How Do Cats Play Together?

Having more than one cat can take a bit of the play pressure off of you. If your cats play well together, they can keep each other occupied much of the day. But not all cats get along. Some who enjoy playing one day, become angry and aggressive toward each other the next day.

  1. When It Starts

    • Cats learn to play together as kittens. Litter mates often pounce on each other or roll around in mock fights. In addition to building their hunting skills, this play teaches them more about social interaction. They learn how hard they can bite or scratch without hurting their brothers and sisters. The kittens' mom also gets involved, moderating fights when necessary and playing with the kittens to teach them by example.

    Playing

    • After the kitten stage, cats still like to play. Some of this is solitary play, which you can provide with dangling toys, for example. But cats enjoy chasing each other, pouncing on tails, swatting, biting and scratching as they play together. This is most common in adolescents and young adults, but older adults can benefit from the mental and physical stimulation of cat play as well. The play often looks like fighting, but the cats are typically quiet when they play together. They also arch their backs slightly and pounce to the side as signs of play.

    When It's Aggression

    • Not all cats play well together. Older cats might not have the patience to deal with the exuberance of younger cats, for example, or you might have two cats who just don't like each other. Also, cats who normally get along can sometimes get on each other's nerves, leading to true aggression rather than playful swatting. When it's fighting instead of playing, you'll usually hear the cats hiss or growl. The cats might lay their ears back, and the biting and scratching might draw blood.

    How to Help

    • If the aggression is short-lived, you shouldn't need to intervene. Make sure the cats have plenty of room to get away from each other when they don't want to play. This gives them time to cool down when necessary so they can enjoy playing again later. When the aggression is consistent with no signs of play, give the cats their own spaces to help reduce the aggression. Give them separate litter boxes, preferably in different rooms, and provide several options to keep them occupied, such as multiple scratching posts or play yards. For severe cases of aggression, keep the cats in separate rooms, allowing them to socialize only when supervised. Ideally, they should be able to see each other, such as through a screen, without being able to touch each other. When they break the skin with bites and scratches, the wounds can become infected and lead to costly vet bills. Monitoring their interaction until they decide to get along is a better idea.