New kitten bullying older cat

[ladygananoque]

Hi all, well some of you may know i have recently adopted a kitten named fable, we got her at 8 weeks and she is now nearly 5 months old. She is always attacking my other cat stella, im not sure if it's in a playful way or if she really wants to hurt stella. Stella was declawed by her previous owner and has no way of defending herself from fable. Stella is so miserable since fable came and i just dont know what to do. Is this something that will get better over time? It is not just stella that has this problem but also my 2 year old son, he gets knocked over by her all the time because she runs around wildly all the time. She will also bite really hard on anyone that tries to pick her up.

My husband is getting very tired of this behavior and im worried that he will want to give her away if it doesn't stop. I have never gave up on any pets, i want to sort this out but i just dont know where to start. Is this just kitten behavior or do i have a troubled kitty on my hands? I have a detached garage that i am turning into a play room for my children and whenever i am in there stella comes in and is so happy to be away from kitten she meows like crazy. Would it be a good idea to keep the cats separated? Or should i let them work out there problems? Any idea's are very much appreciated! Sorry for the long post.

Oh and just to add for the people that were wondering the flea problem seems to have gone after using advantage so im very happy about that!

 

[mysterycat]

Hi, I have the same problem with yours, the difference is that my new kitty named Max is playing to hard with Charlie which annoys him so much, even Charlie is showing that he is angry but the little kitty would still play. What I did is that I follow others TCS posters (thanks to them) to provide hiding places and toys for the new kitty, it helped me somehow!

My new kitty Max looks like your Fable and Max is the same age as yours

 

[ladygananoque]

Thanks for the reply, i guess i will just trying more toys and see if i can tire her out a bit more. She has a crazy amount of energy, i hardly ever see her sleeping.

 

[rad65]

Cats dont use their claws vicously when they're playing with each other, for the same reason marines don't use live ammo in training excercises. Claws only get extended when they need to kill something or climb on something. Two friendly cats playing with each other will knock each other down using their paws, but they will rarely if ever just swipe at each other. That is more of a defensive reaction. So your declawed cat can defend itself perfectly fine, even without claws.

 

[c1atsite]

Hey LadyGananoque. Your situation could've easily been mine back in 2005 when I got Daisy. She'd try to swipe at Penny when Penny was using the litterbox. I stopped it as soon as I could in order to lay down the law for this new ball of energy (Daisy) - Plus I was between jobs at the time so it made monitoring her much easier. The big thing I did everytime was vocalize a highly annoying "car alarm" sound with my vocal chords if I sensed Daisy was planning mischief against Penny. Eventually Daisy understood I "was on to her" and that I would tolerate play but would not tolerate crossing the line because I make the rules, not her. Also - I purchased a "Panic Mouse" toy for her - It whips a piece of fluffy fabric around in a fast way, so she'd chase it -That depleted a good amount of her energy. Kittens need that sort of thing in my opinion, some kittens more than others. I just ordered a "Frolic Cat Bolt" toy which makes a fast squiggly red laser on the floor for chasing. Daisy is mellow these days (age: 5.5 years) but I am trying the laser toy simply because I have a feeling she'll like it. But my point is, in your case, perhaps the more energy-depleting toys around for Fable, the better.

After 5 years I still think if I had let Daisy run the show and was working a hard full-time job, she'd definitely be an out-of-control cat today with all types of problems. Today she is a sweet and well-behaved cat. Maybe even a little sweeter and better behaved than Penny!

 

[ladygananoque]

Thank's for the replies. Im just worried that stella is getting stressed out about it, she is not herself when kitten is around. I will go and buy some more toys for fable and see if she is interested in playing with me more then attacking stella. Apart from attacking stella and my son shes a lovely kitty, she will sit on my lap and give kisses. I dunno maybe she just needs more time to grow up and get kittenhood behind her. She will be getting spayed soon, im not looking forward to that.

 

[stephanietx]

This is perfectly normal behavior. Kittens are all about play. Everything is a toy and other cats are to be played with. Part of what's happening is that the two of them are working out who's the top cat. Part of it is that Stella is learning to accept (or not) the new intruder in her territory. It's been my experience that resident cats like to keep things status quo and don't want new kitties in their domain.

You'll need to provide Stella with lots of "safe places" so she can escape. A box turned upside down or a dark closet with a nice place to sleep or even an enclosed bed will work. When you see that Fable is getting too rough with Stella, or Stella's had enough, use a towel to "herd" Fable away into a separate area and play with her there so Stella can get some relief. Basically, you have to stand up for Stella. Distract Fable when she's getting on Stella's nerves. Give Stella LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of love, attention, and show her favor. She's unsure of her role with this new addition and she needs to be reassured that she's still loved and cherished.

