Scary looking kitty fight here: Normal behavior?

You know, most of the time my girls are great friends, but sometimes they chase each other and wrestle; no big deal actually. Usually it's Lily who goes after Luna.

Tonight, I heard Luna hissing, and when I looked, I saw them on the floor, Lily on Luna's back with her arms around her, and her teeth were in the left side of her neck! Obviously Luna was in pain, because she hissed again, before she came free. She's obviously not hurt (she has a thick fur), but it looked scary what Lily did. And I think it's not the first time she did that, because I heard Luna hissing before, and sometimes I find fur on the floor.

What do you think about this? Is this neck biting thing still a normal behavior to test and train their skills, or is it a sign of aggression/domination?

Kirsten

I think its fairly normal play.
If not Scrappy 2,would be sporting a lot of wounds,as she is an instigator who starts a lot of scraps.
And they snap at her,but alls well,as they are always curled together at the end of the day.

Sounds like my house 24/7. Josie & Brodie play so hard like this! I used to think that Josie was getting hurt because she's the one that hisses & growls her head off while they play . . . but later I realized that most of the time, Josie is the one that instigates their "games" . . . LOL . . . and yes, we have tufts of hair laying all over our floor. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Your precious angels have just learned a new game and they LOVE it!!!

My advice, just keep their nails trimmed. If Josie & Brodie's nails are sharp, you can actually hear them when they smack each other. I keep them trimmed short so neither has the advantage. :D

There never seem to be any hard feelings left between Luna and Lily either, after fights like this. So I tend to think they're just doing it for their entertainment. But it still looks scary!! :eek:

Kirsten

Sounds normal to me - Mishi does this to Mitzi who has the thickest fur in the world. Nothing can get through that wooly pelt, although the sounds she makes when he's wrestling with her can sound scary, no blood has ever been shed and then a few minutes later they're grooming each other.

Yes, I think it is normal. Yesterday morning a "fight" started, with whom I don't know, but it ended up with Fluffy (about 7 pounds) jumping on and biting Rusty (about 20 pounds). It was over in a matter of seconds and later they were resting side by side. Scary when it happens though.

Our Nicholas and Riley do the same thing. Afterwards, will curl up together for a snooze!! Sandra

Shadow and Annie are doing that constantly, and by the way Annie growls and hisses and yowls, you'd think she's being killed! But most of the time SHE'S the one who instigates it! We were really worried the first few times it happened, because we thought Shadow was bullying her and hurting her. She's so much smaller than he is that we really were concerned. But every time they did it, we would check her over for any signs of bleeding or bruising, and there's never a mark on her. Now we don't even worry about it when we hear her hissing and growling and yowling when they're doing it.

NEITHER Shadow nor Annie get into this same type of play with Angel for very long. Angel doesn't tolerate it much from them, and her growls and hisses if/when they try to instigate anything with her seems to warn them and they back off. There must be something about it that they understand with her, so they don't press it much.

Deb

It's not unusual for Mango and Peaches to go at it. Mostly its just play but occasionally its with the ears back and some hissing and swatting. Usually Mango isn't in the mood to play and he gets a little short with Peaches.

Levi and Charity (siblings) play this way at least once a day -- Levi actually likes to get his little teeth into Charity's thicker coat and just clamp down, while Charity hangs out in the kitty bed trying to sleep through it all! They often roll and grab one another, their feet doing the bunny kick at one another. It does seem like "extreme sports" for cats, but they seem none the worse for wear and they'll often groom one another before or after their little "dance." I used to wonder if they didn't like each other anymore, but now I realize they play this way probably because they love each other like crazy! They feel safe enough together to do this kind of "over the top" chasing and catching! Bonnie (the self-annointed "Queen") is not usually as interested in this play, she'll hiss, swat, and move away, whereas "commoners" Charity and Levi really engage one another and tumble about for quite a while.