new kitten angry at older kitten?

[mmberryx]

hi i hope this is the right forum. i have just signed up and looking for some advice.

i have a six month old male domestic shorthair. he is neutered and has a rather lovely temperament - a bit of a mamas boy, loves a cuddle, loves being around people. on advice from our vet, we decided to get another kitten (he is 9 weeks) for my 6 month old to play with and then so they can keep each other company while i was working or busy etc.

my 6 month old had no issues, no hissing or growling or anything. he dwe have been keeping them separated while were out and lettif them have short periods of play. the 9 week old has a towel that hugo likes to lie on and Hugo has a blanket that Gus has been sleeping on so they are familiar with his scents.
im not sure if its because Hugo is a lot bigger than Gus but Hugo tries to pin him down and lick him and from what i can tell, he tries to bite. im aware this is a sign of dominance and trying to be the alpha but it seems to get really aggressive. Gus now growls and hisses whenever hugo tries to play with him, and Hugo backs off (he does have manners) and i think hugo just really wants to play. i feel terrible because we have to keep Hugo out of our bedroom as our apartment isnt huge, and thays where have put the kitten. Hugo cries at the bedroom door which breaks my heart as he is my first fur baby and i hate to seem him distressed. could i put Gus in his cat carrier once hes eaten and used his tray? Then could Hugo come in and sleep as normal with us? My BF suggested it but i feel its also cruel to lock the baby up in his case.

Does anyone have ang suggestions on what i can do or what ive done wrong? my hearts breaking and i dont want to give the kitten back to the shelter but he wont allow hugo near him. I really dont think hugo is doing anything wrong, but im so stressed over this.

thanks.

[Ruth B]

Firstly a carrier isn't big enough to shut a kitten in, you need a pen large enough to fit litter tray, water bowl and food bowl in. Do you have any other room (kitchen or living room) that you could shut the kitten in and let Hugo back into the bedroom with you. Alternatively could you contact the charity Gus came from and see if they have any pens they could lend you for a few weeks. At the moment I think that Hugo is feeling that Gus is taking his place as top cat and is trying to assert his dominance.

The size difference between a 9 week kitten and a 6 month cat is quite major and I do think that things will settle down once Gus is a little bigger and more able to hold his own. A 6 month old male cat is rather boisterous in his play and I think it is probably just too much for Gus and he is feeling overwhelmed. Cats playing can appear quite aggressive but as long as no actual damage is being done you can normally leave them to it, however Gus' reaction seems to indicate that he isn't ready for it yet. You might also find that having a good play session with Hugo before you let him and Gus interact would help, but make sure that Hugo has a bit of time to calm down before letting them together.

Finally I assume that Hugo is already neutered at 6 months, if not then that would certainly help him calm down a bit.

[mmberryx]

thanks for your reply!
we have purchased a pen, and are just waiting its arrival within the next day or so.
hugo is neutered yes, as soon as he was old enough we got it done.
weirdly, today was very different! they have had their rough play (where they chase and catch each other) and if it became too aggressive we separated them as normal. it didnt appear to be as aggressive and it looked as though Gus was growling just because Hugo was about to jump on him rather than being in pain. so we decided to see if we could keep the door adjoining my bedroom and living room open (small apartment)to see what would happen. this would mean both cats would have freedom of both rooms rather than hugo in the LR and gus in the BR. we kept gus’ litter/toys/food as normal and moved hugos stuff into the LR so we could keep the door leading to our hallway closed.
hugo happily wandered through to me for a cuddle then went away. gus cane through and had a look as he is still quite shy around us then they again played and rolled about for a while and after that, hugo groomed gus and now theyre all cuddled up, fast asleep at the bottom of my bed! the nost dramatic change of events.

[Ruth B]

Sounds like you might not need the pen when it arrives.

It seems that Hugo was a bit upset about being usurped by the new comer and now he has access to you he is less concerned and less worried about having to be dominant. Hopefully it will continue and they will stay best friends.