Also, run Feliway diffusers in your home to help reduce stress.

 

[my4llma]

Maybe if you got your kitten another kitten to play with the same age? Luna constantly bothered Lynxx. We got Midnight in the hopes they'd play together and leave Lynxx alone. Only Midnight was way to young. Luna still bothered Lynxx. But now that Midnight is older and can play with her, they both seem to leave Lynxx alone.

The new kittens and Lynxx aren't working out. Lynxx is so stressed by them he's stopped eating, lost a ton of weight, and is on Prozac.

Try using Feliway, Feliway has helped Lynxx become more social with us.

As for biting, is the kitten playing? Luna will bite hard when she's playing. I don't even think she realizes it.

 

[ladygananoque]

I have been thinking about getting another kitty to play with fable but i dont know if that would stress stella out even more. She doesn't mind other kitties as long as they leave her alone, she does not want to play at all i guess she must be too old for that. I doubt my husband would want another kitty after fable is being so naughty but im sure i can convince him, there are some lovely kitties at my local humane society, i would love to add another kitty to my family. I have the time as i am home all day looking after my son, the only problem is i am not so great with the whole introductions. I might wait until after fable get's spayed and have a talk with my husband about getting a play mate for her, my husband is a dog person so he doesn't get why i need lot's of kitties lol.

 

[rad65]

Originally Posted by LadyGananoque

I have been thinking about getting another kitty to play with fable but i dont know if that would stress stella out even more. She doesn't mind other kitties as long as they leave her alone, she does not want to play at all i guess she must be too old for that. I doubt my husband would want another kitty after fable is being so naughty but im sure i can convince him, there are some lovely kitties at my local humane society, i would love to add another kitty to my family. I have the time as i am home all day looking after my son, the only problem is i am not so great with the whole introductions. I might wait until after fable get's spayed and have a talk with my husband about getting a play mate for her, my husband is a dog person so he doesn't get why i need lot's of kitties lol.

Contrary to intuition, getting a second kitten means lots less problems. Two kittens tend to play with each other and wear each other out while leaving the resident older cat alone most of the time. It works with most pets, we did it with puppies, guinea pigs, kittens, and ferrets growing up and the older animal always garned a bit of extra rest when we added the second child

 

[c1atsite]

LadyGananoque, do you use any olfactory cat products in your house such as Feliway diffuser or catnip spritz, etc? Sometimes they can be of help.

 

[c1atsite]

LadyGananoque, Just wanted to let you know my FrolicCat Bolt automatic laser arrived today and it's worth the price (less than $20 including the shipping). I thought the auto mode would be faster, but it still does its job of entertaining.

 

[ladygananoque]

Thank's for all the info guys, im having a really hard time with this kitty, iv never had such a naughty cat in my life. Im at my wits end here and my husband is so fed up with her. Iv had cats all my life so i just don't know why im having so much trouble with her. I know she just want's to play but she is trashing my home. She has scratching post's, i bought her new toys but she would rather run around breaking stuff. She can be such a nice girl when she want's to be but that's not often. I wanted to get her spayed before 5 months but i was finding it difficult finding a place that does it. I did manage to find somewhere that does it at 5 months and im trying to get an appointment soon. Will spaying her calm her down at all? Iv noticed that sometimes she wants to be near stella for company but now stella just assumes shes coming over to attack her. Maybe a friend for fable wouldn't be such a bad idea. I never manage to get 2 kitties that actually get on though so im worried if i get another one then they to will fight. I just dont know what to do

 

[ladygananoque]

Originally Posted by c1atsite

LadyGananoque, Just wanted to let you know my FrolicCat Bolt automatic laser arrived today and it's worth the price (less than $20 including the shipping). I thought the auto mode would be faster, but it still does its job of entertaining.

Hey i just checked out that product, that looks like fun and its so cheap to. are they only sold online or can you buy them in stores?

 

[c1atsite]

Originally Posted by LadyGananoque

Hey i just checked out that product, that looks like fun and its so cheap to. are they only sold online or can you buy them in stores?

Both I think. Amazon has them I think. I got mine on eBay.

