by Elle Costa

Created on: July 04, 2008   Last Updated: June 21, 2010

I had my kitten Humperdink for about three weeks before I decided to bring him home a playmate: his sister Cleopatra. I got both kittens from an animal hospital near my workplace and opted to get Cleo on the vets' advice (so Humperdink wouldn't be lonely when I was away). I thought that everything would go smoothly: I would bring Cleo home, Humperdink would be happy, and they would play nicely, purr, and cuddle. Boy was I wrong.

Despite a territorial familiarity of only a few weeks, Humperdink (Dinky) was still able to develop a sense of dominance in my small condo that was apparent as soon as he was reintroduced to his sister. Their first night together I was terrified that I had made a horrible mistake with bringing home another kitten so much later after adopting Humperdink; He was relentless in his chasing, biting, and batting of Cleo. At times she would cry out and hiss before running into another room with Dinky hot on her tail.

On the verge of tears, I called over my mother who agreed that it certainly looked as if Dinky were attacking and hurting Cleo. In response, I separated Humperdink and Cleo for the night, worried about what to do next. It was only when I introduced them again the following morning that I realized it was all rough play. Dinky would still pounce and bite at Cleo's neck and stomach, but she would not be as shy about fighting back. They ate right next to each other in peace and would even ignore each other for minutes at a time while in the same room. I was incredibly relieved; but after going through that (and not being about to find much of anything on the internet to help me understand what they were doing), I decided that perhaps I would be able to ease other kitten owners' minds by writing an article devoted to kittens: playing or fighting?

To help you decide whether your kittens are playing or fighting, here are a few bullet points to read and keep in mind when watching your new, furry family members interact:

- The best time to introduce cats to each other is when they are still kittens: they are playful and won't be able to resist a new playmate (especially if they are left alone in the house for much of the day)! The first time they are together, though, don't be alarmed if one hisses at the other especially if he or she is in an unfamiliar environment. This kitten is just frightened, but it will get more comfortable surprisingly quickly especially when there is another kitten around with which to bond!

- If one kitten has

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