Is Hissing A Sign Of Friendship Turning Sour?

[Dacatchair]

I have never had more than 1 cat at a time, so I have no idea what is normal between cats who are friends.

I am now living with 2 neutered male Savannah cats. One that is an F7 that is a year and a 1/2 old and the other an F6 that is 7 months. Savannahs are probably more gregarious than most cats and generally do better with a buddy, and it seems they have been selectively bred to get along with other cats.

The older cat is probably not entirely typical of Savannah cats personality wise. He is very reserved cautious sensitive, shy, well behaved, cooperative, wants to be good, smart, independent, doesn't like to be held in a constraining way but occasionally enjoys a bit of lap time, and seems to do things that suggest he is compassionate. He usually sleeps on top of the bed in the crook of my legs, but if I have had a day where I do some crying, he has spent the whole night under the covers right up beside me. Which is really sweet because he quickly gets claustrophobic any other time we try this. He also manages to catch quite a few mice in his enclosure, and he seemed to enjoy bringing these as gifts to the kitten. At first I wasn't sure whether the kitten was stealing them from him or they were gifts, but one night the older cat had left a dead mouse on the back porch before being let in through the front porch, and then having the cat door shut for the night. As soon as I woke up he came running downstairs with a big poofy tail, something Savannahs get when they are excited, and he immediately asked to go out to the enclosed back porch where he retrieved the 1/2 frozen mouse, came back in and dropped it in front of the kitten and then refused to take it back even when the kitten offered. Up until recently, the older cat would always stand back whenever the kitten wanted anything, whether it is food, affection with me or play time with a wand toy. The older cat would be like, "Be my guest you go first"

The kitten does not return this consideration... He is boisterous, happy, rambunctious, confident, assertive, charming, affectionate, cuddly, relaxed being held, but totally self centered, assuming everything nice is for him. Compared to the older cat, the kitten is nowhere near as sensitive to picking up signals when behavior is not welcome.

Generally the 2 cats have seemed to be enjoying each others company for the past 3 and a 1/2 months. After a quarantine period, the older cat seemed absolutely thrilled to have a buddy to play with. They still play together, take turns stalking and chasing each other around the house, the older cat makes trilling calls for the younger cat to come to play, they groom each other (sometimes the older cat seems a bit dominating how he does this, pinning the younger down and washing him, but the younger is relaxed and looks like he loves it) Sometimes they sleep together, but often they nap separately.

But lately I am seeing the older cat no longer standing aside so the younger cat gets the best of everything and instead he is occasionally hissing and swatting, letting the younger cat know he is being obnoxious and not paying attention to the clues the older cat isn't in the mood to play or share right then. I have also recently seen the older cat hiss once when the younger cat pushed in on us playing a game with a wand toy, and another time when the younger cat butted in when the older was enjoying my affection. The older cat will hiss and swat at the younger, and then try and move away from him in irritation. No one ever gets hurt and no fur flies, and the younger cat sometimes seems to get the message and backs off. But he is not nearly as considerate as the older cat.

I am hoping someone can tell me if this type of friction is normal between cats who are buddies, or is it a sign they have really different personalities and might be headed for trouble?

Should I stay out of it and let the older cat teach the younger cat some manners, or should I remove the younger cat so the older cat doesn't get completely fed up with him?

I already make sure the older cat gets daily alone time in his enclosures, and try and wear the younger one out a bit when the older one is having that alone time, by playing with a wand toy... But I would like to prevent their friendship turning sour if possible...

And never having had 2 cats, I have no clue what normal cat friendships are like...

 

[susanm9006]

The hissing is absolutely normal at this stage in their relationship. Adult cats are often very lenient with kittens and give them great leeway but as they begin to grow out of kittenhood the older cat starts letting them know to mind their manners. So you start seeing hissing, slapping and an occasional nip where you didn’t before. You are doing the right thing staying out of it and letting them sort it out. If the noise gets to you you can break it up by engaging the two in play.

 

[Dacatchair]

That is really helpful to know! Thank you!

 

[ArtNJ]

"They still play together, take turns stalking and chasing each other around the house, the older cat makes trilling calls for the younger cat to come to play, they groom each other (sometimes the older cat seems a bit dominating how he does this, pinning the younger down and washing him, but the younger is relaxed and looks like he loves it) Sometimes they sleep together, but often they nap separately."

=friendly to each other!

"But lately I am seeing the older cat no longer standing aside so the younger cat gets the best of everything and instead he is occasionally hissing and swatting, letting the younger cat know he is being obnoxious and not paying attention to the clues the older cat isn't in the mood to play or share right then."

Well sure, kittens can be a PITA to older cats. Its fine that the older cat no longer wants to allow it. That doesn't mean it isn't a friendly relationship. Just setting some limits.

"But he is not nearly as considerate as the older cat."

Most young cats behave like jerks in that they don't notice or care about cues. They don't care if the other cat is elderly, injured or scared. The want to to jump all over the other cat, so they do, willingness of the other cat aside. It is just the nature of the beast. Sometimes it can lead to real problems, but here it sounds fine.

Bottom line - All normal, all good, let them be.

 

[jen]

Your older cat is simply teaching the younger one manners. Sometimes with more patience and sometimes with less. He teaches by communicating and they way they communicate is through growls and hissing and swatting.

This is a completely healthy, normal relationship and you should be very happy it is going this way. Ideally this will allow your cats to grow into well-adjusted happy friendly adults.

 

[danteshuman]

I like to think of it as mentoring or as ‘god fathering.’ One our cats was a cranky old man that ruled the house and was the top kitty. Then two kittens came along making 5 cats. He picked one kitten when she was around three months old and started mentoring her and teaching her everything he knew. When he passed years later she became the top cat.

Kittens can be a pain and teenagers like buck the rules. So a sharp no in the form of a hiss or a clawless bop is completely normal. Take a ton of pictures, they grow up so fast! Plus you will treasure the pictures/videos lately.

 

[Dacatchair]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and reassuring me all is well!

The older cat really did take on a protective and nurturing role to the kitten, and it is really interesting hearing that that is quite common.

I have only taken the kitten out on a leash a couple times, but a while back I did this and had both on a leash, and the older cat heard some people with a dog 500 feet away on the road. He began growling and herded the kitten back towards the house! I have never heard him growl before and this was clearly for the education of the kitten. (and he has crossed paths with many pedestrians and dogs while out on his leash- no growls at all)