If your cat is chasing your other cat, the chase itself does not tell you whether the interaction is mutually chosen play or a problem. Some cats willingly chase each other and switch roles. In other cases, one cat keeps pursuing after the other has tried to stop, hide, or move away. The most useful … Read more
When a cat plays too rough with other cats, the interaction can still be play—but that doesn’t mean both cats want the same intensity or want the play to continue for the same amount of time. Don’t judge the interaction only by wrestling, chasing, pouncing, swatting, mouthing, or one hiss. Instead, watch what happens when … Read more
Two cats can chase each other down a hallway, wrestle on the floor, bite, swat, pounce, and then get up as if nothing happened. That can make a normal social interaction look much more alarming than it is. So if you are asking, “Are my cats playing or fighting?”, do not judge the interaction by … Read more
Cats can wrestle in ways that look surprisingly intense. They may grab each other, roll across the floor, pin one another, bite, kick with their back feet, break apart, and then start all over again. If your cats wrestle with each other, the wrestling itself does not tell you whether there is a problem. Many … Read more
If you keep noticing your cat staring at your other cat, don’t judge the situation from the stare alone. The most useful clue is what the other cat repeatedly does next.
If your cat waits for another cat to finish eating, the feeding order alone does not tell you whether something is wrong. Some cats wait and then eat calmly, get an appropriate amount of food, and show no obvious difficulty around the other cat. But waiting can also be a clue that one cat is … Read more
A cat blocking access to the litter box may never start an obvious fight. The box can be clean, appropriately sized, and physically available—and still feel difficult for another cat to reach. In a multi-cat home, subtle pressure may include staring, waiting near a doorway, following, blocking a narrow route, or chasing the other cat … Read more