Conference misery::feline_v1

    	No idea what that particular noise was, but my motley crew make
    an assortment of astonishing audibles prior to - and during - wrestling
    matches.
    
    	Nova and Sneakers, the two kittens and litter mates, constantly
    wrestle.  At times this gets scary for me, 'cuase I can't tell whether
    they're just playing or hurting each other.  Nova, the female, is
    so much bigger than Sneakers, the male, and she usually initiates
    the fracas, and Sneakers usually gets the raw end of the deal. 
    If it looks like they're hurting each other, I'll break it up, but
    they usually go right back to it as soon as I leave the immediate
    vicinity.  I just gave up, and let 'em do what they want.  Nobody
    gets seriously hurt anyway.
    
    	Their mother, Nightmare, will frequently grab one or the other
    for a good tongue bath, so I assume she's just being a caring momma.
     But after a couple minutes of licking, she'll begin biting and
    scratching and kicking the babies with her feet, as if punishing
    them for not holding still enough.  That's when I break that up,
    because she could cause some serious damage to the little ones,
    even if by accident.
    
    	Ruffles (the wonder cat) does not like the kittens at all. 
    When/if he comes in the house, which is rare except to eat, he's
    very sure to let the kittens know to steer clear.  Growls and hisses
    are the order of the day in this instance.  I usually give a firm
    "RUFFLES!" and he knocks it off.  His behaviour here is kind of
    strange.  When I first got Nightmare as a kitten last year, he used
    to play with her all the time.  Now, for some reason, he's not crazy
    about kittens.
    
    	Smoke pretends to be the kittens' grandmother at times, but
    when she's had enough teasing from the kids she'll spit at them
    and they back off.
    
    	So, I guess my point here is cats make a wide variety of sounds
    that run the gambit from cute little "mews" to hissing, spitting,
    and growling.  But I've never heard any of mine make a sound like
    a bird.  Last time I heard a sound like that, I came into the living
    room and found a bluejay buzzing around, and Ruffles sitting in
    the corner with a big grin.  But, that's another story.
    

    I had to re-read the note to find the ages of these kittens.  Tigger
    seems too young to be showing male traits.  Maybe I am wrong.  It
    sounds just like a male around a female in heat but she is too young
    for that.  I don't know what to say.  I hope it works out for you.
    
    I have all females so my knowledge of males is limited.
    
    Sandi (mom to Lightning, DejaVu & Thunder)
    
    

    I think the cats are just playing (although roughly) and will be fine. 
    If you think they're hurting each other, squirt them and break up the
    fight.  That's what we do when my tigers attack Gonezo, who is
    extremely passive.  It usually works.  
    
    Mary
    

    Hi,
    
    Jasper has a cute little bird chirping noise that he makes when
    he is happy, playful, having a good time for himself.  It is hard
    to put the sound to words here, but it's sort of like  bbbbbrrrrruppp.
    Does this seem similar to what Tigger is doing?
    
    Karen
    

Playing is "practice" for the adult behaviors of the animal - the kittens are
pouncing and attacking one another in preparation for adult "jobs" like
hunting for prey (assuming Mom doesn't fill the food dish 8^}), fighting off
territorial invaders (male behavior when female is in heat), etc.  In most
cases, the behavior won't be real useful to your average house-bound domestic
feline, but the feline brain of the kitten doesn't know that...therefore, you
get the playing that looks so aggressive to us.  The kittens aren't likely
to hurt one another.  One thing to be aware of is that male kittens can
mature earlier or later than "the book" says....any time after 5 months of
age, I'd watch for the beginnings of sexual aggression and check in with
the vet to see where you stand....girl kittens can mature too early as well
and you can end up with a pregnant female that is much too young to safely
give birth.   

Re: chirping noise....both Hannah and Tabitha make a bird call when sitting
at the window to try and attract birds...it sounds just like a hungry baby
bird - I've had this theory that the cats have the hunters instinct to
make the sound of a hungry chick in order to draw the adult birds who
are feeding young close enough to strike.....It works to a certain extent
in that birds will swoop close to the screen when the cats call them....
of course, the cats cannot get the birds, but I bet they would do it
if I let them....

    I read in a book by Muriel Beadle (The Cat) that the chirping that
    we are talking about is a response that the cat makes when it is
    viewing something that it considers prey.  The chattering and clicking
    of the jaws is the cat practicing the killing bite (they bite at
    the back of the neck, or in the jugular area to kill).
    
    To relate this to your cats, they are probably stalking and play
    hunting each other and this is why they make the noise.
    
