I have very little experience with cats.
We, meaning the family I work for, have an adult male cat (neutered, front claws gone). He’s been an only cat for years. Recently, we acquired a very new kitten, rescued from being eaten by a lawnmower. She’s only temporary, until she’s been litter-trained (done) and starts eating solid food.
For the first week or so, Sebek (adult male cat) mostly ignored Yankie (new kitty), except for keeping a sharp eye on her at all times. If she got too close, he’d run away to watch her from a safe distance. Also, he was highly offended if you tried to touch him after handling Yankie.
Yankie is now in the attack-kitten stage, and today she play-attacked Sebek. He turned right around and got a mouthful of her. He didn’t go for the throat or belly, he got her right on the shoulder. He didn’t break the skin, but he did not want to let go. Of course, I freaked out and got her away from him. The next time she was on the floor, he went after her again, but I got to her before he got a grip on her. Since then, I’ve kept a very close watch on where they both are at all times, and Sebek hasn’t tried to go after Yankie again.
My question is this: Is Sebek trying to kill the kitten, or is this his version of playing? They were unsupervised for almost three hours this morning without the kitten being killed.
They aren’t even my cats, but I’d rather not have one kill the other while I’m in charge.
My guess is that it’s play (we have a new kitten also, and the older one plays pretty aggressively). Try squirting the older one with a squirt bottle when it gets too rowdy. That’ll make him think twice! If this doesn’t work, you may not be able to have two kitties. It’s been known to happen occasionally.
I think it’s neither killing nor play - it’s discipline. A mother cat will grab a kitten by the scruff and sit on it when it’s getting too rowdy. I’ve heard it recommended that you do the same thing when play gets out of hand and you get scratched - hold the kitten down (gently) by the back of the neck, while putting an arm or chest across/around the back to immobilize it. This is the cat equivalent of putting your kid in time-out.
What is the position of Sebek’s ears and tail when he attacks new kitty? If his ears are down and his tail is straight out and fluffed, usually accompanied by growling and hissing, he’s seriously pissed. But he’s probably not trying to kill her, since he would have gone for a more vital spot if this was the case. I agree it’s probably a form of discipline. If his ears and tail are up and non-fluffed (though sometimes cats fluff out their tails when they’re playing), he’s just fooling around. The new kitty is female, yes? If so, you probably have no worries. If it’s male, tomcats sometimes kill male kittens to get rid of unwanted competition, but again, if your cat is neutered you should have no worries.
If he was trying to kill her, he’d have broken the skin. Trust me.
This sounds like a combination of discipline and them working out dominance issues. He’s just showing her who the boss cat in the house is, that’s all. They tend to work these things out on their own fairly quickly when left to themselves. As long as neither of them is getting hurt, I’d stay out of it.
We’ve had the new kitty for a little over a month, and the carrying on is much better than it was the first couple weeks.
Thanks, everyone.
Sebek wasn’t growling or hissing at all, and his tail was normal. Ears weren’t flat either. I have seen him around other cats that he feels are threatening, so if I hadn’t been so worried, I might have picked up on the lack of those things. (Probably not.)
Have to agree with the others. Declawed cats especially can get a little “bitey,” but it sounds more as if he’s showing dominance and discipline. Most domesticated cats, in my experience, won’t seriously harm a kitten. Feral toms do kill kittens, but most neutered cats won’t. Show Sebek extra affection, if possible. Take him into a room where the kitten can’t come and give him intense pets and treats. That will make him feel less threatened. Cats are very aware of who is getting attention when.
Good luck!
Julie
Cats tend to be ornery, but domestic cats almost never try to kill one another. I’ve seen similar behavior in cats getting to know one another. Sometimes it’s best to let them settle things–to a point.
I agree that giving Sebek more attention is very important as the new kitten is introduced. Overprotecting the kitten can backfire into more aggressive behavior. This happens in dogs also. Jealousy is a powerful motivator in domestic animals.
Aside: jealousy can be used in animal training with excellent effect.
I adopted two kittens three weeks ago and this is invaluable knowledge for me. Thanks–I hadn’t read this anywhere!
Now I will know what to do the next time Rex goes berserk and enters “Trash the House” mode. So far, my other discipline techniques have taught him 1) run under the sofa when Mommy brings out the squirt bottle and 2) that loud noises really don’t bother him so much.
One thing to watch out for - he may claw her with his back claws and cause an infection or abscess – they can pop up suddenly. One minute, the kitten will be fine and frisky, three hours later feverish and clearly sick. Keep an eye on any scratches or bumps.
What are the colors of the cats? Maybe it’s a racial thing… and this should NOT be tolerated!!!
Remember to give Sebek plenty of affection. Jealousy of attention given the new cat is not unusual.
I’ve been keeping an eye on both of them, and separating them when Yankie gets too rambunctious or Sebek starts enjoying the disciplining too much.
Sebek is stand-offish when Yankie is around. It’s hard to love him up when he walks away whenever she gets too close while I’m petting him. He’s not a cuddly cat at the best of times, either. I am attempting to give him extra attention, though, poor guy.
Right now, Yankie is exiled to another room, so we are all taking a break from cat negotiations. I’ll see if he’s calmed down enough to want some petting.