About two weeks ago we adopted a mother cat, who is roughly 2, and her son, who is roughly 1. They are rescues and are both fixed. Both cats are extremely friendly, love to be pet, and have never shown any aggression towards us. Additionally, they initially appeared to be on good terms with each other. They slept together, ate together, etc.
A few days after they were adopted, we began to notice that the mother would occasionally get aggressive with the kitten. This would usually take the form of a hiss and a single swipe, after which the kitten would usually run away. Most of the time they're fine, and they still sleep most of the day together, but occasionally when they get close the mother will swat at him. It most frequently seems to happen when they are both coming over for attention, pets, treats, play.
From what I've read, it's normal for mother cats to attempt to drive off their kittens at a certain age. Naturally, I would like this relationship to improve and not deteriorate further. I have been trying to redirect their movements when they come over for attention to keep them out of each others' paths, but am not successful 100% of the time.
Does anyone have any tips or advice? I was thinking about trying a pheromone diffuser next.
A few days after they were adopted, we began to notice that the mother would occasionally get aggressive with the kitten. This would usually take the form of a hiss and a single swipe, after which the kitten would usually run away. Most of the time they're fine, and they still sleep most of the day together, but occasionally when they get close the mother will swat at him. It most frequently seems to happen when they are both coming over for attention, pets, treats, play.
From what I've read, it's normal for mother cats to attempt to drive off their kittens at a certain age. Naturally, I would like this relationship to improve and not deteriorate further. I have been trying to redirect their movements when they come over for attention to keep them out of each others' paths, but am not successful 100% of the time.
Does anyone have any tips or advice? I was thinking about trying a pheromone diffuser next.