New Kitten, Scratched My Adults Cat Eye Causing An Ulcer.

[Tobi_romesco]

Hey guys, I'm new here looking for some help.

I apologize in advance for the long post, but I really need someone with experience.

I have a 3 years old british shorthair, his name is tobi. I felt that he got lonely so 2 weeks ago I adopted a new kitten, he is a male, mixed race and he is 6 weeks old. I named him Romesco (hence my nickname).

The thing is, I introduced them slowly, Romesco is VERY active and he keeps jumping on tobi. I was always with them when they are together. 4 days later, tobi statred acting up, like throwing up clear liquid (looks like egg whites) but before it reaches the ground, he eats up again. So I thought maybe he ate something bad. I took him to the vet and was told that it's stress. but gave him some antibiotics and some food to help him with his digestion, the vet also suggested buying the feliway friends, so I bought it even though I was very skeptical about it. the next day he got better.

by day 8, Tobi started licking and cleaning the kitten. So I thought YAY finally, I felt comfortable leaving them alone together.

Romesco is HYPER-active, and he jumps on anything that moves, when I blink he jumps on my face and he would never lets Tobi alone.



I had a one day trip. when I came back, tobi had a squinty watery eye. I got so worried, and since it's Sunday there are no vets. I tried rubbing the eye with some water and still. he got worse. by the evening, I decided to take him to the emergency. They made same tests and found out that there's a surface scratch in his eye, nothing serious. they gave him some shots for the pain and also some eyedrops 3xtimes a day for 5-7 days. I was told that he has an ulcer and some infection, so it's better to keep the little one away from Tobi or when he is close to him I have to separate them .

I decided to separate them for at least 2 days, until Tobi gets better. because the little one KEEPS JUMPING ON TOBI'S FACE AND bites and kicks (playfully). Now as I put the little one in his room (spacious, with toys, food and everything) HE KEEPS on meowing. like literally 30 mins straight. as soon as he stops and I pass by the room to go to the kitchen, he starts meowing again. I have no idea how to stop him from doing so. I go in and play with him and give him some treats, I also let Tobi in another room, and give little one some freedom to go out and play (4-5 hrs).

So now Tobi is better, how do I keep the little one away from attacking faces (human & animals)? I am just scared if I put them again together the same thing will happen again.

How do I stop the little one from meowing? is there anything I can give him or do to keep him calm? inside and outside his room?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Hellenww]

I'm a terrible teacher of good behavior so I can't help with that. There are great people here who will help.

When Yoshi was a baby he scratched his sisters, Monkey, eye. She healed quickly and was more disturbed by the drops than the eye. This did not stop her from playing with and grooming Yoshi.

My suggestion is trim Romescos nails or ask the vet to do it for you. Are you switching spaces for them? Once Tobi is healed some put him in the kitten room wear out Romesco and then let them play together.

 

[saladflambe]

I would go a step farther and, after trimming, try soft paws on Romesco's claws. They are little vinyl caps that you glue on, and they naturally fall off as the nail grows out. If you need help getting them on, a vet or a groomer can show you how. Typically, I've only done the front claws with these, but you could do back claws too.

Then - lots and lots and lots of active play for the kitten. Get a laser pointer...get him active and chasing that thing for forever. Lots of redirection to toys, and don't leave them alone unattended for now. Cat trees/scratching posts - lots of entertainment and escape routes are also good!

 

[ArtNJ]

6 weeks is considered much too young for separation from mom, and there can be behavioral consequences. Your kitten needs to learn and be taught boundaries. Ideally, your older cat would do it, holding the kitten down by the scruff of the neck when its too hyper. But some older cats just can't deal with hyper kittens. So, if your kitten is biting you, you can try the momma cat approach of holding down by the scruff of the neck until he calms, or you can try the human approach of a loud enough to be startling "No!" combined with ignoring the kitten. If your older cat is not doing any discipline and is really stressed, you may need to intervene when the kitten goes for his face.

