Expert: Ali - 5/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have a 20 month old cat and recently got another kitten who is 8 weeks old.  They are from the same family and actually the kitten is my older cats nephew!  Poppy ( the older one) seems to be quite curious of the new arrival (Charlie) and will walk about each other no problem.  No hissing, flat ears etc.  However, when they start of running after each other and jumping about, it quickly turns into poppy pinning Charlie down and biting his tummy or kicking him with her back legs, which I've read is how they kill prey.  He mewls but she doesn't let go and I have to split them up but he always goes back for more!!!  Is Poppy trying to hurt him?  She is a very strong cat and I'm worried she hurts him.

ANSWER: Lindsey,

How long has it been since you brought your newest feline family member home? Was he properly introduced to the household? My concern is that you may be seeing some territorial aggression due to improperly introducing this little guy to your household. If this is the case I'm more than willing to help you remedy the situation.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Its been 6 days now.  Poppy is kept in the kitchen at night and Charlie in the spare bedroom which Poppy never goes into.  We let them sniff around each other a bit on the first day and then kept them separate with Poppy getting the run of the house and Charlie in the spare room with one of us for company.  Poppy still has her litter tray and feeding bowls in the same place and Charlie's are upstairs. They have their own scratching post each as well.  She keeps trying to sniff his bum but he wont let her and sometimes they play chase.  I'm just worried when it gets a bit aggressive.

Answer
Lindsey,

I suspect that the behavior you're seeing from the older cat is a direct result of improperly introducing the kitten into your household. Cats are quite territorial and they don't like change much. I think that it might be worth your while to check out my previous answers about introducing a new cat into your household, but I will give you a general idea of how new cat introductions should happen.

Firstly, I always recommend that a new cat or kitten coming into a household with one or more resident cats be kept isolated behind a closed door with all of the usual kitty necessities for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. This isolation period serves two main purposes, it allows the cats to become accustomed to each other without direct contact with one another in a non-threatening environment. The isolation also allows for a quarantine period to prevent the spread of common viral and bacterial infections that may not be apparent when you first adopt a new cat. Feeding the cats on opposite sides of the closed door will allow them to associate each other with something positive - food. Just because this new kitten hasn't been properly introduced doesn't mean that this can't be turned around, the good thing about proper introductions is that mistakes can be undone by properly re-introducing the cats.

I think that a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure might help to calm things down a bit so that things can start over on the right foot. You can generally find Rescue Remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies, some mainstream pharmacies in the section with vitamins and nutritional supplements and I believe that this product can also be purchased online. I would recommend that you add 5-7 drops of Rescue Remedy to a bowl of fresh water for each of the cats every morning. You may be surprised at how things change in a relatively short space of time. I think that in combination with the information provided in this answer as well as the more detailed information in previous answers on this subject you, Poppy and Charlie will be well on the way to a happier and more peaceful living situation.

Obviously since Poppy is somewhat older than Charlie she may continue to push him around even after proper introductions. If this happens once the cats are comfortable with and willing to accept each other then I'd suggest supervising carefully without intervening. Poppy will probably continue her attacks on Charlie to a lesser degree than what's happening now to help him learn important things like how to defend himself and where his place within the household hierarchy stands. Feline society can be quite complex and unless someone's at risk of being hurt it's best to allow them to work things out on their own, after all, everyone has to find their place within the household and they can't do this if we continually intervene.

Given the fact that Charlie's so young and he was taken from mom before 12 weeks of age there may be some social lessons he's missed out on. I normally recommend that kittens be allowed to stay with mom for a minimum of 10-12 weeks because they learn important skills like hunting, defending themselves, how to read and respond appropriately to feline body language, whether they're dominant or submissive within their litter and through interacting with their mother and siblings they learn many other subtle lessons. Mother cats provide discipline from birth onward, this allows the kittens to be more balanced, even tempered and easy to socialize with. Some behavioral issues are more common in kittens removed from their mother's care too soon, so it's best overall to allow the kittens to be socialized, disciplined and properly cared for by their mother, she has valuable lessons to teach kittens in their first few weeks.