need help with new kitten

I am haveing some behavior problems with my new cat. I have 2 cats that are 4years old and we recently rescued a 6month old kitten and he keeps attacking one of my older cats (hercules). Hercules is very frightened and won"t fight back the more he runs away the more Jasper(the new cat) attacks him. My husband is getting very upset we are afraid Hercules is going to get hurt. Jasper has not been fixed yet but Hercules and peanut are. Will getting Jasper fixed help stop this? I'm afraid my husband will get rid of Jasper if I can't stop the fighting.
thank you for any sugjestions!
Faith

Hi Faith-

Getting Jasper neutered will definitely help. At six months old he's certainly ready to be neutered, so make an appointment for this ASAP. Remember that even after he's neutered, it will take at least a month for all those male hormones to dissipate!

Jasper and your other cats are at very different activity stages in their lives, so there are bound to be some "clashes".

Are you positive that Jasper isn't just trying to play with your older cats? Kittens tend to roughhouse and sometimes rough play can be mistaken for an "attack". If Jasper is actually attacking, you should separate him from your other cats when he does. Give him a "time out" in another room for about 5-10 minutes. Be consistent about this. I had the same problem introducing a 5 month old kitten to two older (6 and 12) girls. At first the kitten just wanted to play, but became more aggressive when he realized he was intimidating the bigger cats. He soon learned that going after the other cats got him time in "solitary confinement". It didn't take long for him to change his behavior.

Many of the members here have also used Feliway plug-ins with success. They give off a scent that is calming to cats.

It's wonderful that you've rescued Jasper, and I'd hate to see him lose a great home because of what is likely only a temporary behavior problem. I hope some of these suggestions help.

thank you very much. Yes at first I thought he was just playing but his attacks have gotten more agresive to the point I can tell hercules is afraid to come down stairs. 2 days ago I started seperating jasper from the other cats when he starts fighting I just wasn't sure if it was the rite thing to do till I got your message. I did call the vet today to make arrangments to have him fixed. thank you again for the help.