How to stop my older cat from being a bully?

Question

I got a new kitten yesterday and have been slowly introducing him to my 10-month-old spayed female cat. He's very sweet and easygoing and leaves the older cat alone to play by himself, but she won't stop harassing him and chasing him around.

How can I discourage this behavior?

Answer 1

Time, it just takes Time.

Answer 2

cats can be some what territorial and think of the new kitten to be a threat. it might think that it will have to compete for food or care/attention or they just plainly dislike each other kinda like humans. also she maybe is testing if the kitten will fight back kinda testing if he is going to take charge. eventually they should get use to each other. if the problem continues maybe try as a last resort a spritz bottle and spray who ever picks the fight  but you must be able to till if they are fighting or playing

Answer 3

It might be jealousy. You can get these herbal remedies that are actually made for people but are safe to give to animals as well. When we got our kitten our older cat got very angry and was always beating up on the little one. We guessed he was just jealous, so we gave him the Holly remedy and it made a huge difference.

They are called Bach Flower Remedies, get "Holly" it is made specifically to curb jealousy. You can get them at natural remedy stores. Good luck!

If all else fails...you may need to just give your older cat time. It can take over a year for an older animal to get used to having a new cat join the family, and waiting them out sometimes if the only thing that works.

Answer 4

trust me she will quit when she is used to him. our females did that when we brought home our rescue but it wasnt too long after that she started acting like his mom, and she has never had kittens. it is just her way of saying, this is my house and my family and dont even think of trying anything, i know you are here. she will warm up soon and then it will be like he has always been there. best of luck

Answer 5

It sounds like she is showing her dominance.  Don't be surprised if she grabs his neck and mounts him for a time; she's showing him that she is the top cat.  I wouldn't worry about the behavior unless it turns threatening or violent. Make sure that each cat has a safe spot where they can go to get away from each other.  You might also want to consider making the older girl tired out with some group play.  Cats bond over play and hopefully the older cat will be left too tired to mess with the kitten.  One toy that every cat seems to love is the Cat Dancer.

You should also make sure that you have lots of vertical space.  Cats express their dominance vertically; the higher the better.  If your girl has somewhere where she can sit and look down on the kitten, she might not feel the need to chase him so much.  Cat trees are great for expanding vertical space.

Answer 6

spray it with a water bottle.