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We have three cats an 8 year old male, a 3 year old female, and a baby who is about 6 mos. All are rescues. The older male we got first, the female second and the baby (male) was found wandering in the street in front of my husband's restaurant in December. All are altered. All are indoors only as we live in the city.
Our house has three floors and has plenty of space for the cats to get away from one another. The older male and female get along. The female runs the show. (We also have a small dog who thinks he is a cat and the female grooms him and sleeps with him.) The baby tries to play with the older two and neither of them are interested. They yowl and swat at him after about 30 seconds. He loves to play and we bought him a lot of toys and get out the cat wand to wear him out. He doesn't seem aggressive at all. When he gets swatted he just lies down on his back and shows his belly. But he keeps chasing the other cats and they just can't be bothered.
I am hoping he slows down a bit with time. Any suggestions to keep the peace? I am sure they are just working out their pecking order and when they vocalize I come running to see what is happening, but I want to make sure my older boy especially doesn't get picked on.
Make sure you have a Feliway diffuser plugged in to keep the calm pheromones flowing.
Sometimes you need to physically separate them and give your older cats a break from the kitten. When we adopted our Ringo, our Benny was nearly 14. We would shut him in a room for an hour or so while we played with Ringo and when he was tired, we'd let Benny out again.
Keep wearing him out with the wand toys. Make or buy him a puzzle toy or use other interactive toys to distract him. He will settle down in time but it won't be for a while. LOL
Oh, I had a similar issue with a new kitten and 2 older males. She's 3 now. Only occasionally will they play with her but both groom her. My problem is that she, the kitten, was and is aggressive toward both males....bites when grooming etc. but short lived...
You can't change them, they'll settle in the way they choose...keep playing with kitten, the more you keep her busy the better.
Got cat watch out spots like a cat tree in front of a window?? Interactive cat toys? Do you spend time with each cat by themselves every day?
My cats all love the cat tunnel....inexpensive and lots of fun for them.
Oh, I had a similar issue with a new kitten and 2 older males. She's 3 now. Only occasionally will they play with her but both groom her. My problem is that she, the kitten, was and is aggressive toward both males....bites when grooming etc. but short lived...
You can't change them, they'll settle in the way they choose...keep playing with kitten, the more you keep her busy the better.
Got cat watch out spots like a cat tree in front of a window?? Interactive cat toys? Do you spend time with each cat by themselves every day?
My cats all love the cat tunnel....inexpensive and lots of fun for them.
My husband is very attached to the kitten. Our oldest cat sleeps with us, and that is his time. The female comes in around 3am (she likes to stalk the house at night) so the oldest guy gets several hours alone with us in bed and lots of attention. The baby doesn't know where he fits so I have been trying to close the door early so that we can spend time with the oldest guy. My husband protests that I am "mean" to the little one. But the little one chases feet and nips when you are sleeping so its not restful. And if all three are on the bed a row is sure to start.
We have a weekend house that we take the baby and the dog to in order to give the older cats a break. Our son or neighbor pet sits and gives them lots of love. The baby is a lot less rambunctious when its just him, us and the dog. He's very sweet and snuggly and he really seems to like to travel: he will get right in the carrier and is always purring at the weekend house.
They do have windows. No cat trees but scratching posts and lots of places to climb. Lots of interactive toys. My older two cats are not jumpers/climbers. The little one certainly is.
My husband is very attached to the kitten. Our oldest cat sleeps with us, and that is his time. The female comes in around 3am (she likes to stalk the house at night) so the oldest guy gets several hours alone with us in bed and lots of attention. The baby doesn't know where he fits so I have been trying to close the door early so that we can spend time with the oldest guy. My husband protests that I am "mean" to the little one. But the little one chases feet and nips when you are sleeping so its not restful. And if all three are on the bed a row is sure to start.
We have a weekend house that we take the baby and the dog to in order to give the older cats a break. Our son or neighbor pet sits and gives them lots of love. The baby is a lot less rambunctious when its just him, us and the dog. He's very sweet and snuggly and he really seems to like to travel: he will get right in the carrier and is always purring at the weekend house.
They do have windows. No cat trees but scratching posts and lots of places to climb. Lots of interactive toys. My older two cats are not jumpers/climbers. The little one certainly is.
I think you're doing all the right things, and you haven't said anything that would be of concern. What you're going through is pretty normal with older cats and a younger cat learning the rules. It's been my experience that things will generally settle down when the youngster is around a year old or so. Keep trying to give everyone "equal time" and giving the adults a break from the kitten. Tell hubby that you're aren't being mean to the little one, and there will plenty of time to make it up to him later anyway.
You might consider getting a cat tree or condo for the kitten. They love to climb at that age (usually), and you need all the distractions you can get.
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