Dominant... but he's still a kitten?

[Juliarghh]

Hi all!

Second thread from me regarding a kitten introduction I'm going through.

Seb - Male ragdoll, 6 months old. Was neutered 2 weeks ago. Have had him for about 2 months, previously lived as a kitten with another kitten and 1yo male before we adopted him. Seb has always been outgoing and playful. Seb's a big boy - easily twice the size and almost twice the weight of Blu.
Blu - Male ragdoll, 6 months old, neutered months ago. Previously lived solo from 8 weeks old. Previous owner described him as playful but reserved at times. We have had him for a week today.

In my last thread, I was concerned around whether they were getting along. They have had moments of peace and play together which has been great. I can't separate Blu any longer in a base camp as Seb just cries at the door. Blu also comes up to the door and paws at it. They eat together fine, can play with a wand toy fine etc.

My question is, Seb is showing some really dominant/territorial behaviour. He will groom Blu aggressively, which Blu doesn't like and starts a growl-fest with bunny kicks and biting. Seb also often charges at Bluey and it's like he needs him in his sight at all times when he's in this mood, if Blu moves then so does Seb. Seb will charge at him, bite him and this leads to yowling and biting from Blu. Blu often runs away to hide but then I find them just sitting together under the bed and Blu will usually come out of hiding quickly. He seems cautious at times but not scared.

They do have moments where they walk past each other calmly, smell noses and it seems like Seb is crankier about Blu being upstairs (near the bedroom especially) then downstairs. Any thoughts or guidance?

 

[ArtNJ]

Its a pretty normal relationship for kittens with a size difference. You can tell everything is fine because the smaller kitten comes out of hiding quickly and acts like nothing happened. Let the smaller kitten be your guide in that respect. Its only if he starts acting scared at all times that you have a true problem.

It would be better if the bigger kitten played more gently and was less of a pest...but its normal for kittens to be this way. Things will improve in the long term, but this could their relationship for a while. Do what you can to get as much of the bigger kitten's energy out as possible, and give the smaller kitten some closed door affection now and then. Elevated spaces and hidey holes will help the smaller kitten feel safe.

 

[danteshuman]

The grooming? It is a dominance display. The dominant cat grooms the other cat’s head..... then my punk Dante finished his groom session by nipping my other cat Salem between the shoulder blades. Dante did that his entire life and ironically Dante was a year younger than my other cat!

If they were mine, I would play extra with your bigger cat. It might be dominance squabbles “I’m the top cap!” “No I’m the topcat;here have a bunnykick!” Hopefully they will resolve it. My gut says to only let them be together when you are awake & can supervise for the next weeks...... but I’m a worrier.

Extra treats & TLC for your resident cat, never hurts. Also feed your resident cat first, then the new guy.... it lets your resident cat see that in your eyes they are still the top kitty.