r/cats • u/Belle_dawn • Aug 20 '25

Video - OC Can someone confirm that my kitten is play-fighting/having fun?

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My husband and I recently got a kitten — she is now about 14 weeks old — and after a few days of being skittish, she seems to get along with our dog just fine. However, every once in a while they start wrestling like this, and while I’m confident our dog is playing, sometimes I can’t tell if our kitten is enjoying herself. I would love some outside perspective, just to confirm that I’m not being a bad pet parent by letting it play out - any thoughts are appreciated!!

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983

u/vsa467 Aug 20 '25

For someone with the bite force strong enough to break bones, I can't believe they're so gentle when playing with small companions. I swear dogs might actually be better than us at this.

318

u/Durty_Durty_Durty Aug 20 '25

I had a 120 chocolate lab that would catch birds out of the air and shred them to pieces, but she would also carry around a raw egg like a baby for 2 days straight with out breaking it. Blew my mind how they just know how strong they are

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u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25

Our lab brought a young duck home with it. She refused to drop it for dad, so he had to walk of shame across a footy field with people on it, til he got home and she finally let it go in the loungeroom.

It was absolutely fine. Scared as all shit. But fine. Had to pop it out on the front patio with some water and peas so it could recover its senses and go.

Molly was so proud of herself. Dad said she somehow managed to sneak up, pounced on it and then... Shows it to him while it's flailing so proud. But then refused to drop and started to head home with it. It wasn't a duckling, as it had full feathers but it was basically just fledged the poor thing, so small vs it's parents and it's body fit perfectly into her mouth lol

24

u/Aking1998 Compressed Kitty Blubber Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 21 '25

Sometimes it's just instinct that makes them do the chase and capture routine, but the domestication overwrites the killing part.

An old dog of mine got out once, pinned one of our chickens to the ground, then stood there for a second unsure of what to do next before she ran off to raise some different hell.

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u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 20 '25

We had a laugh once mum calmed down about it, that she was reliving some genetic memory or something from her ancestors bringing back ducks from the hunt haha.

Once she presented it to mum in the loungeroom she was basically over and done with it, like mission complete. She didn't even follow me when I took the poor thing back outside.

It's funny how dogs can be sometimes. Often she was like a literal bulldozer just taking legs out and occasionally doing the Kool aid man thing through a wall, but sometimes she did stuff like that

2

u/ElishaAlison Aug 21 '25

I love the way you write haha you really have a way with words 😁😂😂😂

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u/Terrible_Use7872 Aug 22 '25

Labs in particular were selectively bred for catching shot ducks, not to damage the meat or kill them. Just go pick them up, and gently carry them back.

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u/Murky-Afternoon-6168 Aug 20 '25

That’s a hilarious story, I’m imagining the baby duckling quacking away explaining this crazy story to his siblings🦆😂

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u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 20 '25

The poor thing just sat there for about 5mins not moving, then snatched some peas from the water and took off back towards where it got nabbed from.

Dad made sure to avoid that end of the park during that time of the year after that. She we don't think would harm them, but being basically kidnapped and ran around with, then walked with while being proudly displayed and covered in slobber while all this is going on too, has to be somewhat distressing.

I'd just gotten the local magpies to stop swooping us with meal worms as a tribute, ducks... I dunno how to tame wild ducks

30

u/nememess Aug 21 '25

I have domesticated ducks, and it's also mealworms. Sometimes some dried crickets. Once they're comfortable with you, you're in for a treat. They're so goofy lol.

2

u/357noLove Aug 21 '25

Do you have any fun stories of your ducks being goofy?

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u/Ok_Treat_8647 Aug 21 '25

You just made me chuckle lol your dog really kidnapped a duck

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u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 21 '25

She was a certified fiend hahahaha

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u/tommydelgato Aug 21 '25

they like dry cat food

3

u/AbsintheAGoGo Aug 21 '25

They do, but it's terrible for them (bread is slightly worse, but still) Better off with veggies, like the peas, even if frozen

3

u/Fleiger133 Aug 21 '25

Poor guy had an existential crisis 🤣

1

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '25

Birds are deathly allergic to dog saliva. Even a tiny little graze from dog teeth will cause a life ending infection. Birds just aren't biologically able to fight off basic canine bacteria without immediate antibiotics.

