Normal kitten behavior?

Forrest is 7 months old and we adopted him in August. His relationship with Lilly (who is approx. 4 years old) has never been bad but they certainly are not the best of friends either. I think Lilly would like him if he just stopped being such a little beast to her.

Forrest will lay down next to Lilly and for about 10 seconds will be peaceful, then poke...poke...poke..he'll jab at her back with a claw and keeps jabbing at her until she hisses and runs away. If he's not poking at her with a claw he'll be trying to bite her. He doesn't seem to be actually hurting her...but she sure does get annoyed and it almost always ends up with her hissing and swatting him.

Is this normal? Maybe just a phase that he will grow out of? He and Lilly are both neutered and spayed. I hate to think that Lilly is going to have to put up with his behavior forever. Other than this Forrest is the sweetest little boy and is very active and loving.

Anyone else have experience with young males? Is this just a phase and he'll grow out of it?

My hunch is that your cute boy grew up with a big litter and perhaps is used to a lot of stimulation and play. It can be a shock to have that taken away. If you can elevate your play intensity with him at the same time every day so he learns there is a regular "pattern" that is "Forrest Time" this might help. Also, because he is 7 months the "window" of time in a young cat where they are very receptive to learning is right now, not later. You are a doll to have adopted him!! --and yes, his playfulness will subside with time as he ages and mellows but it's not an overnight thing. Some boys ar every playful well into mid-life and some slow after year 1 or 2 like my Sasha who preferred to have the decorum of an "elder statesman" rather than a firecracker!

Forrest was trapped as a feral so I'm not sure how large his "family" was. My husband and I both work out of our home so he gets lots of attention and play time with toys like DaBird and a laser pointer to try to wear him out. He's VERY active - more so than any other cat I've ever had. We realize that he'll always be an active little man and try to keep him busy most of the time.

Most of my concern is his interaction with Lilly. He's like an annoying little brother who just never leaves her alone. He's constantly bothering her. Some of it is that he wants to play (and she does play with him occasionally) but most times he just seems to be doing something to annoy her. We started having him sleep in the back wing of our home at night just to give Lilly a break from him during the night. They were both sleeping on our bed, but he would wake up at 4:30 in the morning and start annoying her while she was still trying to sleep.

It is hopeful to think that perhaps someday we won't have to constantly referee the two cats.

Two things - I think it is the age difference and yes, I think he will likely grow out of it. He wants her to play with him and she doesn't really want to participate. That is my take on it. So, in case you didn't say this already, play with him lots! He needs and outlet for all his kitten energy.

My kitten bugs my older cat too. Fortunatly my 'old' cat is still only 16 months old, so most of the time he plays with her when she goes over to get his attention. However he's a 'sensible' cat who likes playing less than she does, so sometimes he gets cross and walks away just like your cat.
I think that your kitten will grow out of it. You can play with your kitten all day long and I think you'll still see some of this behavior... I know my kitten will always choose playtime with the cat rather than me given the option. I hope they get along better someday soon x

It's good to learn that my kitten's behavior is somewhat normal. I was afraid that he was being too aggressive with the older cat. Lilly's never really gotten mean and hurt him....which has surprised me because Forrest really bothers her sometimes. If I notice him annoying her I will try to redirect his attention, but that doesn't always work.

He has so much energy - it's almost like he never wears out Between my Husband and I we spend over 3 hours of direct play with him (DaBird, Laser Pointer, etc) but it's not enough. He still needs more play time. And whatever Lilly is doing he has to do it too - except sleeping!

I saw an age conversion chart for cats yesterday and see that he's just now getting into his "Teenage" stage. I hope he doesn't get worse than he is now. He's going to give me more grey hairs than my human boy!