Did I Make A Mistake? Cat wants to kill kitten.

[Nknknk85]

Hi everyone

We have a 7 month old cat and we brought home an almost 10 week old kitten last weekend. I tried to implement a few of the tricks I saw online, such as bringing my older cat’s blanket along when picking up kitten, keeping them in separate rooms and feeding them at the same time on opposite sides of the door. However, I will admit that I have found it tricky to do this consistently and have let the two meet on occasions over the 5 days he has been here.

My issue is this: my cat keeps going for the kitten. He will occasionally lick him, then that will turn into a nibble and then into something a bit more forceful. On at least two occasions when we thought it was ok to relax the rules a bit more, the cat went crazy on him and I thought he would kill the kitten.
Ive read a few threads about keeping them apart and needing more time. But I’m just wondering if I’ve done the wrong thing here entirely bringing hothis kitten. This kitten has been a DREAM. He is so well behaved, loving, patient and smart. Our experience with the older cat was anything but and fraught with frustration which is why we are so keen to continue enjoying the new kitten.

i would like to know if that attacking instinct will ever subside? The kitten will hiss and squeal at times and then walk away like nothing happened and then go back and try to play with the cat which confuses matters even more.

grateful for any advice on next steps.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the newest kitten. At first reading your post it sounded serious, then when I got to the end and "The kitten will hiss and squeal at times and then walk away like nothing happened and then go back and try to play with the cat which confuses matters even more" it seemed like things were going fine.

We normally say, when introducing older cats to younger kittens, that as long as there's no fur flying, blood, and that the kitten doesn't seem scared of the older cat, then all is well. It's fine for the kitten to squeal and run off and hide, but coming back to play with the cat again, is usually a good sign. It's when it hides for a long time, and really looks scared, or has litter box accidents, or doesn't eat, that you need to be more concerned.

Even though the 7 month old is a lot bigger, he's still a playful kitten, and I doubt he'd try to harm him. But until you feel the kitten is big enough to defend himself, it probably would be a good idea to separate them when there will be no humans around to supervise.

Here's a TCS article called Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? – TheCatSite Articles that might help you determine if your older kitten is playing or fighting. Though, again, I'm sure it's almost certainly play.

 

[Frank123]

Is there any signs of hostility from the older cat such as growling, hissing, or ears tucked back?
At 7 months old, your cat is still very much a kitten himself. It could be a case of him playing a little too rough with a kitten that's much smaller than him.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's all rough play. A 7-month-old is still very much a kitten, so it's a bit like a 10-year-old boy trying to play with a 4-year-old: he'll play too rough and maybe hurt the younger kid, but he doesn't mean to. But as long as the younger kitten isn't screaming or acting scared, maybe he's enjoying it.

If you're concerned, keep them separated when unsupervised for the next few weeks, but by around 12 weeks the younger kitten really should be able to hold his own.

 

[Nknknk85]

Is there any signs of hostility from the older cat such as growling, hissing, or ears tucked back?
At 7 months old, your cat is still very much a kitten himself. It could be a case of him playing a little too rough with a kitten that's much smaller than him.

Older cat isn’t displaying any hostility- he just swipes at kitten every now and then. His pupils dilate a lot, though, and when he sees kitten he just zeroes in and it’s difficult to get his attention away from the kitten. Our main issue is that the cat won’t leave the kitten alone. When in separate rooms, he’ll sit outside the door where kitten is being kept and will meow endlessly, begging to be let in! As soon as he sees kitten he’ll pursue him. He’s relentless and it’s exhausting.
Someone mentioned getting a Feliway Friends diffuser so we have ordered that in the interim.

 

[Nknknk85]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's all rough play. A 7-month-old is still very much a kitten, so it's a bit like a 10-year-old boy trying to play with a 4-year-old: he'll play too rough and maybe hurt the younger kid, but he doesn't mean to. But as long as the younger kitten isn't screaming or acting scared, maybe he's enjoying it.

If you're concerned, keep them separated when unsupervised for the next few weeks, but by around 12 weeks the younger kitten really should be able to hold his own.

Thank you. That’s really reassuring to hear. I’ll continue to keep them apart!