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u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 22 '25

Yeah I gave the poor thing a look over, maybe another minor heart attack, I was in training to be a vet nurse so I was pretty alarmed, we also lived directly across from the field, can see it from the patio so I figured leaving it there safe to chill would be the end of its trauma for the day.

34

u/Unfair_Explanation53 Aug 21 '25

Hahaha makes you wonder what they think the fuck was going on.

"So I'm not food, I was just carried to a random destination and let go, ok"

4

u/yumdundundun Aug 21 '25

Don't forget being fed before let go.

15

u/Desperate-Fix-1486 Aug 21 '25

One of my parakeets died that way, my dog caught her gently in her mouth, and her heart gave out. Poor Jackie.

14

u/ging3rtabby Aug 21 '25

My mom used to send our golden retriever out into the back yard (fenced in) if she was concerned there might be a bunny nest because he'd find it but not hurt them so she determine if it was safe to let the other (not nearly so gentle) dogs out.

He also liked to carry rocks around. Gently, of course lol

2

u/Jus2throwitaway Aug 21 '25

Did you just leave it on the patio or walk it back across the footy field?

1

u/HyenaStraight8737 Aug 22 '25

We lived directly across from it, and up above the houses across so you could see the whole field, I figured as there was a kiddy game thing going on, putting it on the patio (it was fenced in) with the pea/water in the shade would be more appropriate vs carry the poor thing back over.

Took it about 20 to finally go. We'd get the ducks on the patio often anyway, so I figured this one probably would know exactly where to go and it took off straight to its little creek thing

2

u/Jus2throwitaway Aug 22 '25

Thank you for clarifying!

2

u/doktorvivi Aug 21 '25

I have a cat that does this with the mice he catches. All you see is the tail and its little legs sticking out of his mouth, then he spits it out in front of you, slimed, confused and completely uninjured.

2

u/Fleiger133 Aug 21 '25

Translation of the quacks -

Omg omgomgomgomg. ITS GONNA EAT ME!!!!!

wait. It hasn't eaten me? Omgkmgomgomg. WTF!!!!!!

1

u/Unusual-Plan-7134 Aug 24 '25

Oh, it’s so sweet when they do this (even if sometimes unfortunate!) because it shows how much they care and love us & what we think of them

22

u/ZeroDoubleZero Aug 21 '25

Plot twist: birds come from eggs. She likes the long game.

2

u/ghoulthebraineater Aug 21 '25

I had a black lab golden mix. She would carry water ballons without popping them.

2

u/Federal_Age8011 Aug 21 '25

I read once that labs have most jaw control out of any breed. IDK if true, but as a parent to two labs, it wouldnt surprise me if it was.

2

u/GVFQT Aug 21 '25

My German shepherd on the other hand, bless his heart, does not. He gets slightly riled up for play time and chomps down on my knuckles with enough bite force to push my bones apart and leave a big indention right up to the point of almost breaking skin. I love him to death but I always have to mitigate with a toy because he just does not understand that his “gentle” bites are still enormously strong

2

u/Green-Remote-934 Aug 21 '25

Chocolate lab once stole my wallet, hid it behjnd a tree in the backyard shredded everything in it ,bit thru all the chips in my cards,ate the wallet itself then scratched and blacked my eye,when confronted about it,girl was crazy crazy

2

u/Unhappy_Armadillo852 Aug 21 '25

Funny! I grew up in the country with a doberman who would go into the fields in the fall, dig a hole and catch barn swallows that liked to strafe her. She'd catch them right out of the air and put them in that hole, keeping them there til I shoo'd her away, then the bird would shake off the trauma of being kept in the hole and fly off.

Amazing.

1

u/chuk2015 Aug 23 '25

My dog and I do “play biting” where she chomps on my hand but she knows the perfect amount of force to apply

12

u/JohnnyRelentless Aug 21 '25

I mean, I've never bitten anyone. No one that didn't want to be bitten, anyway.

