catfight

Literally, obviously, a fight between two cats. Figuratively, a girl fight, implying slapping, kicking, scratching, and hair-pulling. The aim in a catfight seems to be to inflict pain and superficial damage, rather than knock out or incapacitate the opponent. Some take voyeuristic pleasure in watching girls fight, hence the popularity of female mud wrestling, jello wrestling, oil wrestling, etc.

When two cats, generally the outdoor or alley cat variety, have a territorial dispute. Cat fights are usually noisy, as cats like to yowl and hiss while attempting to tear each other's throats out. These fights are especially annoying at night when one is trying to sleep and cats are fighting beneath an open window. One way of breaking up a cat fight is to throw water on the animals, as cats hate water.