Kitten chasing older cat

[Lisamum]

Hi I'd really appreciate some advice please.

I have a 15 year old female (Rc) and a new 8 month male. We've had the kitten for two months and it's been slow going on the introductions. The RC isn't bothered by the kitten scent and if I have the kitten on my knee she will sit close for a head scratch and will roll on the floor for a tummy tickle. The problem starts if I put the kitten down. He keeps lunging at her and trying to jump on her.

This obviously is making her nervous and she does the growling, hissing thing. Problem is she doesn't want to stand her ground and the kitten chases her. My gut tells me this isn't a good thing but I'm not sure how to stop the kitten from doing this. I'm so worried he will corner her and there will be a full on fight.

The kitten is very sweet natured but is starting to wee by his tray which the cats protection people think is a response to being kept in his safe room. I'm desperate to get him out of there but equally don't want to rush things. Having said that will he start to wee all over the house once he is out?

Really appreciate any advice - it's pretty stressful and I'm on my own so don't really have anyone to ask!

[booktigger]

Is your kitten neutered?

[exlibris]

I second booktigger's question - if he's not neutered that's a big part of the problem.

If he is, then you're probably looking at excessive energy. I don't know if your kitten is challenging RC or just wanting a good game of chase (and RC is telling it to get lost, she's an old lady). Maybe you could try exhausting the kitten in the same room as RC. I'm hoping that your little one will be as obsessed with string as much as our two are - have a really good workout, get him running around in circles, chasing it over stools and chair arms, leaping up to catch it. Do this at LEAST once a day (if you can get him panting, that's perfect). RC will probably find the dashing around entertaining as a spectator. If your kitten is exhausted he'll be more chilled - from what you are describing neither cat is avoiding/snarling at each other when you've all sat down together for a stroke. At the moment he probably doesn't understand RC isn't interested/able to match his level of energy/activity.

I'd like to let our new kittens outside at the moment, but I don't trust them in this weather as they are not mature enough not to get lost/trapped. Thankfully they thunder around the house with each other every morning and both have a good workout. Your kitten may be hoping RC will do the same.

Giving a good work out also stimulates your cat - so if he's bored & frustrated he may be taking it out on RC, or stressed and peeing outside the box (btw - have you got a big litter tray? Having wiggle room is more pleasant for a cat).

What do you think from what you see - do you think either behaviour is aggressive, or more "stop bothering me" & "I wanna play"?

[Lisamum]

Thanks for the responses! He is neutered thankfully I try to run him ragged a couple of times a day. Today I had him running up and down the stairs while RC was asleep upstairs ( I shut the door to her room). I then let him quieten down for a bit in his room while RC came downstairs.

Once she had woken up fully I bought the kitten downstairs and held onto him for a bit while she watched. I then let him go and he played for a minute while RC watched. RC positioned herself on the floor to the side of the sofa and was gently growling if he came to close. Eventually he decided to engage and did the usual running at her. I think it is just a game for him, he isn't aggressive and purrs in her presence. The RC was backed into a bit of a corner and adopted a very defensive pose with ears back. As the kitten got close she took a swipe and he backed off for a while. Being a kitten he kept trying.

I let it go for a bit as I hoped RC would realise that he would back off if swiped at but her posture was worrying me so I took the kitten away to let things calm down. She was a bit nervous moving around the house for a while after and didn't start to purr for about 5 mins after despite a fair bit of fuss.

Do you think there is hope? Lisa is an old lady but coexisted happily with another cat for 13 years until we lost him a couple of years back..

Ref the tray it is a large supermarket size but you could be right that he might be occasionally missing ( though I did once see him definitely sit outside the tray)

[exlibris]

Thankfully that doesn't sound like the kitten is aggressive, just playful and relentless. So your old lady needs to find out a way of coping with him. If he was a bit smaller she'd probably just put a paw on him to hold him down until he learned she wasn't going to play like that

It might be that you just have to let things happen - he'll become more chilled as he gets older. If you let him out later in the year (I don't know if you're planning too), then he'll have a bigger territory to play in and she'll have more of the house again. It might be that they'll eventually just work each other out. Give her plenty of fusses and treats (where he can't see) so she gets through the awkward period. It looks like neither are aggressive, which is a really good sign. So as long as it says the same they'll adapt.

When our Twitch died it left her elderly brother as the only cat in the house, but we didn't get a second cat as we didn't know how the old buffer would cope at the age of 16. So another cat chatter might know a bit more than me.

Good luck

[Mollycat]

I wonder if the introductions need to go back a step and slow down. Is there any way you could use one room as a step up introduction room if you don't want kitten to be in his own room all the time? I'm thinking of a removeable barrier so they can see and smell each other but kitten can't chase, and maybe a dog crate is too small and unnatural but something like garden trellis across the middle of the room to make two separate halves, one either side? So kitten gets used to RC being around without pouncing or chasing and hopefully she gets braver too.

15 is a ripe old age and a bouncing kitten can take a lot of getting used to even for a younger cat. Limit the time they are both together and supervise them closely, backup RC when she tells him she's had enough by removing him with a firm 'no', but immediately put him down somewhere he can't get at her and ignore him. He should learn that boisterous behaviour won't get him any attention from anybody, if she won't stand her ground and tell him properly herself. In some ways it might help him if she was cornered and gave him a slap, but at 8 months now he's unlikely to take it and a fight could be possible.

[Lisamum]

Hi, I don't have a room I can put a barrier in unfortunately. I tried a barrier across the door of the kitten's safe room but he kept climbing it which was alarming for the RC! I think I will try asking a friend to have RC on his lap and I'll bring the kitten in for short visits but will prevent him from approaching the RC until she seems more comfortable.

I tried another f2f yesterday with mixed results, the kitten tried a few runs but was batted back, this did the trick for a while and he retreated to the other side of the room and played with his toys. RC was unhappy so I let her go outside. I coaxed her back in a few mins later and she sat on the window sill in the conservatory to watch the kitten. I think this is progress but once I removed the kitten she was very nervous and jumpy walking around the house.

I've got some Feliway friends plugged in around the house but I've also sprayed some classic in the area where I've been doing the introductions. I'll focus on having frequent, short meetings and keeping them at a distance. Hopefully I can also use the timeout approach with the kitten to help train him to not make runs at her.

Fingers crossed and thanks for the support

[Lisamum]

Just thought I would round off this thread. I reluctantly decided to ask the cats protection team to rehome the kitten. The kitten simply wanted to play and the RC was just not interested. Unfortunately his attempts at play were simply too upsetting for the old lady. I had really hoped for a different outcome but as has been mentioned before, sometimes old cats just don't want young company!

Thank you to everyone who gave advice and support, it was really appreciated during a tough time!

[exlibris]

That's a shame, you're probably missing the little fella, but he'll be rehomed quickly as a kitten. I dare say your old lady feels an awful lot better now.