Our one cat, Lee, has a history of being food/toy possessive. When he eats food, he often continuously growls while doing so. When he has a toy he really likes, he will continuously growl while holding it in his mouth. In my partner’s experience, Lee’s growl is all bark and no bite. I can’t attest to that myself, as I don’t want to experiment with taking something from Lee while he’s growling. He sometimes gets aggressive when cornered/threatened, so I usually give him a wide berth when he’s in this state.
Our other cat, Lola, is very non-aggressive.
We have been trying to introduce Lee and Lola for months. We’ve made a lot of progress, and now when they meet up, often Lola will flop in front of Lee, and Lee will start grooming her.
Sometimes though, this will suddenly turn into Lee biting Lola in the throat. When he does this, he will start growling the same way he does with toys/food, and won’t let go unless we spray him with water several times. During this, Lola will be silent and limp.
I’m worried this isn’t play between two cats, but moreso play where Lee views Lola as legitimate prey. I worry that if we’re not there to disrupt him, he might actually kill her. But I’ve also read that cats do play by biting each other’s necks, and Lola does still choose to go get groomed by Lee each time they meet up.
What confuses me is the constant growling. And I don’t know if Lola views it as play because Lee’s never seriously injured her, but if he might if we weren’t there to intervene.
What do you think?
Our other cat, Lola, is very non-aggressive.
We have been trying to introduce Lee and Lola for months. We’ve made a lot of progress, and now when they meet up, often Lola will flop in front of Lee, and Lee will start grooming her.
Sometimes though, this will suddenly turn into Lee biting Lola in the throat. When he does this, he will start growling the same way he does with toys/food, and won’t let go unless we spray him with water several times. During this, Lola will be silent and limp.
I’m worried this isn’t play between two cats, but moreso play where Lee views Lola as legitimate prey. I worry that if we’re not there to disrupt him, he might actually kill her. But I’ve also read that cats do play by biting each other’s necks, and Lola does still choose to go get groomed by Lee each time they meet up.
What confuses me is the constant growling. And I don’t know if Lola views it as play because Lee’s never seriously injured her, but if he might if we weren’t there to intervene.
What do you think?