Kitten Attacking A Cat - Please Help!

[bornagirl]

I would really appreciate if anyone would share any advice they have as I really want this to work! I hope I don't have to re-home the kitten.
So about a month ago I brought the kitten home and after about two weeks of room swapping and scent swapping I started to introduce him to my resident cat. My resident cat is 16 month old and very fearful and chill and the kitten is just over 3 month old now. My resident cat didn't look very scared or stressed so I thought things would go fairly well but I'm having trouble with the kitten attacking the older cat. I know most people will say that the cat will protect itself and put the kitten into place and teach him manners but that's not really happening? The kitten gets pretty rough and climbs on his back and bites hard, or bites his head or neck or tail. The cat started letting out these pitiful noises and often he can't shake of the kitten. Like they both bite each other in these situations but I feel like the kitten is extra rough, the cat tried to run away today and the kitten bit hard into his neck from the back and wouldn't let go, like the skina actually stretched when he tired to run, and I think he even pulled out some fur.
So far the cats are only together for short periods of time during the day and I separate them when things get bad ad just put the kitten in his safe room. I'm just getting really concerned because I think it's starting to get worse and I'm afraid for when he'll grow bigger and stronger. I don't want my older cat to be constantly bullied.
Other thing to note is that the kitten used to bite us A LOT. I even posted about it here. He would bite us all the time but now he almost never does. I think it happened around the time I introduced him to the older cat actually. Now he's very cuddly with us and bites us rarely but he bites the other cat all the time.
If someone could advice how I could stop them fighting, I would be very thankful! I really want them to live peacefully.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Give that kitten a big HISS when it is misbehaving. That is what his mama would do, and since your older cat won't, you need to. Consistently, and repetitively.

 

[Canadiangirl]

I would really appreciate if anyone would share any advice they have as I really want this to work! I hope I don't have to re-home the kitten.
So about a month ago I brought the kitten home and after about two weeks of room swapping and scent swapping I started to introduce him to my resident cat. My resident cat is 16 month old and very fearful and chill and the kitten is just over 3 month old now. My resident cat didn't look very scared or stressed so I thought things would go fairly well but I'm having trouble with the kitten attacking the older cat. I know most people will say that the cat will protect itself and put the kitten into place and teach him manners but that's not really happening? The kitten gets pretty rough and climbs on his back and bites hard, or bites his head or neck or tail. The cat started letting out these pitiful noises and often he can't shake of the kitten. Like they both bite each other in these situations but I feel like the kitten is extra rough, the cat tried to run away today and the kitten bit hard into his neck from the back and wouldn't let go, like the skina actually stretched when he tired to run, and I think he even pulled out some fur.
So far the cats are only together for short periods of time during the day and I separate them when things get bad ad just put the kitten in his safe room. I'm just getting really concerned because I think it's starting to get worse and I'm afraid for when he'll grow bigger and stronger. I don't want my older cat to be constantly bullied.
Other thing to note is that the kitten used to bite us A LOT. I even posted about it here. He would bite us all the time but now he almost never does. I think it happened around the time I introduced him to the older cat actually. Now he's very cuddly with us and bites us rarely but he bites the other cat all the time.
If someone could advice how I could stop them fighting, I would be very thankful! I really want them to live peacefully.

This may sound silly but does the kitten have enough toys, things to chew and climb ?

I would really appreciate if anyone would share any advice they have as I really want this to work! I hope I don't have to re-home the kitten.
So about a month ago I brought the kitten home and after about two weeks of room swapping and scent swapping I started to introduce him to my resident cat. My resident cat is 16 month old and very fearful and chill and the kitten is just over 3 month old now. My resident cat didn't look very scared or stressed so I thought things would go fairly well but I'm having trouble with the kitten attacking the older cat. I know most people will say that the cat will protect itself and put the kitten into place and teach him manners but that's not really happening? The kitten gets pretty rough and climbs on his back and bites hard, or bites his head or neck or tail. The cat started letting out these pitiful noises and often he can't shake of the kitten. Like they both bite each other in these situations but I feel like the kitten is extra rough, the cat tried to run away today and the kitten bit hard into his neck from the back and wouldn't let go, like the skina actually stretched when he tired to run, and I think he even pulled out some fur.
So far the cats are only together for short periods of time during the day and I separate them when things get bad ad just put the kitten in his safe room. I'm just getting really concerned because I think it's starting to get worse and I'm afraid for when he'll grow bigger and stronger. I don't want my older cat to be constantly bullied.
Other thing to note is that the kitten used to bite us A LOT. I even posted about it here. He would bite us all the time but now he almost never does. I think it happened around the time I introduced him to the older cat actually. Now he's very cuddly with us and bites us rarely but he bites the other cat all the time.
If someone could advice how I could stop them fighting, I would be very thankful! I really want them to live peacefully.

