My friendly cat scratched my mom's head. Is it aggression or play?

It's hard to know why pets develop certain behaviors. It's possible he thinks this is some sort of game. Try to identify any type of a pattern so you can predict what is going to do. You may certainly try distracting him as soon as you notice the rough behavior. Try to direct him to play in a different fashion. It's possible he is bored and so is inventing his own games. Try meeting his instinctual needs and providing some new stimulation. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play (really get him moving) and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. Try feeding him out of a food puzzle. Hide food for him to find. Provide a stand or resting place by a window so he can look outside. You may also try clicker training him for positive behavior. Here is a link about training cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-i-train-my-cat/ Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with bad behaviors. He should also be neutered because the testosterone can make pets more aggressive. Feeding meat will not cause aggression. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

From your description of your cat's behavior, it does sound like play behavior rather than aggression. When Mini is playing with you, he likely wants to join in on the play behavior as well. As long as he isn't hurting her or showing signs of aggression, I would not worry about it. I hope this helps.

Playful kitten behavior would be more common in a cat this age than true aggression, but it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference! :) In general, there are a few guidelines that can help. Play behavior in cats is virtually always silent, whereas growling and hissing are common with aggressive behavior. Cats who are playing will often crouch down and flatten themselves against the floor before leaping at you (or your other cat). They may also put their ears back and arch their backs, and walk sideways towards you. If it's play, the cats may wrestle, grab each other and chase each other, but there should be no injuries. If you're still unsure, you can request a one-on-one consultation and upload a video of the behavior for me to look at - I would be happy to try and help.

Playing with feet and hands is playful but attacked with ears back and hair puffed is likely aggression. You can make sure to not play with him with your hands or feet. Only use toys to get him trained to what is acceptable and what is not. You can try feliway spays to help keep him calm. make sure when he acts out and does something wrong tell him no and stop playing with him and ignore him. This will help him do the right thing

This can be very normal behavior for some kittens. You should continue to stop playing when Shade begins to bite and give him an appropriate toy to play with. Make sure you are never using your hands to play. This article has some good information: https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/play-exercise/aggressive-cat-play

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Cats are finicky creatures. If Kekr is eating, jumping around like a young cat should and not vomiting then I don't think you should worry. Most cats really only like to be scratched around the head, unless you find the rare "dog" like cat that like belly and back scratches. Just like people cats come in a variety of personalities. I recommend leaving her be when she has these moments of being grumpy. I hope this helps!

yes, this is him playing however it is still unwanted behavior because he teaches him he is in charge and is allowed to bite. When this happens, tell him no, and place him down away from you. Give a few minutes to realize you will not show any attention then you can continue loving him or playing with after that until he learns acceptable behavior.