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I recently adopted two kittens. I am more of a dog person but I can't have dogs right now and the last cat I adopted was an adult cat. The first cat is a tuxedo male about 9 wks old now I had him by himself here for about 2 weeks then I got my gray kitten who I think is about 10 wks. The tuxedo kitten seems to be terrorizing the gray kitten, he will pin him down to the ground and attach the gray kittens neck. The gray kitten screams until he can get away or until I get the tuxedo kitten off of him. For the few times that they have been together it is nonstop chasing usually with the gray cat running from the tuxedo and the gray cat will growl ( the only sound that I have heard him make besides purring to me). Sometimes they mutually chase each other but I think things get out of hand with the tuxedo kitten being too agressive. Right now I have scolded the tuxedo kitten and put him in the room and the gray kitten is here next to me so very calm, he doesn't seem to miss the absense of tuxedo kitten.
What can I do so that these kittens will be able to play together with out the risk of someone being seriously injured? This is my first time having kittens what should I do?
You're doing the right thing (i.e. letting them play until things get too rough, and then scolding.) You can also try giving grey kitty his own refuge for when things get too rough for him--some place that only he has access to and that will make hime feel safe from the tux. Just keep at it, and intervene as soon as growling starts (that's usually a sign that the situation has escalated from play to aggression. Things usually even out with age. Good luck, and stick with it!
Ditto to all of the above.
One of my adopted sibling kittens was the runt of the litter, considerably smaller than her brother. They were extremely attached to one another - Bro would sometimes groom Sis for the better part of an hour, they would nap "fused" together, etc. But despite their being from the same litter some training was in order. For a few days at first, Bro didn't know when to quit while playing/roughhousing. I'd have to smack him and pull him away when he had Sis pinned down and was sinking his teeth into her neck. She'd be lying there helpless with her eyes widening in fear until I did that. His behavior was successfully modified inside of two weeks.
I think all of this is the testing out of hard-wired instincts to hunt/capture/kill that're still in feline DNA after centuries of domestication.
Right now they are determining the picking order. Someone has to be alpha cat after you. When they are both fixed, they will calm down. I currently have a 23 year old male and a 16 year old male. Most of the time they are buddies and lay down in a heap and groom each other. Then suddenly ears go back and they are biting. Even though the 23 year old is very frail, he is still alpha cat and shows he is still boss by biting the younger cats ear so hard he cannot get away and just screams.
I don't scold or put my hands on my pets when this happens as I prefer to use a small water bottle used to mist plants. When you first start using it, you only have to actually spray it once or twice before they get the message. After that, you just have to show it and say No and the fight is over. The idea of it is so effective, I don't even bother to put water in it anymore.
I second the water bottle idea. I also use it for the dogs and keep one around. I have a 2 y/o male and a 9 y/o male, both adopted, the younger one about 6 mos. ago. They paly very happily until it gets rough. Since the 2 y/o can take care of himself, I don't intervene anymore. It will calm down at some point. Good luck!
I recently adopted two kittens. I am more of a dog person but I can't have dogs right now and the last cat I adopted was an adult cat. The first cat is a tuxedo male about 9 wks old now I had him by himself here for about 2 weeks then I got my gray kitten who I think is about 10 wks. The tuxedo kitten seems to be terrorizing the gray kitten, he will pin him down to the ground and attach the gray kittens neck. The gray kitten screams until he can get away or until I get the tuxedo kitten off of him. For the few times that they have been together it is nonstop chasing usually with the gray cat running from the tuxedo and the gray cat will growl ( the only sound that I have heard him make besides purring to me). Sometimes they mutually chase each other but I think things get out of hand with the tuxedo kitten being too agressive. Right now I have scolded the tuxedo kitten and put him in the room and the gray kitten is here next to me so very calm, he doesn't seem to miss the absense of tuxedo kitten.
What can I do so that these kittens will be able to play together with out the risk of someone being seriously injured? This is my first time having kittens what should I do?
I have a 10 year old cat Moggy and a 7 year old cat Jimi. Jimi terrorizes her on a daily basis. He has come away with some pretty good nose-scratches in the process. I'm sure she would love to see him die.
Such is life. They work it out, I keep out of it unless he will not leave her alone, or he tries to bug her in the litter box. Then I step in. He just does it for attention anyway.
When they start fighting try to distract them with a cat teaser, I prefer the ones with the long flowing feathery things as they are harder for them to catch so they have to try harder. If they are doing any unwanted behaviour you can stop them from doing it by spraying them with a water bottle, it is not cruel in anyway and vet's have suggested it. If they play to roughly with you best thing to do is push your hand or any part of you that they are being rough with towards them as it will be out of their comfort zone, if you pull away they will think its a chasing game.
kitties are playing together much better now, now they are joining together to proceed to tear down my house!
good to hear.......
i have always used plastic water pistols for my cats.... you can get 'em at the dollar store...... after a month or so or less...... i only have to point my finger at him or her or them in the pistol position and whatever he or she or they were doing stops IMMEDIATELY......
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