Expert: Brandy - 1/23/2007

Question
hi, i have two cats, one is 9yrs old, and the other is 5yrs old. the youngest cat(smudge) is always mean to the older one(batman). do u have any tricks, or suggestions so i can stop the fighting?

Answer
The youngest of my cats, 4 years old, seems to delight in bullying, stalking and pouncing on his 10-year old grandmother, since his 9-year old mother beat the stuffing out of him a while back. I wish a million wishes I knew what to do to make him stop, other than watch his body language and distract him prior to a pounce (he's twice the weight of the girls, though his mother doesn't put up with much).

I would also suggest giving Batman a special space just for himself where he can get away from Smudge, perhaps even a box/crate set away from Smudge so that Batman can have his literal batcave.

A cat at 4 is still a young cat, and while it might seem that he's being mean, he could also be trying to expend some energy, and a cat reaching 9 is gearing for a nice quiet retirement phase. Maybe if you get Smudge some interactive toys (like some which are battery-operated) that can make him move around alot, to tire him out.

I empathize with you. Really. Now I need to go collect granny from the top of the curio where she got chased by her rude ingrate of a grandson...