7 week old kitten boy playing too rough with "little" sister

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  • 30 May, 2016 at 9:53 pm #848092
    Kim
    Participant

    Hello. This is my 2nd post to the site. I still find it a bit confusing to navigate, so I wasn’t able to say thanks for the helpful suggestions with my 1st question, getting my kitten to finally pee. Update with that. The stimulation alone wasn’t working at first with my boy at 3 weeks of age. It was suggested to use warm running water right on the perineal area. So what I did was, fill a 25 cc syringe with warm water and squirt it on the perineal area, then immediately massage the area. Worked like a charm. Now at 7 weeks they are completely litter trained. You guys are awesome, so thanks!

    But, we have a dilemma now. I know its a common one, but I am not finding answers with google searches. My boy Orion loves loves loves to play, which is awesome. BUT he is WAY more (playfully) aggressive with his tiny sister Fiona. I know he just wants a playmate, and I feel terrible when I have to pull him off his sister. But he pins her down on her back, and she doesn’t have his strength (or dominance) to get out of his grip. She cries and yelps and tries to hide from him 🙁 I worry about the long term effects this will have on her feelings of safety in her own home and becoming a very timid cat.

    My husband and I are trying a few things.
    1: Have separate play time in 2 different areas of our apartment. I’ll place Orion in an area with toys in the bedroom and long hallway while Fiona can play and explore without fear out in the common area, the living room.
    2. Allow playtime together while heavily monitoring them, and only intervene when she seems scared.
    3. I just bought Da Bird toy that hopefully will help him play out his desire for hunting and pouncing taking attention away from her to the toy.
    4. We’re going to ask our vet on his opinion of Feliway.

    So my husband and I just started these tactics like 2 days ago.
    Any more tips? I want my boy to be happy and play and hunt and pounce, but I want my girl to feel safe too.

    Any advice is greatly appreciated. (I do, however, refuse to spray my kittens with water for any behavior.)

    31 May, 2016 at 2:04 am #848100
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Kim, in the things that you are trying #3 is probably your answer. Diversion will be the best tactic if he pins his sister down when you are home, divert his attention with a wand toy or a laser pointer. Boy kittens and adult cats tend to be more aggressive anyway, it’s just in their nature. Eventually, once they are bigger, Fiona will probably not be so submissive. I have two cats like that (boy and girl) and although the girl isn’t aggressive, she DOES instigate and will fuss and holler at her brother so that I intervene. 🙄 Patience and more patience is key here, and I know how hard it is since the dominant cat really seems as if he is hurting the more submissive one. Ending the play at the time it happens is a good idea but that’s only when you are home. Many people have used the Feliway spray and also the diffusers but they are a little pricey.

    31 May, 2016 at 2:16 am #848102
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Glad they are feeling well. It’s not unusual for a stronger kit to dominate a weaker kit. In many cases, Feliaway works well. However, my suggestion is to get them fixed. Kits can be fixed at a minimum of 2 lbs. Boy kits are more aggressive and getting fixed reduces that aggression. Other than that, separate playtimes/areas until she is adopted would be the last choice.

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