Older Kitten attacking tiny new Kitten....

Hi Guys

as you can see im a new member here, but am desperately seeking some advice....

Last night i collected a little 6 week old kitten just a moggy tabby boy cat. He is very brave and settled in i think before he even arrived, eats fine uses the litter tray fine and plays fine.

I also have an 8 month old kitten who is a pedigree girl. She was at first extremely scared of the tiny new arrival and would cower from him if he went near her.

she has now resorted to chasing him about, but i am not sure whether this is harmless fun, she will chase him untill he can get away or find somewhere small enough to be where she cant get, she is also raising her paw to him and spanking him on the back, i cannot make out if her claws are out or even if this is just harmless but could hurt because she is bigger then him.

When i pick him up after she has chased him his heart is beating v fast... I of course tried to separate them in my worry but my older cat meows for the tiny kitten and he meows back constantly until i put them back together.

This is all very confusing for me, my main concern is that they are ok together and my older cat s not in fact bullying the little new arrival.

Also, although probably inevitable my original kitten is so preoccupied with the new one that she is acting odd, like not eating, she didn't meow when i got up for the first time in 8 months and doesn't want any cuddles or to show any affection at all

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Lea

Hi, you must separate them now - the kitten's too young (though is looking for an older cat/mother to relate to, so is chasing your other cat) to be at your other cat's mercy yet, and may have health issues that could be a problem for the older one too. You should take the kitten to a veterinarian to make sure he's healthy, and get advice on taking proper care of him - he can't just eat 'adult' food, but must be fed several times a day. He (?) should be in a separate room for now, with a low-sided, small litter box, a low sided water dish (refilled twice a day) and special 'kitten' canned food in a saucer, but that needs to be changed a couple of times too as it will dry up and go bad quickly. Don't give him milk as it's not actually good for a lot of them.. can give them diarrhea. Don't let the two cats be together yet until he's a few weeks older at least, because he can't defend himself should your other cat decide to harm him (and it doesn't take long!). Do take him to the vet as soon as possible though.

Thanks for your advice although it trailed a little from the question in hand...

I am feeding both cats kitten food and my older kitten is still only 8 months and i never give them milk. only a little kitten milk when i need to worm.

I will seperate them if absolutely need be, this is what i am trying to establish but im not sure if Kyria my older kitten and he are just playing as when he is asleep she is very affectionate with me again.

Before jumping the gun here, where did you get him? Is he a stray or did you adopt him? Yes, he should have a vet check if he was a stray, worms, fleas, ear mites, are just a few common stray kitten problems that can be easily given to your older kitten as well as other pets. But, if clean bill of health, it sounds like they are getting along very well! Little one has extra batteries, as long as there is no overly aggressive behavior, match made in heaven! I definitely wouldn't leave them together unsupervised for a couple weeks, but it sounds like a great friendship in the making!
Just caught your addition, sounds like she has a plan! Tire out the kitten, then she has you all to herself! Smart kitty!

Thanks....

I actually got him from a kitten breaders ad in the paper, Saw the mum and the other kittens all looked heathy too. he has 'apparently' been vet checked, flead and wormed.

Is there any harm in me doing these things again just in case?

Originally Posted by Lea*05

Thanks....

I actually got him from a kitten breaders ad in the paper, Saw the mum and the other kittens all looked heathy too. he has 'apparently' been vet checked, flead and wormed.

Is there any harm in me doing these things again just in case?

Click to expand...

If you want to be sure, the best thing is a vet visit. Kittens shouldn't be treated for something unless necessary. 3 months is first round of shots anyway......

Not sure I can be of much help here. There are several threads on introducing cats on this forum. It is unfair to expect the resident cat to just accept the baby right away. Cats are territorial so she will need some adjustment time. A slow intoduction will pay off in the end.

A vet visit couldn't hurt and will reassure you.

Please introduce yourself and your kits on the new members board so we can all get to know you and your loveable kittens Oh and be prepared to post photos if you can Welcome!

Hi, sorry if I sort of panicked there - I somehow thought you'd just found him someplace, and wasn't sure you'd had a kitten before. As long as you're around when they're together they should be ok.

Check this out for how to introduce new cat.http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanageme...roducecats.htm

Your older cat want to show the younger one that she's dominant and the one in charge, so at first she may chase him or even hit him. As long as there's no scratches nor hair flying around in the air it should be fine. The 6 week is too small to be a real threat to the 8 month, so I don't think she'd actually hurt him.

Kitten usually get along very quickly, in a week or two they should be just fine.

You have your work cut out - NO way should that "breeder" have adopted out kittens at 6 weeks old! They barely are eating kitten food then. You should separate them when you can't supervise. I'm assuming your older female is spayed - if not, get her done now so hormones won't make her worse.

Between the ages of 6-12 weeks old, kittens learn important social rules with siblings and older cats - your kitten didn't have the chance to learn all that, so it may be a little difficult over the next few weeks for adjustments.

I wish you good luck and hope your new kitten will learn the rules from the older one.