 

[woahoshi]

We recently got a cat too. He was supposed to be a maine coon, but we don´t think he is. He´s enormous for a 7 month old.
I frankly, dont like him. Our household is very small and not that well for maine coons, considering they like to run around and be outside.
Our other cat, Lettie. Shes 7 years old. She rarely plays. And whenever she plays she gets this kind of ´twitchy´ thing where she bites a part of her body and runs around. I thought it was some kind of thing she did because she has so much energy. But then I realized that she´s not a cat like that. Even when she was a kitten she didnt have much energy.
Before Owen we had a cat, Phillip. He unfortunately died of feline leukemia so he only lasted for about one month. I dont remember when Lettie started getting ´twitchy´. Some time after Phillip. Phillip never got fleas and he must have been somewhere around 2-3 years. We checked Lettie for feline leukemia 2-3 times. And they said no.
My mother and I think that her twitches are out of anxiety. The twitches started a bit before Owen so it couldn´t have been him.
But it seems as if he´s making those twitches worse. Last night Owen was following after her and she had a twitch for about 15-20 minutes. When I tired calming her down like I do, she hissed and bit me. Her twitches usually last for 2 to 5 minutes. I have no idea why that one lasted longer.
Much to say, Owen is a bully. He got spayed a bit ago, thinking that will make him better, and it seems it made him worse.
Lettie was standing by a cat toy and he went for Lettie instead of the toy.
He always goes after her and he runs and tackles her whenever he gets the chance. She´s not allowed to go to the litter either. We have 2 boxes. (one downstairs and one upstairs). We´ve tried spray bottles and lecturing. But Lettie thinks it´s always to her gets scared, and runs away.
Our family to say the least, is very lazy. My mother works for 12 hours and my sister doesn´t seem to want to play with him. I dislike him very much. (I dont do good with bullies). My mother offers to play with him but no one does. Or if we do, its only for a bit. I´ve discussed with my mother about him going to my grandmothers house or him to be sent to a home where he can actually be played with others and animals that will put in that much effort.
My mother just tells me that she´ll play with him and/or it´ll be fine. She told me that it doesn´t seem that big of a deal and that she´d do something about it if she thinks it´s getting bigger.
I understand that this is kitten behavior. But it´s getting worse and Lettie cant even go downstairs without being attacked.
If no one is going to play with him, why have him? Kittens are meant to be played with. We can´t afford anything or much. We have this automatic cat toy where it moves in a circle for only about 15-20 minutes. He has endless energy.
I´ve told my mother that it´s only a cycle. You can play with him but once he´s tired and sleeps, he´ll attack Lettie. He doesn´t care if she wants to play or not.
He´s a good cat though. He cuddles and purrs a lot.
I not only feel bad for Lettie, but for Owen too. I want him to have a family where he can play and be happy. I mean - trust me, he´s a happy cat. But Lettie cant even defend herself. She sees Owen as a son or brother, and doesn´t hurt him. There were times when she has. But that was about 3 months ago.
I have no idea what to do

 

[woahoshi]

We recently got a cat too. He was supposed to be a maine coon, but we don´t think he is. He´s enormous for a 7 month old.
I frankly, dont like him. Our household is very small and not that well for maine coons, considering they like to run around and be outside.
Our other cat, Lettie. Shes 7 years old. She rarely plays. And whenever she plays she gets this kind of ´twitchy´ thing where she bites a part of her body and runs around. I thought it was some kind of thing she did because she has so much energy. But then I realized that she´s not a cat like that. Even when she was a kitten she didnt have much energy.
Before Owen we had a cat, Phillip. He unfortunately died of feline leukemia so he only lasted for about one month. I dont remember when Lettie started getting ´twitchy´. Some time after Phillip. Phillip never got fleas and he must have been somewhere around 2-3 years. We checked Lettie for feline leukemia 2-3 times. And they said no.
My mother and I think that her twitches are out of anxiety. The twitches started a bit before Owen so it couldn´t have been him.
But it seems as if he´s making those twitches worse. Last night Owen was following after her and she had a twitch for about 15-20 minutes. When I tired calming her down like I do, she hissed and bit me. Her twitches usually last for 2 to 5 minutes. I have no idea why that one lasted longer.
Much to say, Owen is a bully. He got spayed a bit ago, thinking that will make him better, and it seems it made him worse.
Lettie was standing by a cat toy and he went for Lettie instead of the toy.
He always goes after her and he runs and tackles her whenever he gets the chance. She´s not allowed to go to the litter either. We have 2 boxes. (one downstairs and one upstairs). We´ve tried spray bottles and lecturing. But Lettie thinks it´s always to her gets scared, and runs away.
Our family to say the least, is very lazy. My mother works for 12 hours and my sister doesn´t seem to want to play with him. I dislike him very much. (I dont do good with bullies). My mother offers to play with him but no one does. Or if we do, its only for a bit. I´ve discussed with my mother about him going to my grandmothers house or him to be sent to a home where he can actually be played with others and animals that will put in that much effort.
My mother just tells me that she´ll play with him and/or it´ll be fine. She told me that it doesn´t seem that big of a deal and that she´d do something about it if she thinks it´s getting bigger.
I understand that this is kitten behavior. But it´s getting worse and Lettie cant even go downstairs without being attacked.
If no one is going to play with him, why have him? Kittens are meant to be played with. We can´t afford anything or much. We have this automatic cat toy where it moves in a circle for only about 15-20 minutes. He has endless energy.
I´ve told my mother that it´s only a cycle. You can play with him but once he´s tired and sleeps, he´ll attack Lettie. He doesn´t care if she wants to play or not.
He´s a good cat though. He cuddles and purrs a lot.
I not only feel bad for Lettie, but for Owen too. I want him to have a family where he can play and be happy. I mean - trust me, he´s a happy cat. But Lettie cant even defend herself. She sees Owen as a son or brother, and doesn´t hurt him. There were times when she has. But that was about 3 months ago.
I have no idea what to do

