Resident cat and kitten - all is fair until playtime

Kipster

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Hi all!

First time poster! We have a 1 year old tuxedo female and we got an 8 week male kitten 6 days ago from the shelter. Both are fixed. Introducing went slowly, no contact until hissing stopped under the door, scent swaps, site swaps, etc. They do well now in the same room...EXCEPT play time. Kip (my resident female) will groom Cosmo (kitten), they will play with toys. They even sleep together now! However sometimes grooming or coexisting turns into playtime. Cosmo will hiss and yelp out. No claws come out, no blood, no hissing from Kip. We separate them when Cosmo says he has had enough, but I worry since he’s so much smaller this is not good for him. We positively reinforce Kip with treats for good playtime, social grooming, etc. Hoping for suggestions on how to curb this habit.

Pic included of them bc why not
 

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Kipster

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I should also mention they do best together in our spare bedroom, which has been Cosmo's basecamp. Kip doesn't play rough in here. Most of her rough play that elicits a yelp or hiss from Cosmo happens in the living room or kitchen.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi! Cute pic!!! I think you will just have to keep doing what you are currently doing until Cosmo gets older/bigger. There is no real way to curb the behavior unless you just keep them separated. You can also pay close attention to what is going on right before Kip starts to get a little rough, and head it off before Cosmo yelps and hisses. You could distract Kip at that point with a toy that she likes and she might just drop her interest in Cosmo and play with you.
 
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Kipster

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Hi! Cute pic!!! I think you will just have to keep doing what you are currently doing until Cosmo gets older/bigger. There is no real way to curb the behavior unless you just keep them separated. You can also pay close attention to what is going on right before Kip starts to get a little rough, and head it off before Cosmo yelps and hisses. You could distract Kip at that point with a toy that she likes and she might just drop her interest in Cosmo and play with you.
Thank you! Cosmo has now begun chasing kip around too. They snuggled up together again today. I just keep separating them when he yelps and give treats to kip for social grooming. They don’t appear to hate each other, so I’m assuming this will clear over time?
 

FeebysOwner

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More than likely. Cosmo will hold his own when he gets bigger. The fact that he is now chasing Kip around says that he doesn't feel 'harmed' by her or he would probably avoid her. So, just keep giving him a break when you think he has had enough.
 
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Kipster

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More than likely. Cosmo will hold his own when he gets bigger. The fact that he is now chasing Kip around says that he doesn't feel 'harmed' by her or he would probably avoid her. So, just keep giving him a break when you think he has had enough.
Thank you! I guess maybe I just needed some reassurance. It’s hard to hear Cosmo yelp and Kip not totally stop. We drop our keys on the ground in effort to diffuse and separate. They have been napping on or near each other all day so I assume that means they don’t hate each other :)
 
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