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I have two kittens, a male and a female about the same age. They seem to spend all their time chasing each other around, then when they get close, they hiss and swat a bit then go back to chasing. They don't seem to be hurting each other, but they are both on edge and not cuddly anymore. Eventually if I play with them enough, they will sleep on either side of the couch and I can cuddle them. but when they get close to each other, they either hiss or swat.

Not sure what tricks there are to get them to like each other.

They have no problem sharing food and a litter box. They take turns. It's very odd. The female seems to be the dominant one, but my male kitten will chase her around too, so it's hard to say.

I can't tell if they enjoy it or are at constant war. To make matters worse, if I leave them locked in a room away from me, they start to whine and literally won't stop for hours.

I should also add they won't attack while the other one's eating or using the bathroom.

aschultz
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Jake Steele
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3 Answers3

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I suspect that they enjoy the chasing up to a point, but they get wound up and don't know how to calm things down. Here are some suggestions.

First, make sure that they have a lot of toys. The toys needn't be expensive; things like wadded-up pieces of paper, walnuts, and plastic bottle caps make great toys. The more you play with them, and the more opportunities they have to play with each other, the calmer they will be.

Equally important, make sure there are places where a kitten can feel safe when it doesn't want to play. The best way to do this is to have at least one cat tree (or better yet, several) with several levels that cats can lie on or in. A cat can escape to the uppermost level for a bit of peace and quiet.

mhwombat
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First, you need to make sure each cat has some place they can go to get away from the others. That can be a cat tree, some other cat furniture, or even a small yard or balcony.

Assuming the cats have a place they can escape from the others, if they are continuously coming back for more that's an indication that they are getting some kind of reward out of the behavior - even if only a bit of relief from boredom.

Locking them all in a room together, without any means of escape or other toys to play with of course they will be playing/fighting with each other. Get some toys for them, like those tiny mice filled with catnip. Please don't give them garbage like bottle caps or nut shells which they are more likely to hurt themselves with. You can also get some toys (like this one) that you can use to play with them as a group - this may help them bond a bit.

At the end of the day, there's no way to force cats to play nicely with one another. The best thing you can do is ensure they have ample outlets for their energy.

LMGagne
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I recently adopted 2 very small kittens who were abandoned when their mama was struck and killed by a car. (I was told this by the agency who called me, as a volunteer to feed the kittens as they were only 3-4 weeks old). I, of course fell in love with the sisters, but had never had 2 or more kittens so close in age and found it is completely different raising 2 kittens as opposed to one.

As to your kittens chasing each other and fighting each other, that's exactly what they are doing. It is jealousy and as odd as it may sound, possession of you! I found that my kittens did the same thing but when I wasn't around would love each other. As soon as I would get home, the hissing, fighting would begin.

Try playing a game with both of them like pulling a string for them to chase giving each one equal time then hug and pet the one that catches the string and let that kitten know it's the other's turn to play. Also, when they are comforting the other one make a big deal about what sweet good kitties they are. They will understand that it makes you happy and make sure you pet both of them together while telling them how good they are. They will stop competing with each other for your sole attention.

Karen H.
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