Older cat bully to new kitten

Hi Everyone,

I have a cat, Taco who is around 1.5 years old. He's been living alone with us for over a year now. We just got a new little adorable kitten (also male) who is 6 weeks old.
Of course, in the begining, lots of growling, etc. I kept them separated a lot, with occassional temporary introductions. Taco was very scared of him, but after a few days, he already allowed the kitten (still nameless!) to come close. They also play together.
The problem is, is that Taco is quite a large kitty and who plays pretty rough. He's also bullying the little one. (ie. tripping him over, running after him, swiping his paws at him quite fast, but sometimes i hear the kitten "squealing" when Taco gets on top of him aggressively). I yell "stop" at Taco of course they both run away. I don't know whether this is what i'm supposed to do! it's just the poor little kitty is getting "beaten up" (the little one doesn't show many signs of being scared - but sometimes he does run away and hide, and like i mentioned before, squeals).

so... what is to be done? will the little one grow up and take care of himself? will he develop a fear of Taco? should i separate them more often? (though i've heard that that isn't such a good idea either!) What should I do?!

any suggestions?

Well first off the older cat will be trying to show the kitten that he is alpha in the house so expect a little bullying and stuff. I wouldn't worry about the squealing too much. As long as the older cat is neutered it should be alright (unneutered males may be more agressive)

On a side note though, I wouldn't let such a young kitten have free run of your house just yet especially unsupervised access to the older cat. He is way too young to be away from his own mother let alone having a large house all to himself. Where did the kitten come from? Is there any way to get it back to its mother until it is old enough to be away from her? Obviously if not then thats fine, just curious how you aquired such a young kitten.

well, we got the kitten from someone who found him on the street, apparently abanded by his mother.... so there is no mother to go to...

as for the bullying, i figured that to be it, it's just seems sometimes a little too much for the little one (but what do i know!?).. so maybe i'll keep them separated when going to sleep and when leaving the house.... hmmm they've already been wandering around the entire house together....

Originally Posted by rororo

well, we got the kitten from someone who found him on the street, apparently abanded by his mother.... so there is no mother to go to...

as for the bullying, i figured that to be it, it's just seems sometimes a little too much for the little one (but what do i know!?).. so maybe i'll keep them separated when going to sleep and when leaving the house.... hmmm they've already been wandering around the entire house together....

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they are probably fine but I would seperate them at night.

ok, i'll do that for a little while longer, thanks...

is it ok to continue shouting "no" to Taco when he is being too rough? I've read somewhere that it discourages play? of course, he's not always so rough so i let them continue...

oh! and one more question. will the little kitten become more aggressive due to Tacos bullying? i mean, one hyper and agressive cat is enough! hehe

Originally Posted by rororo

ok, i'll do that for a little while longer, thanks...

is it ok to continue shouting "no" to Taco when he is being too rough? I've read somewhere that it discourages play? of course, he's not always so rough so i let them continue...

oh! and one more question. will the little kitten become more aggressive due to Tacos bullying? i mean, one hyper and agressive cat is enough! hehe

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Rough-housing is normal play...but I would follow some of the advise in this thread with regards to introductions:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67321

Also...make sure you greet Taco first and spend time with him before spending time with the kitten. Remember, Taco was there first and to him, this little one is an intruder and Taco is trying to establish himself as top dog.

Katie

Blaze is a little over a year old,when we got Corwin he was only 8 weeks old.At first she would hiss,growl and then became like a Nother to him.She would run after him,trip him,roll him over,bite at him......not hard.I just watched them close.You have to let them play and work things out themselves.It is normal play and NOTHING to worry about......as long as there is no blood shed,I wouldn't worry about it.
Corwin is 18 weeks old and Lilly is 14 weeks old,Corwin plays rough with Lilly also.He growls so loud,it sounds like a cat fight.I was worried about it and asked the Vet.I was told they have to work out who is dominate in our home.And as long as there wasn't any blood or wounds,to let them work it out on their own.

thanks a lot everyone! you've really helped me