Definition of "catfight"

Female conflict, seen in this kind of structure, works conveniently—it takes note of aggression in women and sets it against other women. Men are spared. The audience applauds. Everyone loves a catfight.

1980, Louise Bernikow, Among Women, New York: Harmony Books, page 207

There was a time when I would get furious and fire off an angry note if someone cast me in a catfight with a woman colleague. I assumed that catfights would fade as women progressed. They seemed so retro.

2005, Maureen Dowd, Are Men Necessary?, page 310