Is my cat trying to hurt my new kitten?

Question

More 'new kitten - existing cat' questions from me! Sorry! :-)

I've just got a new 8 week old female kitten and the introductions to our 1 year old neutered male cat have begun...

At first he hissed like mad, but now the hissing has stopped. She is hissing and growling at him when he comes too close now, but he is silent and just watches her, then stalks / chases her. Today they were swatting each other with their paws kind of playfully, which I think was ok, but then he kept getting on top of her and trying to bite her round the neck.

I don't know if he was playing, trying to pick her up, or trying to hurt her? I just need some advice really as this is my first time doing this, and I get nervous due to her being so tiny and him being so big and rough!

Thank you so much for any advice!

xx Emmie

Answer 1

i think theyre prob just sizing each other up

cats playfighting looks more painful for them than it actually is

they bite back of neck cos thats how cats pick up their young and show young whos boss

im sure theyll be ok by next week when they know each other better

Answer 2

when you introduce a new cat to your home, your old cat will take some time to adjust. try letting the kitten in rooms alone for a while so that it can leave it's scent and pick up the smell of the house.

I have 4 cats, 2 of them play fight half the time, could be feeding them and a paw will swipe,
theres only one cat that never fights back because she's bottom of the pack, but she still gets on with all the cats,

they are kind of like children, most of the time cats will get used to each other, sometimes they will not,

I doubt that your cat will hurt the kitten to be honest, the bitting of the neck could be a nuturing thing or a sexual thing, just keep an eye on the, if your worried about leaving them alone you can always lock the kitten in a room with a litter tray, water and food while your out.

Answer 3

I'm with Shmoo on this one. Your male is showing the kitten that he is top cat. Mother cats use this technique to discipline their kittens and it also works when humans do it to discourage kittens from biting or playing too rough. The hissing and growling is posturing, and most cats will do it when introduced to a new cat.

When we adopted a male kitten as a companion for our 6 month old female, she also used to straddle him and bite the back of his neck. When kittens play fight, it involves a lot of wrestling to see who can pin the other one down. Two years on, my two still enjoy wrestling, but now they are both the same size they are evenly matched.

Stalking, chasing and pouncing are the games that kittens enjoy playing because they are actually practicing their hunting skills. Until the female is at least 12 weeks old, I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised. I'm not suggesting that your male would try to hurt her, but she won't be physically capable or have enough life experience to escape from him if he does get too rough.

It took a month for our female to accept the male and it had almost gotten to the point when I thought she never would. Be patient. They need to get used to each other in their own time, you cannot rush these things.

Answer 4

When introducing a new member to your clan, cats take about a week (sometimes less or longer.. no more than a week and a half) to get use to them. There will be growling and hissing and chasing. Unfortunately its the way all cats are that have someone new come onto their turf. They are just showing the new comer that they are not happy. My cat Skitz had to go thru that with my moms cat (for almost 2 weeks) her cat would growl, meow very loudly and chase him to his room (my room was his santuary). They have to get use to the smells and the sense of the now having to get shared attention from you and other things (like his toys and food) The best way to keep it at a minimum is to show affection to both cats while they are both in the room, saying it's okay (especially to the older one thats been there) if you show thats its okay then he will in turn be okay... but also watch them. if the new kitten found a place he goes to often to hide, I would try to keep the other one from intruding on that area. It's okay that he chases him and such (but fighting might not be good, with claws and all) but your cat will learn that this is a new member to your family and he is there to stay. It's just the territory that your cat is feeling invaded by (i.e- your whole house) and within (hopefully) 4-5 days he will settle with the new one and make peace (which they all eventually do) after that time the chasing would stop (for territory rights) and the chasing for fun and play would begin. (yes there is a difference). My mom had a way of showing her cat that it was not okay to chase by using a squirt bottle on her. But she also showed affection to Skitz in front of her cat to show it was okay to have him in the house, that nothing is wrong... but also in turn she gave affection to her cat in front of Skitz to show it doesnt change anything by having the new member. All and all the cats will make peace with each other and all would be well in your household again. Just as a heads up, if they eat together (you have a certain feeding time, i would have them at least 5ft apart at first and after day 3 start moving them closer and closer. they will then be eating next to each other no problem, same thing with playtime. With a toy play with both separately then try to coax them together ((in the same room)) and that would ease things better.) Just you showing it's okay, will make their life better to transition too. I do hope this helps!

Answer 5

It's probably an issue of dominance: You see that a lot with new cats being introduced to a household.

I don't think the grown cat is trying to hurt the kitten, but watch him. And interfere if he gets too rough, but not until then.

Meanwhile, don't worry: When I brought a pair of kittens home, the old cat I had then didn't like them at all. And when the kittens were grown, the (then) little male started bullying the old cat.

Answer 6

They're probably playing with each other, I have four four week old kittens right now and they're at the playful stage, they split into pairs and play fight, including biting each other round the neck so it could just be that, but at the same time, he could be trying to assert some dominance over her. If she doesn't seem to be acting like it's hurting her then let them get on with it, just keep an eye on them in case he gets too rough for her, they should accept each other pretty soon.

Answer 7

We had the exact same problem when we introduced our female kitten to our existing male cat. For the first few days I drove myself crazy chasing after the two of them to make sure neither was getting hurt. After a while though I figured out that she wasn't getting hurt (if she was she would have been crying out) so I let it be. The two are great friends now. Cat play can look very rough to us. Remember that if she's getting hurt she will let you know, kittens are very good at that.

Answer 8

You shouldn't let them be together unless you're in the room. I had a 6 mo. old male, and brought in a one-year old female. They were both the same size when they met, and to me, it looked like they got along. Then he grew twice her size, and since he was never socialized, he decided to pick on her every chance he got. He didn't want to share. He was fixed, but one day, I came home and was petting her when I felt something under her chin. I realized that they were bite marks which was pussed over and healing. After that, I watched him very carefully and saw that he would go up to her and start to groom her by licking and when she was comfortable, he would bite her.

After that, I had to make a decision that I didn't want. I could only keep one.

Keep them separate until you know for sure that he won't hurt her. Mine was an extreme case, but you don't want to take a chance that you may come home to a very nasty accident. Sometimes you don't want your pet to be lonely, but you have to measure whether it is worth it.

Be safe than sorry.

Answer 9

My oldest cat did this when we brought a new one home. Now four years later they play all the time, and my older cat acts so much younger. I think it is mostly a domain thing. They just want to let the new one know they are in charge and this is their place. Just give some time and they will be fine!!

Answer 10

He's probably just showing her who's boss. When dogs fight for dominance they go for the neck/shoulders so maybe it's the same with cats? If he looks like he's *mounting* her from behind then that's probably what he's doing. He may be neutered but he's still a boy! If you're really worried you could keep them apart for a while, especially if you're not there.

Answer 11

i don't think he is trying to hurt her but he is telling her who is boss by biting her neck, he wants to be the boss of the household . Just keep an eye on them so he don't get too rough with her. If he does get a bit rough try using a water spray to divert his attention away from her without getting involved in the make up of there household.