Cat Bully

[asokhaleesi]

I have three cats, 1 spayed male and two female. The male is about 3 years old, the females are 4 years old, and the kitten about 7 months.
The male cat is somewhat a bully towards the other cats. He is spayed, but it does seem like this is a dominance behavour.
He will walk towards the eldest female (who doesn't really like any of the other cats) whom will hiss and growl back. But he just plays it cool, and will mark/cuddle with the closest objects (wall, tv, tv-bench). When I say no and stand up he will walk away, but as soon as I sit back down he is back at it again. His pupils will be completely dialated, and ears down.
He is stressing out the female, who will run away if he doesn't stop. But she dpes hiss, growl and hit him before running.

He does play with the kitten and seem to get along fine with her, but it does sound like he bites too hard sometimes, as the kitten will start screaming and I stop the play. But she usually is the one enganging in a new round so it might not actually hurt as much, not really sure there. He does start playing as soon as she comes along and wants to just cuddle with him, and sometimes he looks really timidating walking towards her with ears flat and wagging tail, but could just be playing.

Anyhow, my main problem is him stressing out the eldest cat. He just seems to be a bully. Usually when I hear cats scream outside I instantly assume it is him bothering them, he can be an asshole.. It really doesn't help with me standing up and "shooing" him away, cuz he comes right back. I don't know if the rubbing against everything is him playing it cool, or marking the territory around the female. Any suggestions on how to stop this behaviour? I've tried redirecting the attention to other toys, but he looses interest soon. Should also mention that this behaviour got worse after we moved (three months ago) and I'm also pregnant, due in a week. So this might also have some effect on him. He is a big mommas boy, and hates loud noises and strangers.

 

[susanm9006]

He doesn’t sound like a bully if the older female starts growling and hissing without him doing anything and he isn’t attacking her. That is her issue, not him bullying her. As you said she doesn’t like any of the cats. And as far as the kitten, he isn’t hurting her or she would hide. He just gets the better of her in their play because of his size and she complains about it. That will work itself out when she catches up in growth.

 

[asokhaleesi]

But she doesn't hiss at him until he starts going up in her face. She usually doesn't hiss at the kitten if she gets close. He follows her, and rubs against the wall and other objects that are close to her. She just keeps warning him to back off, but it seems like this just makes him more interested in closing up on her. And when she finally runs off, he follows..

 

[susanm9006]

Maybe he is trying to be friends with her.

 

[Elfilou]

Does sound like he is provoking her. The rubbing against things is commonly associated with marking territory, yes. Maybe think of adding more vertical space to your home? (Cat shelves on the walls if that is possible, you can do this very cheap with Ikea stuff as long as you make it sturdy enough.) That way there is more perceived territory to share and it gives the female more escape routes. Meanwhile you can try to redirect his behavior by distracting him with a wand toy. Cats don't really -learn- from the shoo'ing, its a very temporary solution. Instead reward him when he stays away from her, by offering playtime. With the play you will also tire him out mentally and physically, which will make him more calm and with less energy to seek out your older female.