Owen also has gotten fleas and he had mites in his ears. Lettie got fleas too but we got it all out. I would have thought it would be fleas, but after Owens fleas were gone, we checked Lettie, and she none. I check her frequently for fleas too. And none are there. (it´s difficult to check due to her thick fur, but I still see none)

 

[woahoshi]

I also looked at a website and I asked how do I know when a cat is a bully (mean)?
All of these qualities stand out for Owen.
But not all of them are true (for I am SO thankful by)

• Staring
• Pouncing on another cat while that cat is sleeping or resting
• Blocking thoroughfares such as in the middle of a hallway or in front of the cat flap to deny exit or entry
• Blocking access to indoor litter box
• Forcing another cat away from food bowl (not much anymore cause we have a platform. But when Owen got into jumping, he bothered her a lot. He does it when she eats down on his bowl)
• Claiming resting areas and/or access to human by physically pushing the other cat away (BIG BIG issue. She cant lay on the couch and get pets.) (she rarely goes on the couch anyways..but when she wants to)

All of these he does almost every day. Whenever Lettie walks down stairs or in and out of a room he stares and watches her every move..then attacks. He could be staring cause that´s what kittens do lol.
He blocks the kitchen a lot by running in front of her.
He more of goes to her by the litter box. He doesn´t block it. Just forces her to go to the upstairs one.
He does claiming A LOT. Constantly. He claimed almost all of her resting spots. She have a scratching thingy below the table and she lays there a lot. But it´s usually not for long. He goes up and wraps his arm/paw around her neck and lays on top of her, while biting her neck/body. That´s usually his only powermove 99% of the time.
He´s only done this a few times, but whenever my mother gets home they both always run up to her. Lettie just stands there. She used to rub around her lef. But when she just stands there.. he gets her?

Lettie hasn´t been vocal a lot. Before and around after Phillip she just stopped being vocal. She used to do this cute yowling upstairs thinking no ones there, but now she can´t or won´t. When she trys.. Owen just goes upstairs and attacks her. That could just be him trying to reassure her (which is nice of him). But whenever he goes upstairs when she does that it always refers to her running away. I´m not actually there seeing it so they could be playing.

I also have to constantly remind myself that Owen IS a kitten and he has kitten instincts. So his ´bullying´ might just be playing.
I´ve been turning on the automatic toy thing whenever he gets like that around Lettie. But the cats are breaking it lol. It was a ¨whoosh!¨ but now it´s a ¨whrrrr..¨. So I should start swollowing my anger and just play with him.
When we started playing with Lettie and Owen a lot, he would just do that same wrapping arm/paw around and tackling her. So we just put him in the basement while playing with Lettie. I hope he gets out of that soon, I don´t like putting him in the basement. But he seems to slightly like it (which is cute).
I don´t fully resent him. Some times when he´s a nice and asleep cat, I like him. But I don´t want times where I like and don´t like him. I want to just be able to like him all around.

 

[bakvskg]

Hi there! I came across this thread and it sounds very similar to my situation. I am trying to figure out whether my new kitten is being a bully to my older cat or if he is just being a kitten.
W woahoshi how is Owen doing now that he is a bit older? I am curious to hear if he ever grew out of these behaviors and if Lettie has become more comfortable around him.