Expert: Tina - 6/17/2007

Question
We have a 1yr-old kitten (m) who CONSTANTLY chases our 12-yr old cat.(f) He doesn't do anything malicious, he just runs at/with her, but she always hisses and runs away. If he just is looking for a playmate, how do we "teach" him that chasing her is a definite NO! When he chases her, and I raise my voice, he DOES stop..but goes right back to it. If I catch him in the act, I put him in bathroom for 15 minutes...nothing works. They are spayed and neutered.

Answer
HI Ken,

Unfortunately this is normal behavior for a 1 year old cat. They have a lot of energy and would normally be playing with siblings and wrestling chasing etc. You can't train your cat to be something other than a young cat, you will never be able to train him this way not to try and play with your other cat.

One option is to adopt a third cat the same age, so the youngsters can play together. They may both occassionally bother your older cat but mostly they will play with eachother.

If that's not an option, you will have to be your younger cats' play-mate. That means several high energy play sessions every day. The good news is they don't have to be high energy for YOU! Get a laser poinetr toy or a feather on a string ("da bird") and get your cat running around after it. Make sure he's running and jumping for at least 15 minutes. Have him run up the cat tree, jump on the bed (soft landings) and up and down the hallway. Try to time your sessions for the same time every day, your cat will come to expect the play time and learn to sleep when he's not playing - so he'll be less likely to wake up bored and bug your older cat.

If and when you do catch him i the act of going after your other cat, don't scold him or isolate him (that won't accomplish anything, as you have discovered) just re-direct his attention to a fun toy. Drag a showlace along the ground, make the laser pointer play hide and seek under a door, etc.

Also make sure your  older cat has a tall cat tree or place he can get to and defend himself, so he can tell the kitten to go away when he is annoyed.

Good luck!