Kittens fighting - mother cat punishes her kittens

Play-fighting is a natural part of kitten life. It helps them improve hunting and self-defense skills, and might also help them learn social cues. Play-fighting can involve biting and grappling, and it’s mostly silent. You’ll hear thumps and the occasional squeak, sometimes even a mild hiss. If one of them runs off, they’ll look for a spot to ambush the other and turn the fight around.

When someone’s tired of tussling, they’ll say so by hissing or slapping, and usually the engagement ends. If not, it can morph into a real fight.

Actual fights look similar, but you can tell they’re nonconsensual. The victim will growl, yowl, and/or hiss, loudly and at length. If somebody runs away from a real fight, it’ll be a low, urgent skulk, not a bouncy trot. They’ll generally try to find a place to hide or defend themselves, not counterattack. If they choose a high place, they’ll stay up there and smack the other down, rather than jumping on the other one’s head. The victim just wants OUT, and the aggressor keeps pressing the advantage.

It’s unclear to me whether kittens really “enjoy” play-fighting, but it’s a healthy developmental tool. I think it’s good to intervene in actual fighting, though, so that the victim doesn’t become fearful or overly defensive.