How to know if my cats play or fight?

If you have more than one pussycat in your home, probably you already watched them chase each other intensely or change a couple of claw one with the other. It is completely natural for cats to enjoy themselves by freely exercising their instincts. They can play imitating situations of fighting, hunting or fishing, for example. The problem appears when the game is so intense that it makes it difficult to differentiate a real conflict from a fun between partners.

If you wonder how to know if your cats play or fight, you entered the correct page. In this article, we’ll tell you a little more about feline body language and we’ll give you some tips to easily differentiate the moments of fun and tension between your pussycats. Can you come with us?

What should I do to know if my cats are playing or fighting?

Cats own a rich body language. Although they can use certain sounds to communicate with each other or with us, they are usually expressed mostly by their postures and facial expressions. A cat that is about to fight has a completely different state of mind than a cat that is having fun with a companion. Consequently, your body will also adopt a completely different stance when challenging an opponent that stops invite a friend to play.

Therefore, the best way to know if your cats play or fight is to observe them and interpret the señales that his body transmits. Logically, you will need to encourage yourself to understand a little better the non-verbal language of felines. But to help you, we summarize, below, the most notable differences between two fighting cats and two cats having fun playing.

1. Fighting stances vs. game postures

Usually, a cat that is prepared for a possible combat, stares at the other animal and bristles her hair and her body. Before the fight, you will see that one of the felines adopts a dominant position (as if challenging its opponent) and advances on it, while the other cat strikes back to defend itself. During the fight, the cats usually emit prolonged and strong meows, well as sharp screams (similar to a scream). Already at the end of the conflict, it is most likely that the cats take distance from each other and avoid each other for a long time, either through reciprocal fear or loss of interest.

On the contrary, when two cats play, you will notice that they tend to imitate the movements of one another, alternating the role of who defends and who constantly attacks. During their fun, they will be able to emit meows and even snort, but these will be shorter and much less intense. And when they finish playing, they will not be afraid of each other, even when they choose to distance themselves for a few minutes to rest calmly.

Another obvious difference between a fight and a game between cats is the result. Two cats that play can exchange some claws and even surpass with the meows. However, very they will rarely be injured or injured for having fun. In feline fights, the results almost always require immediate veterinary attention, therefore, it is essential to prevent your kitties from entering a real fight.

2. Form and pace of approach

When a feline is interested in playing, usually approaching in a friendly way to “feel” the disposition of the other. Act as if you wanted to say to your partner “Hello! We play?”. If the other cat wants to play you will answer affirmatively with a similar movement. While they play, you will also see that they are jointly marking the rhythm of the movements, attacking, defending or chasing each other evenly and even synchronized.

In a fight, the approach is quite different: the aggressive cat advances to attack and the other has no other defend or try to escape if the confrontation seems very unfavorable. The rhythm is more uneven, being marked mainly by the feline that has an advantage (which can be alternated during the fight).

3. Friendship signs

The felines that live peacefully in the same home and maintain a friendly relationship, reveal signs of this friendship in your day to day. For example: they can rest together or close to each other, allow one to eat or drink water from the other’s trough or drinker, share the same litter box, etc. Through these demonstrations, they are telling each other that your presence is welcome in the territory.

When two cats do not have a friendly relationship, they will usually avoid any kind of contact and probably fight when they see that one intervened in the other’s territory.

How to stop the fight of two cats?

If you recognize that your cats are fighting, it is very important that couple the conflict before one or both leave injured. Remember that injuries resulting from a fight favor the development of numerous infections and various pathologies, such as uveitis.

You should never intervene directly or get between two angry cats, but you will also get hurt and the result will be even more regrettable. Neither is it effective or advisable to be aggressive with your pussycat, since violence generates more violence. To quickly catch the attention of the cats and make them scatter, you must emit some loud noise. You can clap loudly, hit a table or a door, or drop some metallic object, like a pot or a pan.

However, this is an emergency resource to prevent your cats from getting hurt. We should not scare our pets or create situations of high stress, to avoid transmitting negative feelings, such as fear or insecurity. If you notice that your cats start to fight frequently or are more aggressive than usual, do not hesitate to consult with a ethologist or feline specialist. It is very important to find out why the change in behavior of your cats, as this may indicate some imbalance in your body.

How to prevent your cats from fighting?

As with most animals, cats have a strong territorial instinct that allowed the survival of his species. If from one day to the next, you introduce a new animal into your cat’s home, it is very likely that you will attend some fights for territory. In addition, it can happen that one of the cats is isolated or remains hidden to avoid a new confrontation or to have created a trauma of the new environment. In any case, you will be facing a non-positive coexistence for both pigs.

What to do for evitalo? If your feline has not been socialized early, you should start your socialization process as quickly as possible, to prepare it for the arrival of another animal in its territory. When your cat is more prepared, you can begin to introduce it gradually to the other pussycat. Remember never force them to interact, but stimulate their curiosity and reward their good behaviors by using positive reinforcement in this process.

It is also essential to prepare your home for the arrival of a new family member. Each of your cats must have their own space, where you feel comfortable and safe. The kitten you adopt must have their own utensils (sandbox, drinking fountain, feeding trough, etc.), toys and other essentials for their well-being. This will make you feel welcome, favoring your adaptation, and avoid possible fights over objects or spaces. We also include in this category several beds or nests.

Little by little, having socialized and introduced your pussycat, you will see that they themselves will show curiosity to get to know each other, interact and have fun together. However, it is crucial that you intervene to facilitate and stimulate this process. How? Enriching the environment of your kittens with accessories and interactive toys that allow them to carry out activities together. For example, you can make yourself a cheap, multi-storey homemade scraper, which will turn out to be a real amusement park for your kittens. Remember that more important than knowing if your cats play or fight, is stimulate them to play and prevent them from fighting.

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