Dog
and cat pet tips - on Pets.ca
Cat illness, dog is sick, behavior
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Tip - 17 - Cat play
or cat fight ?
Are my cats playing
or fighting - How do I tell?
If you have a multi
cat household or your outdoor cats hang out with other cats,
chances are you will encounter cat play. Cat play usually involves
chasing, swatting, hissing and nipping. To a human though, cat
play can often look rough, so how can you tell the difference?
First off if you know that the two cats in question have never
been friendly to each other then chances are what you are witnessing
is fighting. Cat fighting is something that should be stopped
through distraction, since it can lead to disease transmission
and/or wounds and wound infections.
If you are unsure if
the cats are playing or fighting rely on your ears and eyes.
- Screaming is a
sure sign that the cats are fighting.
- One cat being
overly dominant is another sign of fighting, usually in cat
play the roles shift.
- Hissing a few
times from either cat is normal but continued hissing suggests
a cat fight is underway or about to get underway.
- Finally and perhaps
most importantly in cat play, except for accidents, neither
of the two cats gets hurt.
The best way to separate
fighting cats is through distraction. Making a loud noise or
drop something heavy on the floor. That will usually startle
the cats and send them running in opposite directions. Shaking
a can of food treats (if they are used to that sound) is another
great distraction that will stop the fighting.
Remember cat play like
any type of animal play is normal and you shouldn't get involved.
Cat fighting is also fairly common but due to the potential that
your cat may get harmed or injured, you should try to stop it
through distraction. Do not actually try to physically remove
one cat from another or you too may get harmed.
See the
other pet tips here:
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