Kitten does not let other cat play!

hooligans

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Hey Guys

I have a 7 month old Himalayan that I have had since he was 7 weeks old. He is a super social cat, very playful and used to love chasing foil balls, or play with interactive toys such as fishing poles and ribbons across the floor.

He also used to love cuddling and kneading.

Recently, I got a 3 month kitten in the house. The 2 get along great, constantly playing with one another, grooming etc.

But, when I come home and try to get both of them to play, the kitten always gets in the way and this prevents the older one from playing. If I run a string across the floor, the kitten gets all excited and jumps up and down and this causes the other one to just sit down. He has lost all interst in foil balls, mice, and his other toys that he used to play with.

He stills eats, drinks, wants the occassional cuddle, but he is more mellow. He was always very vocal and still is, whining and moping around the house.

I have had the kitten for 3 weeks now. On top of this, I have had to change the older boy from kitten food to adult food due to weight issues. Will he snap out of it or is this his 'adult' behavior.

I live in a small place so I cannot really lock the kitten in a room and play with the older one...
 

MoochNNoodles

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If he is playing with the other kitten a lot; he may be satisfied with all the play and socializing he is doing with his new buddy.  

Noodles tends to be a "hog" when we have interactive play time.  Mooch is the "hog" at cuddle or sleep times.  I'm not really coordinated enough for it; but I have tried to use 2 different interactive toys at once.  So I guess I never really figured out how to fix this.  As my 2 got older they picked different favorite toys.  For example Mooch loves to chase the plastic pull tabs (we call them milk rings) from our milk jugs.  Or mice.  Noodles preferred the mylar crinkle balls.  They will both play with the same toys; but they have their favorites.  Mooch doesn't get time with things like the laser pointer or  Da Bird; but she brings me the milk rings or her favorite mice to toss and we play fetch for a while.  Perhaps your two will find this sort of agreement as the new one gets a bit older too.
 
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hooligans

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 hope so...at this point my older kitten does not get to cuddle with me at night, play with any toys and has lost interest in any solitary toy such as balls, foil balls, mice etc

Every time he does make a move to come towards me at night, the little guy wiggles in and he stops. His vocalization has increased now and it could be because he feels left out.
 

Draco

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I have the same issue with my two cats.. my younger one gets excited and my older one sits back. he wants to play, but he just can't seem to keep up with the younger. 

What I do is play with the younger until she starts to pant. Then I put her in a spare room, then play with the older one.  He's happy to play when she's not around! When he gets tired, I let the other out and play with her some more before putting the toy away.

Since you have a small place, how about locking her in the bathroom for a little bit? 
 
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irinasak

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Same here with three cats. The male kitten is a total hog and when he catches the toy, he growls and he hisses at the girls. However, I have seen a definite improvement in his behavior since I am wearing them out every night. He is starting to understand that chasing is even more fun than just sitting with the toy in hisr mouth and growling at everything that moves. He will run so much that he will pant. I play with the girls while he is resting. They have a way of sorting things out.

If I feel that my eldest didn't have her share of fun, I go with her in a different room. I understand this is not an option for you, but wearing the young one out and then playing with the other one is. And they do have a way of figuring this routine out. 3 weeks is such a short time. The older one will adjust.
 

Holistic Cat Mama

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Hey Guys

I have a 7 month old Himalayan that I have had since he was 7 weeks old. He is a super social cat, very playful and used to love chasing foil balls, or play with interactive toys such as fishing poles and ribbons across the floor.

He also used to love cuddling and kneading.

Recently, I got a 3 month kitten in the house. The 2 get along great, constantly playing with one another, grooming etc.

But, when I come home and try to get both of them to play, the kitten always gets in the way and this prevents the older one from playing. If I run a string across the floor, the kitten gets all excited and jumps up and down and this causes the other one to just sit down. He has lost all interst in foil balls, mice, and his other toys that he used to play with.

He stills eats, drinks, wants the occassional cuddle, but he is more mellow. He was always very vocal and still is, whining and moping around the house.

I have had the kitten for 3 weeks now. On top of this, I have had to change the older boy from kitten food to adult food due to weight issues. Will he snap out of it or is this his 'adult' behavior.

I live in a small place so I cannot really lock the kitten in a room and play with the older one...
He is sad that he doesn't get your attention as much. Until you make some time for just him he will continue to be sad. I did the same thing to my poor adult cats. Now every evening, I put the kittens in the bathroom with some toys and water and I play with my adults and give them lots of love and attention. It's only for a few minutes to half hour. The kitten will be fine. I feel really bad about doing that to them now and regret it. But on the other hand,the kittens were rescues and I got attached. I'd feel bad if I took them away from me. Either way, I feel guilty and sad for them.
 
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