Differences in Posture and Cat Behavior When Fighting and Playing

When they are about to fight, the cats will stare at each other and the hair on their bodies and tails appears to stand on end.

The spine will bend and the cat's paw posture looks like it's making a defense.

.The cat's ears will also appear to be folded down to protect against attacks from other cats.

Cats at play don't make high-pitched noises and scream, unlike cats that fight.

.later, during play the cat may put its paws around its head or nuzzle another cat's belly. Then they looked like they were wrestling, but not like they were making a defense.

.whereas a fighting cat looks like it's taking a stance and takes a challenging posture, but doesn't get too close and only attacks when it feels the need to attack.

When playing, cats also often imitate each other's behavior. .once in a while they also stop to lick their feet or look the other way for a while.

Meanwhile, a cat who is fighting will be very focused on seeing his opponent and not be distracted by other things.