Kittens playing with each other rarely hurt each other, because instinct does not allow them to release their claws. And even adult cats rarely really fight, preferring to avoid fights. They begin with precautionary actions, carrying out psychological conditioning of the enemy and showing their superiority in strength. They exchange threatening and pacifying signs with the enemy until one retreats.
How do cats attack and defend themselves? At first, they can stand for minutes almost motionless against each other, gazing at their opponent and rumbling in a frightening way. The arched back, bristling fur and a pipe tail give the menacing appearance of the mustachioed and tailed - these are signs of fear, allowing the animal to look larger and more dangerous. They persist for some time after the threat has passed.
An arched back is both an offensive and a defensive signal. Zoologists consider an open mouth, ears pressed to the head and wide-open eyes to be signs of defense. And tense paws and a tail lifted up express aggression. The back arches due to the fact that the back of the cat's body is pushed forward to attack, while the front remains in place or moves back.
Hissing, snorting and spitting are warnings, and loud howling-rumbling sounds are a deceptive maneuver to confuse the enemy so that the cat can seize the moment and escape. Even if a cat attacks, for example, a dog, this does not at all indicate an intention to inflict serious damage on an opponent. This is just an attempt to disperse the enemy's attention in order to escape as soon as possible. And cats attack most often when they have already been cornered. In this case, the animal attacks, releasing claws on its front legs, and bites if it manages to get close to the opponent. However, bites in cat fights are rare, especially if the forces of the opponents are approximately equal.
When cats fight, the losing animal usually takes a defensive position, falling on its back, holding back the enemy with its front paws and fighting back with its powerful hind legs. The same technique is used by cats and against people: first there is a plaintive squeak, then a symbolic scratch, then a more serious scratch or a bite in order to have time to escape, and then hide somewhere in a secluded place and hiss viciously if the situation looks especially dangerous.
When engaging in comic single combat with your pet, keep in mind that she can hurt you when she gets aroused. Although even if cats fight, they usually try not to hurt their friends, releasing their claws only in extreme cases. And the bites do look purely symbolic.
