Playing or Fighting

We have recently completed introducing a new female kitten we adopted to our year and a half old male kitty. They seem to have accepted each other, but they often will roll around batting and biting each other. There is no hissing or shrieking going on when this is happening, but I am unsure if it's playing or fighting?

The kitten will often initiate this activity and eventually they will both run off and the stalk each other again. I do not want either of them to get hurt. I dont see claws out when this is happening, but am unsure of whether to let it continue or not?

It sounds like they're probably just playing and having fun.. My 2 adult neutered males play wrestle a lot - it can look fierce, but it's pretty quiet, aside from the occasional squeak or grunt. There's no hissing or yowling.

The times I've seen cats fighting, it's usually been very noisy - lots of hissing, growling, and yowling.

If you're worried about them scratching each other, you can try trimming their nails a bit to blunt them (click here for claw trimming instructions).

Hope this helps

Sounds like playing to me!!!

My cat Bridget used to play with her brother Woody and they would run around and fight and then when he had had enough he would just sit on her!! He was about twice her size and quite hefty!!!

Sounds like playing to me also.

They are playing. Thats one of the many ways cats play.
If they were flighting for real there would be blood and loud growling, hiss and maybe screaming.
They can play FIGHT too and it looks really rough and they may make some noise but one is obviously trying to get away and the other keeps on going or there is blood, then they are fine.

They sound like my two. They stalk each other all the time. It's so funny because one will do that sort of crab walk with their back arched and tail puffed out and then dash up the stairs and the other will chase them. Or when one sneaks up and pounces on the other, then it's all over. Ear biting and rabbbit kicking. I love watching them play-fight. They look so silly when they are trying to initiate play.

One way to know if its NOT playing, look for the enlarged tail, A sure sign of a ****** off kitty and you can hear it...

Mona and Kitty Boy are working on a playful relationship, sometimes I dont know how to take Mona because she sounds mad and makes a bunch of noise. Kitty Boy doesnt say anything, no hissing or yowling just a little swatting and a quick chase through the house.

I'd say they were playing. My two are always like that and he's a picture to prove it of Sophie giving Rosie a quick bite!.

After that they were tearing up and down the stairs after each other

Sounds like playing to me - I had the same issues when Tolly came home - was he playing or fighting with Lily. I was soon reassured by the great members here that it was indeed playing and now they love each other to bits.

One minute they'll be rolling around wrestling and rabbit kicking with the odd nip thrown in - the next they'll be grooming each other and lying down for a snuggle.

The tail puffed out thing is not necessarily a sign of aggression though - Lily's tail gets all puffed out when she's really excited.

I would take the cues from the body language - does one cat seem really aggressive, is the other frightened (running and hiding), are their claws out or there is screaming and hissing.

Good luck

Thats instinctual natural play, and if they were fighting you would know it, there'd be allot of noise, hissing, and spitting. Felines tend to play or wrestle for Alpha designation, but, even that changes from session to session. My two guys have allot of fun, but maintain they're natural habits. Daily I laugh at them chasing each other and one of em occasionally stops short with the other one running over him. I think he snikkers a bit ! Mike, Medford, Ore

I vote for the playing also, mine do this all of the time, especially when Dexter(the youngest) was a kitten. They will let each other know when they overstep their boundries....

Definitely playing! My 8-old male former "only cat" wrestles frequently with my new 4-month-old female kitty. And yes, the kitty almost always initiates it. While wrestling,they both make sounds like they're angry. If I think they're getting a little too feisty, I just look at the older cat and he stops. Of course, then the kitty pounces on his head, and the wresting starts anew! Great fun to watch!