Rescue Kitten Isn’t Always Nice..

[doddsington]

Hello my favorite kind of people!! (Cat lovers)

I have an 11 year old tuxedo, Rudy, who is “my first born”. And I rescued a orange 1.5 year old tabby we named Wilson. Wilson was dumped at my friend’s feral colony with his bag of kitten food she called me, I scooped him up, and he gave me face kisses we got him neutered etc, and now 2 months later, his BIG personality has blossomed into being sweet sometimes, but most of the time he’s terrorizing my Rudy, to the point rudy lost his voice for a while, and Wilson will bite us... When we pick him up and he wants down, he doesn’t warn us, he turns and BITES our faces! When we say “No!” The tones in our voices make his ears go back and he attacks us. He does not listen! My question is, is this normal 1.5 year old cat behavior? And how does one get a rebellious cat/kitten to listen, or understand right from wrong? He is very independent and fearless lol.

 

[ArtNJ]

Not every cat likes to be picked up. Sure, it is not great that some cats express their displeasure by nipping, and when they do it for some things it can be a real problem, but as far as picking up goes, that should be easy. If it is not something the cat likes, just don't do it.

As far as terrorizing the older cat, you haven't really described what is going on. At a guess, given the ages, the younger cat really wants to play, and totally ignores the fact that the older one does not. Super common situation, and it can cause a lot of stress in older cats. Tell us more about what is going on and how you handle it and we will be better able to comment.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Meanwhile, until we have more details, make sure that Rudy has a safe place to retreat to, and when Wilson bites, instead of "NO!," try a short, sharp HISS.

 

[IronHippo]

What a big handsome boy! How are the interactions between Wilson and Rudy? Are they actually fighting or is it just play?

 

[5starcathotel]

What a big handsome boy! How are the interactions between Wilson and Rudy? Are they actually fighting or is it just play?

Just to expand on this, what is Rudy's behavior like, generally, with Wilson in the same room? Is his tail twitching, is he growling at the sight of Wilson, does he sulk around the edges of a room? Or does he walk in, sit or lay nonchalantly, in the middle of the room, not seeming to care if Wilson is there or not?

From what you said in your OP ("Wilson lost his voice for a while"), I'd guess the former.

If so, the solution to their relationship should be to play with *Rudy*, with something interactive like DaBird, etc. Get him running, catching, killing, for at least 15m twice each and every day, in the presence of Wilson. That will build his confidence, bring out more of his kitten-behavior, and show Wilson that Rudy is a cat, not prey!