 

[ArtNJ]

No reason to keep them apart. This is like a an 8 year old boy playing with a 5 year old little brother. Will he give him a head noogie? Yes, he will. Little bro will make some noise and maybe run. But he will come back, because he wants to play with big brother and head noogies don't cause any actual damage, nor hurt too much. Just uncomfortable.

Exact same thing. Don't overreact to head noogies and prevent two friends from playing. And they are friends, even though things are understandably not remotely equal right now. It will get better in time.

What you can do is distract if the little one seems particularly uncomfortable and not able to disengage on his own.

 

[slowblink]

Hi! I just dealt with this myself! (brought a 2.5 month old home to an 8 month old). The size difference is scary, and the time it took the older cat to adjust and get over the overexcitement was nerve-wracking. (Our 8 month old's pupils would dilate when she saw the kitten for like a week).

We did get a calming collar (this one) for the 8 mo old, and it did seem to help move away from "ah - there's a cat in my house - no!" to "oooh a kitten can play with me!" when we implemented that.

It's been two weeks, and they are doing great! Things really changed when we stopped separating them, and let the two be together for extended periods of time. (and things got even more chill when we finally brought the kitten sleep in the bed, just as the older cat does, though not until after they were significantly more chill everywhere else!)

It seems the kitten is going to make noises in the type of play they do. I try to follow the kitten and let her be the guide - if she is hiding, support that and ensure she has space - if she comes back out to play, she's comfortable and doing okay - if I hear too much hissing/growling/protesting, I will go check in and break up the hold the 8 mo old has her in during their play. At this point, I just say the 8 month old's name or walk closer to the two of them and the 8 month old will let go. It's like she knows she's being too rough, but that's just my take.

You've got this! Maybe you'll need to step in sometimes in their play, supervision is always a good idea, but all you're describing sounds like play to me!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hi everyone

We have a 7 month old cat and we brought home an almost 10 week old kitten last weekend. I tried to implement a few of the tricks I saw online, such as bringing my older cat’s blanket along when picking up kitten, keeping them in separate rooms and feeding them at the same time on opposite sides of the door. However, I will admit that I have found it tricky to do this consistently and have let the two meet on occasions over the 5 days he has been here.

My issue is this: my cat keeps going for the kitten. He will occasionally lick him, then that will turn into a nibble and then into something a bit more forceful. On at least two occasions when we thought it was ok to relax the rules a bit more, the cat went crazy on him and I thought he would kill the kitten.
Ive read a few threads about keeping them apart and needing more time. But I’m just wondering if I’ve done the wrong thing here entirely bringing hothis kitten. This kitten has been a DREAM. He is so well behaved, loving, patient and smart. Our experience with the older cat was anything but and fraught with frustration which is why we are so keen to continue enjoying the new kitten.

i would like to know if that attacking instinct will ever subside? The kitten will hiss and squeal at times and then walk away like nothing happened and then go back and try to play with the cat which confuses matters even more.

grateful for any advice on next steps.

Hello and welcome to TCS! Other posters have given good feedback, to which I just wanted to add, giving encouragement and saying that some friends recently adopted a new kitten and he and their 9-year-old male cat are doing these things, too. They are playing rough at times and growling/hissing/biting/kicking, but no blood is drawn and they are also now sleeping together and playing together. Your guys are on the right track!

 

[cataholic07]

Is your older kitten fixed? Did you do a proper introduction? Are you playing out the older kitten often?

 

[Mr_Kitty]

Hi there,

I'm new to this community and been learning about cats obsessively for the past two months.

I can't speak from experience since I have none so far but I can tell you that there is an incredible person on YouTube named Jackson Galaxy and he has several amazing and very detailed guides for someone like you.

Here are the links to the videos you should watch and there are even more (just write Jackson Galaxy Introducing Cats):

How to introduce cats

Cat introductions: Good first impressions are a must

The Do's and Don'ts of introducing cats golf already

Cat introductions gone wrong: They will not work it out without you

Can my cats get along? Cat to Cat body language basics and introduction tips

I really hope this helps you out, good luck!