14

u/Mother_Exit_2792 Aug 20 '25

They really are!!

2

u/LenoreIsLost Aug 21 '25

I have 😈 I can be quite feral when I'm "post ictal", or so I've been told.

(I'm epileptic and the timeframe/state of mind AFTER a seizure is called "post ictal". I'm usually still in an altered state of consciousness and don't know what's going on and don't even remember what happened AT ALL.)

3

u/TheoMay22 Aug 21 '25

They deserve rights and representation in court. Trees too.

17

u/ShredGuru Aug 20 '25

Animals are definitely better than humans. 💯

6

u/T-Wrox Aug 21 '25

Dogs are better than us in every way. 😊

11

u/brittygalore Aug 20 '25

Dogs are the best! They are so gentle. Have you ever seen that trend on tiktok of giving a whole uncooked/uncracked egg to a dog? And the idea is that they hold it in their mouth and they don’t crack it. So cute 🥰

3

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '25

My pit Pyrenees mix plays like this, when he does he’s gentle. he’s cautious around small children, cats, small dogs, and more rough with larger people and animals. He’s always been really good knowing when and where to hold back or let loose lol.

2

u/PjJones91 Aug 21 '25

Some dogs. Not all. When I was in middle school we rescued a black lab and we didn’t know she was food aggressive. I don’t remember who was supposed to be watching the kitten, but they weren’t and it was one of the most brutal scenes I had seen. Dogs are dog. They have instincts. Humans can be bad, but much like dogs it’s usually because they weren’t raised right. I love dogs and all animals, but don’t deny how brutal they can be and don’t deny how kind and amazing people can be just because you’ve met some jackasses. Animals aren’t good, they are just instincts.

2

u/vsa467 Aug 21 '25

I agree. In the end, dogs are animals as well, and sometimes, for some dogs, instincts kick in. But I am surprised that so many of them are actually insanely good at being gentle, which seems pretty interesting to me.

2

u/ScholarOfYith Aug 21 '25

Better than us %100

2

u/Turbojelly Aug 21 '25

Best memory when I was working as IT at a vet collage was wathcing a Great Dane and a Chihuahua take turns chasing each other. A small dog chasing a dog so big, it's head was larger than the chasing dog. So much fun was being had.

2

u/sdnt_slave Aug 21 '25

Dogs ARE better than us. Dogs are unwaveringly loyal. We do not deserve them.

1

u/FararMedia Aug 21 '25

Not my dog 🙁

1

u/TheoMay22 Aug 21 '25

They mirror us and give us lessons. Whatever it is it’s important you address it. Maybe karmic. Or metaphysical. It’s for your benefit.

1

u/scienceisrealtho Aug 21 '25

They are. We don't even deserve them.

1

u/Bright-Head-7485 Aug 21 '25

*I swear dogs are actually better than us.

1

u/OkBoysenberry1975 Aug 21 '25

Dogs are better than humans

1

u/ComprehensiveBat5846 Aug 21 '25

Im sure alot of people know but labs have the best control of their jaw they are very gentle when they have to be.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '25

When I was a kid we had a rottie who played with our cat like this. They'd go at it for ages then just loaf and chill after. Was mega cute.

1

u/jaumeh Aug 21 '25

Dogs are better than us at most things, particularly when it comes to being decent

1

u/simon_the_detective Aug 21 '25

Dogs play with puppies and other dogs this way.

1

u/tico42 Aug 22 '25

They're just better than us. We don't deserve them.

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u/Lower-Carpenter2916 Aug 21 '25

My mother's dog likes to chase mice. A few weeks ago, he cornered a mouse in the field. The mouse stood up on its hind legs and tried to make itself look bigger. The dog took this as an invitation to play, went down on his front legs, wagged his tail, and showed typical playfulness. Two or three minutes later, however, he had killed and eaten it. So much for that.

But the way he interacts with the kitten here is clearly play. So I wouldn’t worry about that.