Kittens Playfighting

[nightshade]

Hi everyone,
I'm the first time kitten/cat owner of 2 male kittens(brothers) whom I adopted from the shelter one month ago. My boys are approximately 3 months old. They were found when only a few days old. The boys were raised with their mother in a foster home until 6 weeks of age, however they were bottle-fed as she did not produce enough milk. Their mother looked like a Siamese, slight build, same markings...

My boys have been a DREAM, the perfect little kit-kats. However, the past 2 weeks, Marbeaux has been getting rather aggressive with his brother Krillin during play. He will ambush Krillin while he's sleeping or otherwise oblivious to impending doom, then attack him in his sensitive areas (he has bit his penis, but seems to enjoy targeting his ears). Marbeaux will continue his assault until poor Krillin is mewing for help, at which point I will come and grab Marbeaux off of his brother and take him with me to another room.

My question is this: How do you know when normal, healthy play escalates to being inappropriate? Most mammals enjoy mimicking fighting, stalking and killing through play, are cats the same? What should I do to neutralize playtime that is too aggressive?

I would like to avoid using physical punishment, fear or intimidation as it goes against my code of ethics and I don't think I could bring myself to being mean to a little kitten!

Thanks for the help.

 

[sivyaleah]

Hi and welcome!

The first thing that jumps out at me, is their age.  Have you had them neutered yet?  It sounds like it could be a case of their hormones starting to act up, in which case, one or the other, or both of course, could start behaving more aggressively.  

Aside from that, the way to tell if the play is getting out of control, usually, is good play, should be quiet.  If it escalates where one of them is howling, hissing, or making any other kind of noise, ears are pulled back and fur is literally flying (believe me it can) then it has passed from play to an argument at best.  

I find sometimes it isn't that the cats are actually angry with each other, it's just they get a bit too overwhelmed in their play and need a break.  When my two go at it a little too rough, I'll loudly clap my hands and say "HEY!" and they break it up.  Usually they come right back for more, but somewhat calmer.  If one or the other really was having an issue, they stalk off to opposite corners of the room and take their own time-outs.  Rarely, have I had to pick one up and move them elsewhere, but it has happened if I think one is picking on the other.

I'm sure others will chime in with their thoughts, ideas and help.  

 

[nightshade]

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't aware that normal cat-play was supposed to be relatively quiet! That bit of advice will definitely help me discern between what I should and should not allow.

Earlier today, Marbeaux ended up biting Krillin pretty badly in the ear/cheek while I was distracted with a guest. After I separated them, Marbeaux went right back after poor Krillin! He stalked up to him and pounced on him while Krillin was cleaning himself. I clapped at him and started towards him and he raced off down the hallway at high speed, then went to the livingroom and monkey'd around on the cat-tree.

I should mention, these kittens normally get along very sweetly. They love one another and HATE to be kept apart. They eat, sleep and in general, live together with great harmony. For the most part, even their play is gentle. It's only been the last couple weeks that Marbeaux has been getting rough on his brother.

Both of my boys are neutered and the procedure was done when they were very young (as soon as they weighed enough) by the shelter they were adopted from.

 

[catspaw66]

Play can be very noisy.

Sugar and Spice still wrestle like this several times a day. Also, when they play full-contact tag, they sound like a herd of horses running back and forth through the house.

Keep your cats' nails trimmed and that will lessen the chance of injury. They are also working out which one is the dominant one.