Why do cats slap eachother?
29th Aug 2023
If you live in a multi-cat household, you may sometimes observe your cats batting or slapping each other. This is normal feline behaviour, and you may have also seen clips of big cats doing this in the wild. Compared to human behaviour, this can seem quite aggressive, but it is not usually cause for concern.
There are several reasons why cats do this:
Playing
Cats are playful creatures, but their playful behaviour differs from ours. They will often play-fight with cats they are bonded with, especially their littermates. When play fighting, they will slap each other with retracted claws, they will not bite, and they will not be making the loud noises such as hissing or wailing, that are associated with cat fights. They will take it in turns to demonstrate dominance.
Asserting dominance or displaying anger
Cats are not naturally social creatures, and in the wild they typically live a solitary existence. We have domesticated them to tolerate other cats in multi-cat households. Most multi-cat households have a hierarchy. The alpha cat will exert their dominance over the other cats in the household by slapping the other cats, and the other cats may challenge the alpha cat’s dominance by replicating this behaviour. This is usually accompanied by an arched posture, hissing and scratching. They may also hit each other aggressively if they do not have enough resources to go around e.g. food bowls, litter trays, toys etc. However, Cats will usually prefer to run away from conflict rather than to fight.
Seeking attention
If your cat is slapping you, it is probably because they have learnt this is how to get your attention. If they have hit you in the past and this has caused a desired reaction from you, such as feeding them, playing with them, or opening a door for them, they will replicate this behaviour to get their own way again. If you do not wish them to summon you this way, it is best to ignore them, however hard this may be!
Lashing out when in pain
If your cat lashes out at you, or your other pets, it may be a sign that something is wrong. For example, they may be unwell or in pain, and they are lashing out to avoid further injury or discomfort. If you suspect this is the case, you should take your cat to the vet to rule out anything serious.
So, we can see that most often, slapping behaviour is playful and a sign that your cats are getting on with each other, in which case, there is no need to intervene. Observe their body language to make sure their playfighting does not escalate into a full-on cat fight. If your cats are being aggressive to each other, ensure they have access to enough resources, so that they do not need to fight over them. If your cats are displaying unwanted behaviours, it is always best to try and distract them, with a toy for example, rather than disciplining them in any other way.