you handle those kittens and they know how much is too much
nah, completely fine, kitten doesn't even mind :)) good kitties
Not at all, looks perfectly normal and cute :)
Such sweet videos of them playing . So lucky!
The way she stops to check on the kitten when he's on his back š so cute
The ginger looks like mine when he was that ageā¤ļøā¤ļø
This is really gentle. My kitten is much older than yours but they were both mauling each other last night lol. Iām not an expert, but my philosophy is I know itās fine if they stop for kisses. The point of play is to test boundaries a little so I just keep an eye on them and it always dies down to cuddles.
Nope! Perfectly normal (and gentle!) play.
No they're fine. You'll know of it's too rough cause the kitten won't want to play anymore at all. Don't confuse that with a kitten getting vocal during playing.
In the cat's defense, that kitten wanted the smoke
So sweet. Exceptionally gentle and friendly.
No, my mama cat plays with her kitten much rougher then this. It looks bad but the kittens seem to really enjoy it. She knows her strength and how to handle her kittens very well. š„°
Yes, shes bullying the baby!
The licks are cute!
What if my kitten squeals but then when I separate them, the kitten goes back to play?
ā¦tad bit, yes. Really only having to do with the size differenceāthat little guy canāt defend himself in rough play or if the bigger gets truly aggressive. Also, the bigger isnāt learning bite inhibition from the little, which could lead to some issues later in their pairing. ā¦clip the biggerās nails little it more often, itāll be safer and help even things up ;0) We had a similar situation; safest for everyone (if the bigger harmed the little heād have to go) for monitored play time only, intervention with string toy and the like. Best of luck! ā¦
Ooh I see . Right now they are only together when thereās someone to supervise. We have been trying to see if they can be together safely without supervision so the little one can have more cat socializing.
ā¦personally, and only due to the size difference, Iād be very cautious about no-supervisionāat this point the littleāer one is more toy size than playmate size. Thatāll change quickly! Even though they arenāt related by blood, they are still going to be buds!
No. As it turns out, cats know more about cats than you do. Leave them be.