Playfighting or Swatting?

There are several ways to tell playing from fighting. Play should be recirocal - they should take turns chasing and being chased, swatting and being swatted, etc. Also if the cat who seems to be getting the worst of has a chance to escape and does not take it it is probably play.

Cats will do this to establish or maintain their place in the dominance order, even through play.

...If it is fighting, though, a REAL fight, there will be screaming. If they are yowling and shrieking then you have a fight. If they're just batting at each other with their ears back, maybe some hisses or growls but nothing else, then it's bickering=This is okay too, you should let them hash this out.

Watch for threatening stares, circling each other, tails lashing, and low growling moaning sounds, this can also mean they're seriously pissed and about to go to town on each other.

Noise is not always a good indicator, many cats make all kinds of sounds when it's just play.

Tolly was brought up by two females, and Ootay, especially was a vocal Gamer, so Tolly learned from her, and he is always meeping, peeping and squeaking, sounds like he's being killed sometimes.

Jennie swears like a sailor, has never lost her habit of street language, she sounds like she's going in for a kill during a Game,but it's all air.

That being said, I agree with the low moaning and certain posturings being indicative of a fight, but sounds like Jazzy and Ginga are just enjoying eachother's company.

Claws are a bad sign that it's serious. In play fighting the claws don't come out because they aren't trying to hurt each other. I let Attitude and Nuts bicker about whatever it is that they are bickering about(mostly a scratching post, we have 4 but they always want to use the same one), but they mostly play with each other when 'fighting.'

Nuts has had an issue with biting Attitude until she cried. He wasn't being serious he just didn't know not to bite hard. He had the issue even when he was outside with his litter mates(especially Runt)and Attitude is one of his litter mates. Finally Attitude let him know that it wasn't cool to do that(it took months for her to get sick of it and let him know to knock it off) and he quit. Now he only does it after Attitude gets a bath. He is determined at it, even after a timeout he would go right back to biting her. If i didn't know this was just how Nuts was and he wasn't breaking the skin just biting too hard I would have thought it was serious but as he's been here since he was 4 weeks old I know that is just how he plays. I let them work it out, I knew eventually Attitude would let him know that if he didn't knock it off there were going to be issues. So having litter mates doesn't always prevent a stubborn, determined or just a 'stupid' cat from playing too rough with their teeth.

I also let them and Maude work out any issues they had. They never got serious it was mostly Maude smacking Nuts in the head for being annoying, hissing, swiping and she did take at separate times take Attitude and Nuts' entire heads into her mouth(and yes their entire heads fit in her mouth, she didn't bite down but she got her point across.) Can't remember what Nuts did but she did it to Attitude after she jumped up on Paul's lap while Maude was already there and kept stuffing her tail into Maude mouth so she couldn't hiss(smart kitty problem solving.)

Most of the time it's just play, it is usually very obvious when they are serious and when they aren't.

Also they will be all puffed up and arched ahead of time if it is serious.

It sounds like they might be working out a dispute or just playing with each other.

Taryn

Rosie and Jack were swatting at each other on the cat tree this morning. That's them playing because they'll swat for a few seconds then they both put their paws around each other and move from side to side for a bit wrestle

Sigh.... cats. Well, it is likely play-fighting. My boys play fight all the time - sometimes I think they are trying to kill each other then two minutes later they are grooming each other! A couple of them get testy before meals as they jockey for position in front of the counter. Usually - Tex is involved.

The only real fighting going on is initiated by Casper and he is either afraid of or doesn't like the other cats (except Ghost). His vocalization and body language are very clear and the cats mostly stay away from him or cut a wide path if they have to go near him.

I actually HAVE seen the claws come out sometimes during rough play. The difference is that play is a lot less structured and more random, if it's a fight, you get the posturing, screaming, you really know it. Cats can really beat up on each other in play though and it can get intense.