Play in kittens (Felis domesticus) and its association with cohesion and aggression

Abstract

The behavior of 7 cats was observed from birth to the age of 25 weeks. This longitudinal study indicates that the onset of two types of play coincides with the onset of different types of social interactions. For social play the peak of occurrence was during Weeks 9–14, whereas for nonsocial play it was during Weeks 18–21. In addition, a predominance of cohesive behaviors was observed during the earlier period (Weeks 9–14) and of aggressive behaviors during the later period (Weeks 18–21). These results highlight the fact that the timing of stages in cats’ development and suggest that there is a reorganization of play activity of kittens around the 4th week of their lives. © 1987, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.