New cat and kitten owners may be taken aback or even worried when they see their cats wrestling with each other. While some cats will fight, those who get along will only “play fight”. When kittens do this, they can be a bit rougher and you may hear cries of pain or frustration. This is completely normal and these kitten fights are actually important to your young cat’s overall development.
Why Do Kittens Play-Fight?
The main reason kittens fight is to bond with their siblings, simulate hunting, develop communication skills, and build relationships.
When kittens wrestle and fight each other in particular, it might appear that they are being too aggressive with each other. You may feel pressured to break this up but it is important that you don’t.
What is happening during these play sessions is your young kittens are learning problem-solving skills as well as physical coordination. The biting of ears, paws, and tails are all fine even if one is crying out in pain or frustration. This is cueing the other kitten to back off or not be so rough.
As they age, they will be more gentle and know the cues of when to back off so it doesn’t become a real fight.
Video of kittens wrestling and playfighting with each other
Below is a video that is a great example of kittens wrestling with each other. While it might look a little aggressive, it is completely harmless.
As you can see, both groups of cats are a part of the same litter. While they wrestle, they take turns getting on top of each other. While there are a couple soft bites, they are very gentle and not meant to cause harm.
You can also see the kittens waving their tails from side to side, which is a sign of excitement and not aggression.
When Do Kittens Start Playfighting?
Shortly after a kitten opens its eyes, it will begin to play with other litter mates. This not only serves as a bonding ritual but a form of education.
Kittens will also “attack” their mother and get rough with her but she will most certainly put them in their place. This results in the kitten learning boundaries, what is too rough, and what is not acceptable behavior.
Signs your Kittens are Not Playfighting
There is a strong contrast between two cats or kittens simply playing and wrestling with each other and trying to defend themselves out of fear. Signs that the playing is more about territory disputes include puffed tails, arched backs, downward facing ears, dilated pupils, low or high-pitched growling, backing away, urinating in place, and seeking out a place to hide.
When a cat fight breaks out, it is very loud and hair will be flying all over the place. This usually results from a territory issue and one cat refusing to back off or submit to the other one. It is far more common in feral cats who are defending their turf, protecting their litter, or fighting over a queen (female cat in heat).
You can learn more in my guide on how to tell if kittens are playing or fighting.
What to do when your kittens are fighting?
If your kittens are aggressively fighting with each other, the number one thing to do is to separate them. Luckily, young kittens have short memory spans and will probably soon forget it even happened.
If two kittens continually fight, try to see what the root of the fighting is. It might be over territory, food, or toys. Once you have an idea what causes the fight, you should act accordingly to avoid aggressive situations. The answer might be to ensure that you are equally allocating resources.
All Cats Play-Fight!
From kittenhood to adulthood, all cats play-fight and it is a perfectly natural and acceptable thing many animals go through, even in the wild. This is an enriching social exercise for both cats involved and will help bond them for life.
Some cats will be rougher than others but if the fighting gets too intense for one cat, they will know how to tell the other cat they have had enough and in most cases, the other cat will comply.