Hi there, this may sound silly but does the kitten have enough toys, things to chew and things to hide in, crawl on etc? They do teeth when young, could it be his teeth ?

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, he will grow bigger and stronger, so it is better for your older cat to get irritated now and put the upstart in its place than it is to wait until the kitten gets older. Adult cats often give kittens a great deal of leeway but it is unlikely your older would actually let himself get hurt without fighting back.

So as difficult or uncomfortable it may make you feel, I would stay out of it and give them long enough sessions together to learn about each other’s boundaries .

 

[bornagirl]

Thank you for replies!
I will try the hiss but so far whenever I tried to make a loud noise when this is happening, I just manage to startle the older cat and that just puts a kitten in a better position to continue it's attack. The kitten barely reacts, but I'll try it.
He does have a lot of toys! His safe room is quite small though so I try to play with him and tire him out a bit before letting him in the room with the older cat but I don't think it makes any difference.

 

[bornagirl]

Yes, he will grow bigger and stronger, so it is better for your older cat to get irritated now and put the upstart in its place than it is to wait until the kitten gets older. Adult cats often give kittens a great deal of leeway but it is unlikely your older would actually let himself get hurt without fighting back.

So as difficult or uncomfortable it may make you feel, I would stay out of it and give them long enough sessions together to learn about each other’s boundaries .

Thanks, I'll try to persist. I sometimes keep them together for a few hours but I noticed kitten keeps attacking more the longer they're together. At first it's easier to distract him with toys and he plays with me and other toys in the room and just walks around by himself but at some point he just focuses on the cat and keep attacking and biting him! I never had cats before and it's very possible I'm overreacting but it really looks like the older cat could get hurt.

 

[susanm9006]

If your older cat was 16 years old vs 16 months old I would feel differently about you stepping in but with your older cat being barely out of kittenhood himself, I really think you are impeding their relationship by getting involved. The younger cat sees the older as a potential playmate and he is doing exactly what two young cats do -grab one another and wrestle until one or the other has enough. Other that an inadvertent scratch I have never had a young kitten injure a young cat.

 

[ArtNJ]

Agree with Susan. You didn't mention anything remotely unusual or rising to the level warranting intervention. The kitten isn't "attacking" he is playing normally. Its your 16 month old that is a bit unusual -- usually cats under two have no issues with energetic kittens. But its a very routine problem nonetheless. Absent an extremely high stress level in the older cat as shown by constant hiding and running from the kitten, including outside of play, or failure to use the box or eat, its best to let them be.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! You're getting somewhat differing perspectives.

A hiss, by the way, is cat language and by its nature might be less startling to the older cat.

Perhaps consider getting a video that really highlights your concerns and post it?

 

[bornagirl]

Thanks, as I said it is entirely possible I'm overreacting. I was expecting rough play but I guess I just wasn't prepare for the older cat be on the receiving end all the time. I might do a video later just to make sure.
So I shouldn't separate them? And how long should I keep them together, I usually I do a few hours but should I do longer?

 

[susanm9006]

One thing I suggest you do is go onto YouTube and watch a bunch of videos of cats play fighting so you can see what cat play looks like. I think it will reassure you they can be very rough without anyone getting hurt. I would watch them wrestle and unless you see chunks of fur being pulled out you just let it go on. If it gets too much for your older cat he will either fight back or run and hide.

 

[Furballsmom]

@susanm9006 has a great thought of viewing other cats.

I don't know, I guess I'm trying to figure out how a cat that's behaving submissively is going to change it's own behavior, never mind that of an overexuberant baby cat. Your description of your older cat was of a fearful cat to start with.

However, I think you can teach the kitten --whether the older cat finds some mojo or not, and it definitely sounds like that kitten needs it. The biting, if by chance the older cat won't let it happen any longer, will probably just shift back to having you as targets, so that behavior must be stopped.

Anyway, if you leave them together for however long, if I were you, as A ArtNJ mentions I'd keep an eye on the older cats stress. If you think that cat needs a break, do separate them, the last thing you want is so much stress that it gets sick.

Absolutely try the HISS (you'll likely need to do it more than once, but maybe not...), I'm getting feedback time and time again that it honest to goodness works.

Hang in there!