8 month old male, un-neutered cat biting 8 week old female kitten's vagina

by Brandie
(Stockbridge, Ga USA)

My older cat, 'Possum was a 9 week old stray when I accidentally hit him with my car. I scooped him up and took him to the vet where they told me he had no injuries and would be fine. He was very scared for the first 2 weeks or so considering the accident was probably traumatic for him. We left him to himself for the most part so he could get used to his new surroundings and only tried to pet him when he approached us. For some reason, he's never really cared for my husband or my 3 year old daughter, so he's basically my cat. After about 3 months of being an inside cat, my father in law (who we were living with) said he needed to be an outside cat- he was no longer welcome inside. We moved into our own apartment one month later and 'Possum went for 2 weeks without seeing me. (I gave birth to my now 4 month old daughter and couldn't drive to get him) Once I was able to drive, I picked him up and brought him to our new home. It was a big change for him; he had entirely new surroundings, a new baby, and no longer able to go outside. He became aggressive and would bite and scratch anyone who tried to pet him, including me. He would reach out and scratch at our feet as we were walking by, and attack my daughter's (the 3 year old's) feet even if she was playing by herself. He seemed to hate it here. He would try to run out the door every time it was opened, climb the counters and make a point to knock everything off, tear the toilet paper into teensy smithereens, try to sit on top of my newborn as I'm feeding her, curl up in the boppy pillow, bouncy seat, baby bathtub, etc. (jealousy?) He never showed affection to anyone but me, and even that was on rare occasions. He needed to be outdoors again, but my community doesn't allow outside/inside cats. Within the last 2 or 3 weeks, he's started showing a little affection towards the newborn by licking her hair (bathing her) when she's in her bouncer. My husband and I thought it would be a good idea to get another cat as a companion for him. So, last week, we brought home an 8 week old kitten. The first day was full of hissing... That's all they did- just hiss at each other, constantly. They were both terrified of each other. The next day, they'd each worked up the courage to reach out and smack the other. By the third day, they were full blown wrestling. I started noticing a pattern in the way 'Possum would attack- he'll smack her around a bit until he gets her on her back with her head under his stomach and then he will bite (aggressively) on her vaginal area. He bites her so hard that she hangs from his mouth when I pick him up to separate them. I actually have to pry his mouth open. He also tries to bite her spine and neck, but far less often than the other. It's at the point now, where they are constantly separated. I wanted him to have a friend, not a snack. Should we have him neutered? Could it just be his hormones that are causing all of this odd behavior? Or should we just get rid of the kitten and go back to having an aggressive cat? I'm afraid having him neutered would hurt him psychologically, as well as physically.

Answer from KAte
Oh dear what can I say.Sadly you have made some fundamental errors which has simply made your cat even more unhappy. Not your fault as you did not know, however you now have a situation which may not improve dramatically

Firstly cats are essentially wild at heart and always retain their natural instincts. This means being able to go outside and hunt, climb chase etc etc. Now some acts can live inside especially if they have not been outside before but in your case it sounds like you have a very bored and frustrated cat who misses going out. All you can do is to try and make your cats inside world as stimulating as you can for him. Please see this page for more on this

http://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

Your other mistake is getting another cat. Cats are not pack animals like dogs and so do not like to live with other cats unless they are from the same litter etc. Sometimes you can get cats to learn to accept each other but no to necessarily like. See this page
http://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-training.html

Both cats need to be neutered, this will reduce aggressive behavior and help the cats to calm down and perhaps learn to get along with each other and also their home surroundings.

I wish you luck it may not be easy and you may have to make the decision to rehome your cats if they do not settle down in the future. Sometimes this is kinder to everyone concerned.

best wishes kate