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Why Is My Kitten Bullying My Older Cat? (It it Vicious?)

If you have a new energetic kitten you may be wondering why it is bullying your cat…

Why is my kitten bullying my older cat?

A kitten may appear to, but is not necessarily bullying your older cat. It could merely be playing with it. In fact, some may say bullying is too strong a word to use here as younger kittens are often displaying playful actions, which may come off as bullying the older cat in the house.

So, now you know. But, what can you do to keep your cat protected? Do all kittens understand boundaries? When do kittens calm down? Keep reading for these answers, and so much more…

Why can it look like your kitten is bullying your cat?

Kittens may look like they are bullying your cat because they are curious animals. They are full of energy, and almost anything that comes in the way is a plaything for them.

That is to say, they will start playing with literally anything. On the other hand, an older cat has lived its life and tends to be a lot more somber. Thus, they are not the most active of animals.

It’s just that younger kittens are full of enthusiasm that they can not hide. This enthusiasm is also something that may annoy older cats, which may give the impression that the kitten is bullying the older cat.

What can you do to protect your older cat from your kitten?

To protect your older cat from your kitten you can always make sure that you have designated hiding spots for the older cat in the house. For example, you can place the litter box outside of the house in a different location, or you can make a bed for the older cat in a dark closet where it can be safe.

Show some love to your older cat

You can also show some love to the older cat so that it knows that it is loved.  It often happens that in house cats get confused when a younger kitten enters the house.

This is mostly because it does not know what to do with the new addition to the family. So, in a state of confusion, the older cat can often repress its emotions and actions, which gives way for the kitten to play with it and annoy it further.

Does your kitten mean to hurt your cat?

Your kitten would never want to hurt your cat. For kittens, everything is a plaything so it will play with everyone, even an older cat or even you, assuming that it can play with them. So, the intention of the kitten is never to hurt anyone, just play.

As a matter of fact, when a cat or a kitten wants to hurt someone or something, they often go into attack mode where their claws come out, and they can cause a serious injury. So, as long as your kitten is not doing that, you should not be worried too much.

How can you get a kitten to get along with your cat?

There are several ways that you can employ to get your kitten to like your cat. Most house cats and kittens are accustomed to a status quo in the house where every animal knows its place in the owner’s heart and preference.

So, the coming of a new kitten can challenge that which can cause the can and the kitten to not get along with each other.

However, you can maybe use some methods like:

• Making them eat food together
• Playing with them together for them to feel closer to each other.
• Hold both of them together to let them know that they are both safe with you so that they can both be safe with each other. This way, they can get along perfectly.

Could your kitten really want to play with your cat?

Your kitten is likely just after some playtime! Your kitten is a baby cat that wants to play with everything. Everything is a toy, and what more can a kitten ask for than a cat to play with.

A cat is also more familiar, so a kitten feels safer around it than with a human or with other larger animals and objects. So, you should not worry if your kitten really wants to play with your cat.

Besides, domestic cats are not really violent. They mostly just want to play as long as they are getting food from you.

Should you give your kitten away for bullying your cat?

You should not give your cat away for perceived bullying. Your kitten is unlikely to really bully your cat because it knows that the cat is larger and most threatening,

so it will just play with the cat. However, since the cat can become confused and the perceived bullying can cause some depression in the cat, you can still avert the problem.

If you simply show the cat some love, and if you can take out some time to play with the kitten while the cat can do something else, both the animals will be able to live in perfect harmony. So, giving your kitten away just because of a small issue does not make sense, and you should not do it.

Do all kittens understand boundaries with older cats?

Not all kittens will be able to understand boundaries with older cats. Some kittens may be intuitive, but most are not. So, you will have to train them into understanding when they have to get away from the cat.

This can be rather simple. All you have to do is to let them be. Sometimes it’s better to not get involved and allow for the older cats to establish their own boundaries.

Many older cats may not like it if kittens are being annoying or are interfering too much in their business but slowly, as the kitten grows up and becomes a less active older cat, the two will start tolerating each other. Sometimes you just have to let nature play out and do its work.

Is a good introduction between your kitten & cat important?

A good introduction is better but not necessarily the end if it is not great. You can always try it out, but it is not a given that the introduction will always work.

It will be nice for the cat and the kitten to meet behind a little glass wall at first so that they don’t start attacking each other immediately. But once they have gotten accustomed to each other, you can let them introduce themselves to each other.

Could an adopted kitten bully a cat more?

An adopted kitten can bully a cat more. But, it often depends where you are adopting the kitten from. If the adoption is a rescue cat or if it is a stray cat, then the interaction with your domestic cat will be different.

However, if the adopted kitten is coming from a similar household as yours, then the bullying will not be so much because the atmosphere will be recognizable for the kitten.

In fact, if you adopt a kitten from a shelter, it may not bully the cat at all because oftentimes, kittens from shelters carry so much trauma from the past that they themselves need lots of help getting active.

At what age do kittens calm down?

The usual active period for kittens is between the ages of a month old to around eleven months or a year old. This is their growth period. This is also the period where they may physically stop growing. So a cat will probably achieve its full size by the age of a year.

Thus, by that time, the kitten will also be a lot more calmer and will be able to understand all kinds of boundaries with other cats.