All of that said, this sounds like a freak injury, and I wouldn't over-react. A kitten jumping on a bigger cat is totally normal. You only need to intervene if the bigger cat is really stressed or if the kitten's behavior seems to be creating an unusual risk, like going for face/eyes.

 

[Tobi_romesco]

Thank you all for the replies, I have followed your advice with letting the older cat sniff the little one's room. I also made noises (clapping, saying NO) when the little one is jumping on the older one. The older one is already setting the boundaries. but I just thought I should give each one of them some timeout when the older one is really annoyed. Especially when that he is just recuperating from his injury. I try to separate them when it's time to sleep. because the little one never let the older one sleep in peace.

So hopefully in a few days when Tobi is much better they can resume their normal lives.

 

[Tobi_romesco]

The problem continues. I followed every advice I read and the vet gave me but he is still at it. Now the adult cat has a problem in both eyes.

I am seriously considering putting him ino adoption. I have no idea what to do.

 

[ArtNJ]

This is highly bizarre Tobi, which is why we maybe didn't help you that well, and maybe can't help you that well. Kittens attack older cats all the time to play, its what they do, but focusing on face and eyes...never heard of it before. That is why I wrongly assumed it had to be a random weird accident. But now that it happened again, ok, you have a kitten with a dangerous and highly unusual focus. (And/or maybe also an older cat with a slow blink reflex??) I guess this is either one of those weird behaviors that come from a kitten being prematurely separated from mom, or just a random bizarre thing that this particular kitten started doing. But I and the main posters on here very much do recognize that some cats need to be an only pet. And you can't have your older cat keep getting his eyes scratched. And certainly if you may need to do this, the best time would be when the kitten is young enough to be easily adopted. So maybe you should rehome him now.

The kitten is so young, I definitely believe this behavior could be corrected in time. I can't recall ever wondering whether a kitten this young should be an only pet -- that isn't something that normally makes any sense to think about. The question here is whether your older cat could get another eye injury and permanent damage while you work on behavior modification. And whether it makes sense to risk that. Your the one who sees the kitten's focus on going for face/eyes, and I think your going to have to be the one to make the judgment as to how much risk your older cat is at vs this being lightning striking twice.

I'm sorry your going through this. Best,

 

[talkingpeanut]

I think it’s just an accident, though unfortunate.

How are you playing with the kitten so he burns off some energy? Have you trimmed his nails?

 

[Tobi_romesco]

This is highly bizarre Tobi, which is why we maybe didn't help you that well, and maybe can't help you that well. Kittens attack older cats all the time to play, its what they do, but focusing on face and eyes...never heard of it before. That is why I wrongly assumed it had to be a random weird accident. But now that it happened again, ok, you have a kitten with a dangerous and highly unusual focus. (And maybe also an older cat with a slow blink reflex??) I guess this is either one of those weird behaviors that come from a kitten being prematurely separated from mom, or just a random bizarre thing that this particular kitten started doing. But I and the main posters on here very much do recognize that some cats need to be an only pet. And you can't have your older cat keep getting his eyes scratched. And certainly if you may need to do this, the best time would be when the kitten is young enough to be easily adopted. So maybe you should rehome him now.

The kitten is so young, I definitely believe this behavior could be corrected in time. I can't recall ever wondering whether a kitten this young should be an only pet -- that isn't something that normally makes any sense to think about. The question here is whether your older cat could get another eye injury and permanent damage while you work on behavior modification. And whether it makes sense to risk that. Your the one who sees the kitten's focus on going for face/eyes, and I think your going to have to be the one to make the judgment as to how much risk your older cat is at vs this being lightning striking twice.

I'm sorry your going through this. Best,

Thank you so much for for taking the time to reply. Yeah, the kitten is highly attracted to eyes. Human eyes as well as cats eyes. He is always attacking my eyes when he is around me. I tried to do hold him down from the neck but he just doesn't understand.

I let the kitten out today and my adult cat started grooming him, but I just do not understand this weird behavior. I mean when the adult cat is sleeping, the kitten jumps on his face. When my adult cat is eating or doing anything, the kitten jumps on him and attacks his face (pawing and kicking).