    Jo

    
    	When my Gracie was a baby, she was nicknamed "Peep" because
    	she didn't really have real cat sounds figured out. She
    	got bigger and finally could really meow at us. Maybe that
    	sound is just a 'small cat sound' and will kinda go away
    	when maturity strikes?

    My cats make a funny chirpping/chattering noise when they see
    something live that they want to go after and can't - like 
    birds in the yard.  sort of a very sharp "ah ah ah ah ah ah"
     Does that sound like the noise?

    Opus makes both the BBBrrrrrruupppppp sound and the ah-ah-ah-ah
    machine gun sound. She seems to do it pretty indiscriminately. Last
    night after she ate her dinner she ran up to the coffee table
    bbrruuppping while I was lying on the couch watching TV--no reason
    that I can see!
    
    As for the licking and then attacking--Cloud and Opus do it all
    the time. I just love watching it--they look like they're getting
    all cozy and cuddly and then all of a sudden "attack" and the kitty
    races start. They've never hurt each other, so I don't try to stop
    it.
    
    I wouldn't worry about it unless they hurt one another.
    
    Michelle

    My three wrestle with each other all the time and sometimes it
    looks quite rough but no one ever gets hurt.
    
    Brittany, who is the smallest of the 3, will often instigate
    a wrestle and then, when she inevitably gets floored, will hiss
    at whoever is pinning her down.  
    
    Interestingly, when Missy and Brittany got big enough to wrestle
    with Melody who is a year older, Melody started getting huge
    scabs on her neck area.  Not knowing what they were, I took her
    off the the vet who informed me that they were wounds.  Since all
    3 are indoor cats, it had to be the little girls doing it.  Bless
    her heart, she never gave it back to them--they remained scab free.
    
    Now that they are all approximately the same size, we only
    occasionally find a scab on anyone.  Hopefully the same thing will
    happen with your two.
    
    I'd give it some time to see what evolves.
    
    Barbara (Melody, Missy and Brittany)
    

    Pumpkin (my female feline) emits a bizarre sound only when her
    brother Ninja is accidentally locked in the basement, closet,
    bathroom or screenporch.  I know the instant I hear her say,
    "errip-errip-errip" that Ninj is trapped where he shouldn't be.
    
    Pumpkin is so insecure, she panics the minute she can't find
    Ninja.  This has cry has saved Ninj from spending a full day
    in the closet (read no litterbox) more than a few times!  
    
    THANKS PUMPKIN!

    Every time (every time!) S&H get into a grooming session, it
    degenerates into a fight.  That is, to be more specific, Holly takes o
    offense at some lick and starts a fight.  Usually the fight just 
    consists of a few swipes and growls.  My guess is some
    aggressive instinct is triggered.
    
    If you separate your pusses after one attacks the other, I'd keep the 
    attackee with you and isolate the attacker;  otherwise the
    attacker learns that he's rewarded for the attack by getting to
    spend time alone with you.  I did this with Holly when S&H were getting
    used to each other initially (she was always the aggressor), and it
    worked wonders.  She can't stand to be isolated.  After a few minutes,
    she was as good as gold.
    

    I guess we're all talking about two different sounds (or now I realize
    that I was!)  Jasper does the chirping sounds when he sits in the
    window and spots a bird.  Actually to me it seems as though he's
    trying to bark, sort of.
    
    The Bbrruppp is when he's happy, and playing.  
    
    So, I guess all our kitties are normal...........now if only I knew
    what he was thinking :-)
    
    Karen
    
    
    

    
    There's an interesting book on cats called "No Naughty Cats", and
    I can't remember the author's name...but it goes into the business
    of grooming changing to wrestling. According to the author, the
    pleasure they derive from grooming and being groomed is like a 
    "static charge", and they get more and more excited until they have
    to discharge it, usually in some rough-house play.
    
    She says the same thing happens to a cat that loves to be petted,
    then will suddenly turn and bite/claw your hand.
    
    I don't know how true this is, but my observation when I watch my
    two licking each other (especially when the older male is grooming
    the younger female) has been that he starts out slow and relaxed;
    then it builds up - he begins to lick faster and harder and faster
    and harder till suddenly they're biting and wrestling. And the noises
    they make then...!!! 
    
    -julie, GB and Grizzy
    

    
    There is a very good book called "catwatching" by Desmond Morris.
    
    He explaines a lot of the odd noises and behaviours exhibited by
    cats.
    
    When Bandit our ragdoll sees birds in the garden she sits by the
    patio doors and goes frantic, chattering and trilling to get out.
    
    Fortunatly shes still to little to get within 20 feet of anything
    that moves.
    
    Buy the book, it makes good reading.
    
    
    Andrew & Bandit.