 

[Nknknk85]

Is your older kitten fixed? Did you do a proper introduction? Are you playing out the older kitten often?

Older kitten is due to be fixed on March 5th.
What we did do:
- put kitten in a separate room
- site swapping
- introduction by scent
- feeding on opposite side of slightly ajar door

however...

some of this went out the window because our older kitten was incessantly meowing. We are also weaning him off treats which is probably making him somewhat irritable. He wasn’t eating his regular kitten food unless absolutely starving (because he was expecting treats!) and so his feeding schedule went out the window. Terrible time to get a kitten, I know.

but we’ve tried where we can!

 

[Nknknk85]

Hi there,

I'm new to this community and been learning about cats obsessively for the past two months.

I can't speak from experience since I have none so far but I can tell you that there is an incredible person on YouTube named Jackson Galaxy and he has several amazing and very detailed guides for someone like you.

Here are the links to the videos you should watch and there are even more (just write Jackson Galaxy Introducing Cats):

How to introduce cats

Cat introductions: Good first impressions are a must

The Do's and Don'ts of introducing cats golf already

Cat introductions gone wrong: They will not work it out without you

Can my cats get along? Cat to Cat body language basics and introduction tips

I really hope this helps you out, good luck!

thank you I’ve been binging Jackson Galaxy and his videos are so helpful.

 

[Nknknk85]

Hi! I just dealt with this myself! (brought a 2.5 month old home to an 8 month old). The size difference is scary, and the time it took the older cat to adjust and get over the overexcitement was nerve-wracking. (Our 8 month old's pupils would dilate when she saw the kitten for like a week).

We did get a calming collar (this one) for the 8 mo old, and it did seem to help move away from "ah - there's a cat in my house - no!" to "oooh a kitten can play with me!" when we implemented that.

It's been two weeks, and they are doing great! Things really changed when we stopped separating them, and let the two be together for extended periods of time. (and things got even more chill when we finally brought the kitten sleep in the bed, just as the older cat does, though not until after they were significantly more chill everywhere else!)

It seems the kitten is going to make noises in the type of play they do. I try to follow the kitten and let her be the guide - if she is hiding, support that and ensure she has space - if she comes back out to play, she's comfortable and doing okay - if I hear too much hissing/growling/protesting, I will go check in and break up the hold the 8 mo old has her in during their play. At this point, I just say the 8 month old's name or walk closer to the two of them and the 8 month old will let go. It's like she knows she's being too rough, but that's just my take.

You've got this! Maybe you'll need to step in sometimes in their play, supervision is always a good idea, but all you're describing sounds like play to me!

thank you and congratulations on getting your cats to get along! I dream of such success haha.
I’m happy to report that things have improved a lot. Little kitten is holding his own a lot more and I can have them in the same room (with me present) for longer periods of time each day. They’re now also ignoring each other a little bit which is massive progress in my eyes. I’ve found that little kitten is the instigator most times now - older kitten just retaliates but sometimes walks away. However, sometimes older kitten does overwhelm and overpower the little one which is when I worry. But it’s nothing a toy thrown in between them won’t fix.

I think now it’s a waiting game, waiting for little kitten to grow and realise that behaving like prey will get you attacked like prey!

 

[tarasgirl06]

thank you and congratulations on getting your cats to get along! I dream of such success haha.
I’m happy to report that things have improved a lot. Little kitten is holding his own a lot more and I can have them in the same room (with me present) for longer periods of time each day. They’re now also ignoring each other a little bit which is massive progress in my eyes. I’ve found that little kitten is the instigator most times now - older kitten just retaliates but sometimes walks away. However, sometimes older kitten does overwhelm and overpower the little one which is when I worry. But it’s nothing a toy thrown in between them won’t fix.

I think now it’s a waiting game, waiting for little kitten to grow and realise that behaving like prey will get you attacked like prey!

Cats, especially male cats, will establish "pecking order" in a multi-cat household or outdoor colony. Again, unless someone is actually injured, this needs to happen as it is normal for cats (just as it is for people. If you don't believe me, observe).
Jackson Galaxy is a cat behaviorist and very wise and caring. It's great that you are learning from him.
Love and patience will win the day!