Kitten not learning boundaries

Our new kitten Zoe (15 weeks) keeps play-attacking our other cat Kaylee (2yrs) and often gets carried away. Kaylee puts the smack down when this happens, but Zoe doesn't seem to respond to that at all - she just keeps on attacking relentlessly. I've read a lot about how the older cat will "put the kitten in its place" when she gets fed up, but she doesn't seem to be having any success with that. It's been going on like this for a few weeks now. Shouldn't the kitten be learning where to draw the line with rough play? Things get so rough at times I'm afraid there will be blood soon.

I believe it will work out eventually. I also know from experiance that some cats are just pains in the tusheys! My ReeRee is 2 years old and STILL bugs Fiona...she has to run away from him while hissing and she sometimes spits at him! But she also likes the playtime they have together. They mutual groom and she lets him suck her paws. She is the momma kitty. I let her deal with it. She can handle him.

You could put the kitten in a seperate room when it does this for a few minutes to distract. Is the older cat exhibiting stress? Like improper bathroom habits, not eating, hiding etc.? If not I would just let them work it out.

Add some playtime in for Zoe. Just the two of you and some wand toys and try to wear her out. That should Kaylee a break and work off a good portion of Zoe's energy that is getting all directed at Kaylee.
Otherwise... If Kaylee can handle herself let her help teach Zoe to behave. If the cats get along well, Zoe needs this.

The biggest problem with breaking them up will be avoiding making Kaylee think she's done something wrong. When it gets bad if you can safely pull Zoe off Kaylee, do so, and maybe put her in the kitten equivalent of a time out - in a bedroom by herself for a little bit.

The older cat doesn't seem stressed. She's shedding a little bit more than usual (could be the weather too I suppose), but whenever she's not around the kitten she acts perfectly normal and happy as a clam. For a long time she would hiss and sulk whenever she saw Zoe but now she seems fine until she gets attacked. Sometimes she'll even initiate the chasing but it still always ends badly.

The scary thing is that once things get bad Zoe will be pinned down with Kaylee trying to bite her neck. So it's like once Kaylee has had enough we're afraid she'll really hurt Zoe. So when we break them up, I'm not sure who to be mad at! Even if the kitten is being a pain in the butt, I don't want Kaylee to resort to actually doing serious damage.

I honestly think if there was any aggression between the two it would have manifested by now. Don't be afraid. Cats play rough but Kaylee knows Zoe is little and won't hurt her. My cats bite each others necks too.

It is a good sign that kaylee is initiating play with Zoe. She likes her. Biting her neck is a sign of dominance. It is Kaylee's way of putting Zoe in her place. It will never stop.

I love watching the kitty wrestling in my house once I learned what was normal behavoir.

If you want to see a good kitty wrestling match go to the pic & video section on this website and watch Riley and Xander. Thats a hoot! It will also give you some insight into what cats do when they play. I go on you tube and look at cat videos alot and watch how the cats play. It got me over the fear that they were going to hurt each other.

A good indicator that your cats are fighting instead of playing is if they are screaming at each other. Cat fights are LOUD.

We usually let them keep going until it gets loud, which doesn't take long. It usually starts out friendly enough but then we'll hear Kaylee making lots of Cat Fight sounds and that's when we break it up. Unfortunately a lot of the time they're under the couch together when we hear them freaking out so it's really hard to pull them apart at that point, and that's when we're afraid one will get hurt.

It's only ever Kaylee being loud, Zoe doesn't make a peep. Although, Kaylee is the single most vocal cat I've ever seen in my life...she never shuts up and has a very loud, harsh meow...is it possible she's just overly vocal when playing too? The noises are what scare me the most.

Two of my boys are very vocal when they play.

Is there any hissing going on? Do they sleep or lay together? Do they groom one another?

It is true that some cats are very vocal also. ReeRee always crys and wails when playing, but it has nothing to do with the other cats even when they are involved. He acts this way on his own also. He is a nut case.

Fiona will SPIT at the other cats, but she also spits at nothing. Its just her getting worked up and spazzy. She is another nut case.

It could just be when they are under the couch things get too cozy for comfort and she is being loud and bold to state her point in no uncertain terms. My cats get epecially loud when one catches the other under the bed.

There is some hissing (Kaylee only). They do not sleep together or groom each other. They can sleep within a couple feet of each other, but if Zoe tries to get to close (she really wants to be friends), Kaylee hisses, swats at her, and leaves.

Kaylee was an only cat until we brought Zoe home about 6 weeks ago, and she was NOT happy about it. So we're still in the introductions, they're separated when we're not home and overnight. We've just continued under the assumption that Kaylee still thinks this is an intruder and does not want anything to do with her. BUT it never seems like either one is trying to get away. We're always careful to give Kaylee places to escape to, but she usually doesn't want to. So I don't know what to think.

ugh...I feel your pain. Max is the same way with our dog Ruby. Although Ruby really likes him and enjoys playing, Max carries it to far too. Max will even climb up high and wait for her to pass and then pounce on her. With Max it really helps when we help him use up some of his energy and that play drive. We have a stick with a string attached that we shake at him or drag around the floor, those little jingling kitty balls that we roll around for him to chase and those laser lights work really good too. We play with him until he gets ready for a rest. By the time Max has had his play time and takes him a little nap, Ruby has her nerves back together and is much more friendly and tolerant.