Easing predatory aggression towards other cat?

lanjcox91

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Hey, all. Before I start, I want to introduce my kitties, if that's alright.

We've got a 13 year old female Khao Manee, Noelle.
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And a 1 year old orange Tabby kitten, Toby (Tobias).
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When we first adopted Toby (he was about 4-5 months old) he was a sweet kitten. No real behavioral problems. We introduced him correctly to Noelle, and things were fine between them, even though Noelle liked to keep her distance a bit, still. We gave both of them lots of love, attention, and play time.

But as Toby got older, he started showing signs of what I thought to be sexual aggression. Going up to Noelle and jumping on her, sometimes biting her neck. Which was no big deal--we planned to have him fixed at the start of the year. Which we did. There's no issues with marking territory or hissing. They can be in the same room together. Noelle doesn't mind--until Toby gets too close.

It didn't stop after getting him fixed, though. Recently, I'm starting to think it's predatory aggression. Or maybe, he just wants to play or show dominance. He does love to track things, sneak up on Noelle, and jump her. He avidly watches birds and other small mammals, and has even caught a few mice. I don't mind it, I know it's natural behavior... but I don't want it directed at Noelle. She doesn't much care for playing, being older. But even expending Toby's energy with playing doesn't really deter him from it. So, I'm not really sure what to do. I just know that they could get along well, if Toby would stop. From past experience, Noelle's readiness to be in the same room is promising. I'm just not sure what to do to redirect Toby's interest of stalking. Any ideas or help is appreciated, of course.
 

ArtNJ

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Just from your thread title, I said to myself "probably a one year old". I'm not a psychic, one year olds have tons of energy, want to play-play-play and reasonably often don't care if senior cats don't want too, ignoring the senior cat if they growl, hiss or swat. We hear about these things all the time, and I've had it personally, as have had many here. This is normal play. Cats are predators, and simulate hunting behaviors during play. Biting the neck is one of those -- that is the best way for a cat to kill something with any size in the wild.

The best solution is waiting for nature to take its course. Cats generally slow down some between one and two year of age, and often start being a bit more respectful. Generally, things improve significantly over time, and the older cat inches closer to complete toleration of the younger cat, perhaps never getting all the way there, but usually getting close. Friendship is too much to hope for, but once in a while a miracle does happen.

Sounds like she already tolerates him when he isn't being active. You are totally correct that is a good sign. Often times in this situation, the older cat will hiss, growl and swat if the younger merely gets close, and display avoidance behaviors, leaving the room if the younger comes in, hiding, etc. If your older cat is not doing any of that, this is a comparatively mild case. What you can do is give the older cat some closed door love now and then. A little break if you will. Distract the younger if the older seems particularly miserable. There is no real option beyond that, as you can't teach a one year old not to play like a one year old -- the cat has biological programming telling it to play this way.

For the sake of thoroughness, I'll mention that some people recommend getting another kitten to give the active youngster a cat that wants to play. Could work, but seems risky to me. I've had serious problems between one of two young cats and a senior cat. To some extent, two young cats means two chances for problems. But some folks have had it help.
 
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Mamanyt1953

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To underline what A ArtNJ has said, we think of a 1-year-old as being "adult," but psychologically they are more mid-teens, and full of themselves. Follow the above advice, and give your pesky little teenager some time to mature a bit more, and your old gal some time and space to herself with you to love on her.
 

rubysmama

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lanjcox91 lanjcox91 : Gorgeous kitties. :redheartpump:

As for Toby, I'll third the opinion that he's just extra energetic as a young male cat. Once he gets a bit older, he'll start to settle down, sleep more, etc. As long as your beautiful senior girl isn't being attacked (i.e. blood / fur flying) and doesn't seem stressed, things are probably fine. Just try to spend more time playing with Toby, to help use up some of that young cat energy.

Here's some TCS articles that might have some tips for you.

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know
Bored Cat? What Cat Owners Need To Know (including 10 Actionable Tips)

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) | TheCatSite

How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat
 
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