9 month old male kitten keeps biting 6 week old male kitten is this normal?

We got our 9 month old male kitten when he was just 10 weeks old, he has always been a friendly cat and very socialable following us everywhere. He has been an outdoor cat since being neutered and vaccines up to date but when he would try and play with the other cats they would just run away from him and he seemed so lonely so we decided to get another kitten.


We have only just got this kitten so I know my older one still needs to get used to him but since he has arrived but older kitten hasn't been interested in anything else apart from being the new kitten's shadow. He will chase him around the house but seems to try and bite him around the neck and the younger one will squeal. He doesn't seem to have hurt him and the younger one will still approach him.

I guess I'm worried incase my older one really doesn't like him and takes it too far if no one is around to stop him, any suggestions?? The younger one will be neutered when he is old enough if our older one accepts him.

Reply
Hi
Simple answer is there is no guarantees that these two cats will ever get on.

i say this because it is often a mis comprehension on our parts to think that cats need another cat to stop being lonely. this is just not the case as they are naturally single animals.

Normally the only time cats get along with each other is if they have been brought up with other cats all their lives from very young age.

Now as you male cat is still under a year old you may be lucky and find that they do settle down with each other but as I say there are no guarantees.

The behavior your cat is displaying is just play and i would not worry about it too much. Often these games can look rather rough but are usually not. Or course the odd accident may happen but this is normal and should be only minor.

Or course when the kitten is neutered it will help the situation but at the moment it should not be upsetting things as it is unlikely that he is producing any male hormones yet anyway and so to your existing cat is just a play mate.

I do have a page about how best to introduce new cats to each other which you may find of further interest here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html

best wishes kate

Comments for 9 month old male kitten keeps biting 6 week old male kitten is this normal?

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cat biting
by: Anonymous

Cats are like people to a degree. They can have behaviour problems just like children. I have a cat just like that...she doesn't get along with my other 2 cats at all! I called the Vet and he said sometimes the only way to fix this problem is to put them on meds, which is similar to what they give hyper-active kids, a kind of anti-depressant for cats, but it is very, very costly! I din't go that route, but that is an available option.
Playing rough
by: Kevin Johnson

It's normal, but you should monitor it, in case it gets out of hand. Eventually, one will decide which is dominant. It's important to get the younger kitten neutered as soon as he's old enough.

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