Fighting kittens or just playing?

[catgirl5790]

Hi everybody,

I'm new here, and this is my first post so go easy on me!

On Saturday, I went to the rescue league and adopted 2 male kittens that are around 4 months old. The kittens hadn't met each other before, and when I brought them into the meeting room of the rescue league, one of the kittens (Atticus) seemed slightly more assertive about his presence. He would go right up to the other kitten (Mulligan) who would take on a more submissive role. The volunteers said this was normal and that they seemed to be getting used to each other just fine, and allowed me to adopt both of them.

Since then, they have been wonderful companions for me but there is one thing that concerns me. At night when I am trying to sleep, they are constantly chasing each other and sometimes one hisses a little. They will wrestle and bite at the other and chase, and I don't think they ever actually hurt the other, nor do they intend to. I was just wondering if this is normal for kittens? The only cats I've ever had were pretty much raised together and hardly ever wrestled, but then again, they were also 3-4 years old when I got the. Mulligan always seems to be a little more submissive, but he doesn't seem scared of the other cat and doesn't try to hide. Sometimes he'll even instigate! They kept me awake last night because they kept wrestling and chasing though. Should I be concerned?

 

[estrellalobo]

They are just playing in my opinion, I have always had two cats at a time and that is how they play/teach each other . When you would need to be concerned is of you see blood, either one of them hissing at each other when they are no longer playing, or completely avoiding being in the same room as each other.

 

[catgirl5790]

Thank you for your input. I've never had two kittens this young before, so I wasn't sure whether it was play fighting or if they really didn't like each other. They will sleep pretty close to each other though, so I figured it must be playing.
 

 

[catgirl5790]

If anyone has a minute, take a look at this video and tell me what you think!

 

[Draco]

Yep, they're playing. My cats play the same way! Bunny kicks to the face and all. Cute video! Cats are more active at night.. if it bothers you, you can shut them from your room at nights

Your black kitten may be showing more dominance in his play since he's on top and pinning her down. Which is normal!

As a poster said previously, if you see blood, hear screaming, seeing avoidance and lots of hissing with ruffled fur, then you can be concerned

 

[catspaw66]

That's just play.  I saw no claws being used and the position of the ears and tails is play mode.  Also the tabby on bottom would have run away when you picked the black one up if it was fighting.  I see Sugar and Spice (S&S) do this ten times a day and they are about 1 year old and weigh 10 pounds each.

Do make sure you keep the claws - both front and back - trimmed enough they aren't sharp.

 

[andrya]

Awww, so cute. Kudos to you for taking a pair, they look like they enjoy eachother. My older two cats wrestle constantly, and one of them is Siamese so there's a lot of hissing and whinging even when he's the initiator, lol.

The only suggestion l would have is to neuter them both at the same time.

Congratulations on the beautiful kitties

 

[orientalslave]

That's play, and the ginger kitten looks like it's time to neuter him.  Black is probably the same except the evidence wasn't on view!

 

[catgirl5790]

Thanks, everyone for all of your replies! I'm sure it must have seemed like a silly question to be asking, but I really want to make sure that these handsome devils are happy and healthy and flourish!

Believe it or not, both cats are already neutered! The Animal Rescue League spays/neuters all of their animals before they are adopted out. The orange kitty (who is about 17 weeks old, 4 months and a week) was neutered on the 18th of this month (I adopted them both on the 22nd) and the black kitty (who is a little older, at about 19 weeks) was neutered on the 10th.

 

[bigperm20]

My Leonidas who passed away recently didn't look neutered after he had been. I always found it somewhat strange. In previous male cats I've owned, I think I could tell they were altered.

 

[whollycat]

Aw...they're playing! So cute to watch.

Their play will decrease the older they get, but for now just enjoy their "kitten-ness." As was pointed out though, do watch for major hissing, biting, etc.--that's not play.

One thing to wear them out a bit before bedtime is to use a wand toy (never your hands) like Da Bird and have them chase, jump, capture, and repeat many times to get rid of a bit of that energy. You'll get the hang of using this after a bit of practice if you get or have one. After they are done you can offer them their final meal of the day. By letting them "capture" the toy at the end of Da Bird play you don't set them up for frustration and bad behavior. Feeding them after completes the "chase, capture, eat" cycle. Hope that made sense. It's late and I need to get to bed.

Oh! And if you use a wand toy like Da Bird, make sure you put it where they can't reach it afterward, or you may not have a "Bird" anymore for them to play with (plus the string would be a hazard for them because it could be chewed and swallowed). Can ya tell I'm a huge fan of Da Bird? My three kitties come running when I say "Birdie time!!"