I am going to take my cat to the vet this evening, and will see what he says.

I have already contacted several cat homes, I hope I can get an answer ASAP.

 

[Tobi_romesco]

I think it’s just an accident, though unfortunate.

How are you playing with the kitten so he burns off some energy? Have you trimmed his nails?

I know it's an accident, but I can't afford having it happen repeatedly over and over again.

I did trim his nails, played with him every other hour for more than 15 mins. but I swear to god I have never seen a cat that plays 6 hours straight.... and he loses focus while I am playing with him and jumps on the adult cat.

 

[ArtNJ]

I think it’s just an accident, though unfortunate.

Exactly what I thought the first time. However, with it happening a second time, and T Tobi_romesco describing it as the kitten being focused on eyes...I think we have to accept that the kitten may have a unique and dangerous focus.

 

[danteshuman]

Why not put some soft paws on the kitten while you work on training him? I would hiss at him or shake a penny can whenever he goes for my face.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Exactly what I thought the first time. However, with it happening a second time, and T Tobi_romesco describing it as the kitten being focused on eyes...I think we have to accept that the kitten may have a unique and dangerous focus.

It’s a kitten and it’s playing. Accidents happen, and eyes are vulnerable. I think it’s silly to consider him dangerous.

 

[Tobi_romesco]

It’s a kitten and it’s playing. Accidents happen, and eyes are vulnerable. I think it’s silly to consider him dangerous.

I know, but he won't stop there, he scratched my eyes too, luckily I closed them before getting injured like my poor cat. He is not intentionally dangerous, but if I didn't watch out I could lose an eye.

I do have back at my parents house 3 cats, and NONE of them ever acted this way. That's why I am puzzled.

When I go to my vet appointment later, I will ask him about this behaviour. and also ask about the nail caps thing. Let's see what he says.

Thanks all for the replies!

 

[Hellenww]

There is the rare cat that sleeps very little. Until he was 8 yrs old our Yoshi was awake and looking for entertainment the whole time the human were awake. I'm retired/disabled so he was up from 5am when my partner got up for work until I went to bed at 11pm. He was active most of those hours. Mainly playing fetch.

If you try the soft paws and Tobi is still not able to retrain him rehoming may be the solution. Some behavior is best solved by and older cat since they speak the same language. It sounds like your Romesco would benefit from being in a home with a more dominant playful young adult cat.

I know how quickly we fall in love with a little ball of fur and he is still very young so has a good chance of finding a home. You are clearly a very caring person.

 

[Tobi_romesco]

There is the rare cat that sleeps very little. Until he was 8 yrs old our Yoshi was awake and looking for entertainment the whole time the human were awake. I'm retired/disabled so he was up from 5am when my partner got up for work until I went to bed at 11pm. He was active most of those hours. Mainly playing fetch.

If you try the soft paws and Tobi is still not able to retrain him rehoming may be the solution. Some behavior is best solved by and older cat since they speak the same language. It sounds like your Romesco would benefit from being in a home with a more dominant playful young adult cat.

I know how quickly we fall in love with a little ball of fur and he is still very young so has a good chance of finding a home. You are clearly a very caring person.

Wow! the whole day playing XD I can't really imagine an adult cat doing that!
I do not think that I will give him up just yet. I really like him and I think I could teach him to behave! The other day I tried some tricks on him and it seems to be working! like gently patting him on the neck or cheek to calm him down. Hold his back down when he is misbehaving. He seems to be changing his behaviour!

I took tobi to the vet, and he is all better now. The weird thing is that now Tobi is pinning Romesco to the floor then starts grooming him! I really didn't understand why. is it a way to show dominance?

they seem all better now, let's just hope for the best! I still separate them when it's time to sleep!

Thanks all for your help and input! really appreciate it!

 

[Hellenww]

Wonderful Tobi is doing just whay Mama would do. I bet Romasco will start to learn proper manners from him now.

 

[danteshuman]

Yes grooming is affectionate dominance. My punk always follows up his grooming with a light nip