Kitten Playing Too Rough With Senior Cat

Hi,

My 3 month old kitten and my 12 year old senior get along pretty well. They chase each other, lick each other, and swat at each other. This morning though, the kitten likes to pounce on my senior and bite his neck. I don't know if he is playing or not? My senior ends up fighting him off and then runs away. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this or not. Any advice?

Thanks

he's 11 years old. After our other cat passed away I asked someone at my vet clinic for their opinion on adding a new kitten to our home. I was told that the activity level of a young kitten may be too high for an older male cat and he could lose patience. When you notice your older cat is having difficulty coping with the kitten's playfulness, you might try separating the cats for a short time to give the older cat some space. Others here are more knowledgeable and may have better advice.

Also when the kitten gets old enough neutering him will lessen this behavior. This is just typical play type behavior in young kittens and usually the older cat just needs to swipe once with their paw and it stops. Try interactive playtime with the kitten and a good toy that he can chase, catch or bounce around with.

Kitten has already been neautered. The shelter that I adopted him from will not let you take them home until they are fixed. It is the law here in Illinois.

The other thing that concerns me is that my senior doesn't have claws and the kitten does. Although he does weigh 16 pounds and could probably sit on the kitten if he really wanted to.

Thanks.

I have heard somewhere (can't remember where) that cats who have been spayed or neutered are less likely to injure other cats. Snowball and his companion, Midnight, were together for 10 years. Both cats had their claws and there was some occasional mild fighting and swatting, but neither cat was ever injured. Since your cats get along they should be ok too. You might want to make sure you keep the kitten's claws trimmed.

the kitten jumping on him and biting his neck is just kitten play behavior. Did you ever see 2 kittens play together, they realy do wrestle with each other. The question is can your older cat tolerate that kitten behavior? And you might be thinking," why dont my senior cat just smack him back and put him in his place, kitten should learn and catch on." NOT! Kittens dont mind being hissed at,or swatted at Its all fun and games to them and makes them more interested. Good luck to you and give your older cat special attention!