Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It makes me wonder what the kitten is thinking when the older cat shrieks and slaps him. She also growls loudly at him. How come he doesn't get the message that what he's doing is bad? Shouldn't he be associating wrestling with her with getting growled at and slapped?
The only thing I've done so far to try to solve this is to reprimand the kitten when he does it. If I can't re-route his attention to a toy before I see him do it, I will pull him off her or break up the wrestling match, lift him up and say no to him. However, this doesn't seem to be working either. I try whenever I can to re-direct his attention to a toy to prevent the aggressive behavior. He's almost as big as our 4-year old cat now, and he's only 5 months. He's going to be a big cat, and I worry that he's going to try to wrestle her alpha position away from her. She is not going to like that--she's a high strung, territorial cat.
He is obviously the alpha cat and your are doing the correct thing by re-directing. At 5 months you could try the water bottle. but I would still be reluctant. You have to understand...if the older cat "really" hated the whole idea of him playing, she would be fly at him. I have one who will absolutely howl when she is play attacked....yet 2 min later, she is the who is iniciating the play. I'm betting you have never actually seen a "cat fight" between the two! As long as no one is being injured...let the two of them work it out. JMO
He is obviously the alpha cat and your are doing the correct thing by re-directing. At 5 months you could try the water bottle. but I would still be reluctant. You have to understand...if the older cat "really" hated the whole idea of him playing, she would be fly at him. I have one who will absolutely howl when she is play attacked....yet 2 min later, she is the who is iniciating the play. I'm betting you have never actually seen a "cat fight" between the two! As long as no one is being injured...let the two of them work it out. JMO
I don't think he's the alpha cat--he always rolls over onto his back in submission when he and the other cat are playing, and when I give them a special treat, she eats all of hers and most of his, and he doesn't complain. Also, he has never tried to slap her but she always slaps him. If he is in a spot she wants to be in, she growls and he moves. All these things point to her being the alpha cat, but maybe he wants to be the alpha.
I would say the older cat "flies" at him. The shrieking is like what you'd hear if two cats were fighting outside. It's loud and it's a little scary quite frankly. No one is ever injured but the sounds she makes are really loud. He never utters a peep interestingly. I'd never heard such noises from her until he started doing this.
Exactly my point. And he still "plays" with her! Noise is nothing! If no one is getting hurt...and obviously, she could do some damage if she cared too...I wouldn't worry too much. It sounds like you are more concerned, than she.
He is still a baby! And sometimes, it takes longer for some than others to learn the pecking order.
PS...I thought my Shelby would absolutely mother a kitten (Kaci) I brought in. Boy was I wrong...I never knew she could make the sounds she did!!!!!!!!!!! She howled and yowled at her...swatted, hissed and took longer than the other cats to accept Kaci. And to this day, Kaci...who is a royal pain the butt...just doesn't take NO for an answer...still likes to rattle her. But at this very moment...they are sitting here preening one another.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,766,834 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by doglover29
She hates this and hisses and shrieks when he does this, and she also slaps him. But he is not getting the message.
My sister brought home a lot of kittens when we were growing up. It has been my experience that once you bring a second kitty into the house, the older cat changes and feels disenfranchised. He or she becomes a second class citizen. Sometimes they just say "screw it" and move outside fulltime.
Unless the older cat really hurts the kitten, he will not get the message. In fact, the lesson he learns from getting slapped by a de-clawed older cat is that the older cat can't hurt him.
My sister brought home a lot of kittens when we were growing up. It has been my experience that once you bring a second kitty into the house, the older cat changes and feels disenfranchised. He or she becomes a second class citizen. Sometimes they just say "screw it" and move outside fulltime.
Unless the older cat really hurts the kitten, he will not get the message. In fact, the lesson he learns from getting slapped by a de-clawed older cat is that the older cat can't hurt him.
This is interesting--I definitely feel that our older cat, who is the alpha, has changed in personality from before, when she was the beta cat. Her personality has changed in both positive and negative ways. But I do notice that she seems more grumpy now than she used to, and this kitten's antics are just making her grumpier.
Neither of our cats are declawed, but I don't think she extends her claws when she slaps him.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,766,834 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShelbyGirl1
PS...I thought my Shelby would absolutely mother a kitten (Kaci) I brought in. Boy was I wrong...I never knew she could make the sounds she did!!!!!!!!!!! She howled and yowled at her...swatted, hissed and took longer than the other cats to accept Kaci. And to this day, Kaci...who is a royal pain the butt...just doesn't take NO for an answer...still likes to rattle her. But at this very moment...they are sitting here preening one another.
This reminds me of an introduction we made a long time ago. My sister read that you should try to introduce kittens to existing cats by holding them and showing the older cat that this is a new addition to love***
>The problem is that cats are not governed by any set of discernable rules and really don't care what your intentions are; they see things exactly how they want to see them regardless of how careful your preparations were.<
***My sister entered the room the older cat was in and got her attention by calling her name. The cat looked up and became very interested in the kitten. She trotted across the room, looking good natured enough and stood up on my sister's knee for a closer look. Everything was going great. We all felt happy and encouraged to see that theirs would be a wonderful association. My sister lowered the kitten to allow a thorough inspection.
All hell broke loose. The cat stood every hair on end, raked both sets of claws across the kitten and started emitting this awful scream. My sister snatched the kitten back and the cat sprinted away to the corner of the room. Once in the corner the cat performed a handstand back-flip with a 640 degree fakie-half rotation that would have put any Chinese gymnast to shame. She then ran back at my sister and climbed up her blue jeans, fully intent on kitty murder. My dad threw his beer on my sister and the cat, effectively diffusing the situation (smart man).
I guess getting another younger kitten would be the best. My two younger ones always play together and ignored the older one most of the time. Sometime the older one gets bored and just chase me around the house if I'm in the mood of playing with him...
Sorry....I disagree! Spraying a 12 week old kitten for playing is totally wrong!
Spray bottles work for older kittens/cat who are kneading on furniture...not playing! Start spraying this kitten now and your going to have a kitten that is terrified of you and make him skittish throughout his lifetime.
Did you read the original post?
One cat is being attacked to the point that fur is being violently removed from her neck. Water will not hurt a kitten. Let's get some perspective here.
I did...and I was responding the 12 week old kitten issue (which I stated). Do you punish a baby...a slight slap won't hurt a baby either...but who would do such a thing. I happen to think my perspective of punishing a kitten is well in line. Spraying a very young kitten with water will make it skittish ...JMO!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
to learn the pecking order.
