Are they just playing?

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Mollysmummy
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Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Hi all, I'm pretty sure im just being a bit overprotective of our kitten, and maybe putting too many human worries into their behaviour, but...

Every morning and evening, which I know is a cats most active time, our 1 1/2 year old female cat and our recently neutered 4 month old boy chase each other all over the house. 99% of the time there is no yowling or hissing, and we've not noticed any blood at any time, but she corners him and 'goes' for him, he jumps on her back, they come up behind each other to swipe and this morning she actually got him in a headlock with her paws and had her teeth in the scruff of his neck!! She can't have bitten hard as he didn't yelp or try to run away but it all seems a tad over enthusiastic!

Once they're both done they settle down to sleep and are fine with each other the rest of the time.

Do you think they're just playing or is there something more going on that I need to be looking out for?
Last edited by Mollysmummy on Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kay
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Kay »

sounds like play to me, as neither seems to be afraid of the other, or seeks to avoid him/her

ears back, violent tail swishing and low growling would worry me, but yowling, hissing and pawsicuffs would not - just as well as I've had more than 4 years of it with Tiffany and Tosker!
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

No they do actively seek each other out when they're in play mood, when we took Kevin for his neutering last week Molly spent all morning looking for him, then realised she could have a few hours sleep in peace! They do out their ears back while they're playing but I think that's just making sure they're out of the way! Molly does really swish her tail but I've noticed she does that while watching birds through the window too so I think it's a stimulation thing rather than an annoyance thing!

Molly used to growl when we first brought Kevin home but there's never any of that now. I think I'm just being overprotective and don't want them to get hurt!
Last edited by Mollysmummy on Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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bobbys girl
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by bobbys girl »

Bobby and his 'mum' Lily used to play like that. Sometimes they would wrestle and, both of them being black, you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began! They would always end up snuggled together in their hammock - so cute.
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Molly and Kevin are both black too :-)
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bobbys girl
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by bobbys girl »

Black Cats Rule! :lol:
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Bob and Lil
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Bob, Lil and aunty Willow
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Soooo cute!!! Kevin is probably the size of your middle cat, Molly more like the front one. Our don't cuddle as Molly is a very anxious girl but I'm hoping they learn to snuggle!
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Yay!! I found a resizer that works!! These are our babies
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greenkitty
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by greenkitty »

Beautiful furbabies :)

When I first arrived on the forum I was going through a very painful introduction with Pip and Noodle, several months later I was still concerned about the way they interacted and it was Kay who made me look at their behavior differently, I thought their interactions were aggressive but when I took some time and watched them I noticed they actively sought each other out and seemed to enjoy a little pre-meal time sparring session, 4 years on they still do it before every meal time!
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Crewella
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Crewella »

Beautiful!

My boys do this before meals as well, but can be found cuddled up together. I often see Basil half jump on Daz, it looks like he's throwing his arm round him, like lads on the way home from the pub!
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bobbys girl
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by bobbys girl »

Crewella wrote: like lads on the way home from the pub!
:lol:
Lovely photo. Molly looks very much like my Lily, I do miss her. Kevin looks full of mischief. :D
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Kevin's got the innocent look down to a tee, even when he's caught red-handed! Molly just runs away to avoid being implicated :-)

She climbed on me in bed for the first time ever this morning; she didn't settle but it's something of a breakthrough! I've got a photo somewhere of her with her wonky tail, I think that's going to be the only way of telling them apart as Kevin grows up!
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

This is her chilling out
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Crewella
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Crewella »

Oh she's gorgeous - beautiful eyes!

Daz has a kink in his tail, but nowhere near that pronounced!
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Her tail can completely bend back on itself flat to the rest of the tail, but won't straighten past a right angle. It doesn't cause her pain, and when we took her to the vets when we first got her they said she'd probably been born like that, if it was a break or trauma it would more likely have fused.
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Crewella
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Crewella »

That makes sense, Daz's is fused and is, I suspect, a souvenir of his scavenging days.
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Mollysmummy
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

They're just starting the evenings events, chasing each other round the living room! It's really funny to watch, Kevin 'tags' her then runs away and hides while she chases him, then when she walks off he comes out and tags her again!
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Crewella »

That's definitely just good fun, and lovely to see! :)
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Mollysmummy »

Play is definitely getting rougher! They go for one another, end up in a ball but they're now pulling fluff out and meowing while they tumble! I don't know how this naturally ends as we seperate them when they do it as it sounds like at least one of them isn't enjoying it!

But then Kevin will lay on his back and reach out to swipe her so he must be wanting more right? He had tufts pulled out this morning.
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sarie
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by sarie »

Awww they're so cute! I wouldn't worry too much about the play getting rougher - the bigger Kevin gets (and the more demanding) the rougher they'll play.

Bailey leaps all over my adult cat Clive and follows him around stalking him - Clive gets pretty pee'd off with him (understandably) and will eventually try to put him in his place by getting him in a headlock and biting him until Bailey squeals but the moment Clive lets go Bailey goes at him again for more so he's not really phased.
Clive still loves to play with him but the kitten gives as good as he gets now. I think as they get bigger and more energetic the kittens start to agitate the bigger cats more as they're so persistent and don't really know boundaries but the adults will put them in their place and as long as there are no obvious signs of serious aggression (growling, spitting etc) then I'm sure it's fine; Molly will soon sort him out when she's had enough :)
Clive will yowl and hiss occasionally when he's really, really pee'd off to tell Bailey to pack it in but it's still not aggressive, more just a "please sod off, I'm sick of you" sort of noise. If he was growling I'd intervene and split them up but he never does.

This is what you don't want to hear - if you hear this, then you know it's serious, genuine anger but in bonded cats it's pretty unusual for this sort of anger to occur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltZm48wZVyY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mine pull chunks of fur out of one another too and if it sounds like they're overdoing it I do occasionally intervene but they never seem that fussed and usually go back for more. I tend to just let mine get on with it - kittens need to learn boundaries so although the squeals might not sound like they're enjoying it, I figure it's important that the play fights are left to end naturally so the kittens can learn when they're pushing things too far. If I'm genuinely concerned that there's some serious trouble brewing (Clive sounds particularly angry and kitten is persistently chasing him) I'll split them up but it very rarely goes that far :)
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Re: Are they just playing?

Post by Nigel »

My two do this too - usually one instigates it by jumping on the other, or bats her with a paw then it results in them both tearing around the room chasing each other before wrestling on the ground. Occasionally one will meow when it gets a bit too rough, but before long they're cuddled up with each other on the sofa so obviously no hard feelings!

I just have to keep an eye out, as sometimes they'll run straight over me which can be a little surprising if you're not expecting it!
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