My adult cat is biting my new kitten. Is she trying to kill her?

It can be normal for a mother to gently bite at a kitten, but if you feel Mum is being aggressive it may be best to allow supervised interactions only so you can intervene if she gets too rough. It is very beneficial for kittens to have time with their mothers, so I would only recommend completely isolating kitten from Mum if she is consistently showing signs of aggression.

Most cats will settle down within a few weeks. Kittens do play rough and it can be hard to tell. If they willingly come together, play willingly and you don't see any bullying behavior (avoidance, hiding, arching the back and puffing up the tail) they are likely playing rough. If they play too rough they could injure each other by accident so continue to separate them when not supervised but most kittens will not require this. Giving each kitten one on one play time with you to burn energy, feeding out of a food puzzle and providing cats trees/other environmental stimulation can also help. Continue the current therapy as well. I hope this helps.

Hello. You do not say how old the kitten is, but this may just be the kitten learning how far he can push his older companion, or he is beginning to learn some dominance. Discourage the behavior by gently shooing the kitten away & distracting him with a treat or some play time with you. I have a cat that every time he sees my little dog sitting on my lap, he has to jump up & start chewing on the poor dog's ear. We then have to take turns to see who gets to sit in my lap. Cats can get quite demanding, & jealous. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

First, make sure your older cat has places she can hide and get away from the kitten. High perches, a tunnel, a cat tower, make sure that there are plenty of places for both of the to scratch, climb and hide without interfering with the other. And makes sure you play with the kitten a lot, both to tire him out and give your older can some breathing room. A kitten's life is all about play, and play is all about prey. Every race down the hallway, every pounce from behind a door, every swat and nip is a display of a kitten's hunting skills, instincts that are just as strong in today’s housecat as they were in her ancestors thousands of years ago. To a kitten, everything in the house is potential prey, including you. A kitten's first playmates are his mother and littermates, and from them he learns how to inhibit his bite. A kitten separated from his family too soon may not have learned that lesson and doesn't know when to stop. Also, if people use their hands and/or feet instead of toys to play, the kitten may learn that rough play is okay. In most cases, it's not too difficult to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play isn't acceptable. Don't let your kitten play with your hands or feet (or any other body part). Use a toy when playing with him. Drag a toy, preferably a fishing pole-type toy that keeps your hands from kitty’s mouth and claws, along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or throw a toy for him to chase. Some kittens will even bring the toy back to be thrown again. Give your kitten something to wrestle with, like a soft stuffed animal about his size, so he can grab it, bite it, and kick it with his back feet. This is one of the ways kittens play with each other, especially when they're young. It's also one of the ways they try to play with human feet and hands, so it's important to provide this type of alternative play target. Encourage play with a "wrestling toy" by rubbing it against your kitten's belly when he wants to play roughly—and be sure to get your hand out of the way as soon as he accepts the toy. Don't hit or yell at your kitten when she nips or pounces. This will only make her fearful of you and she may start to avoid you. The idea is to train her, not punish her. Equip yourself with the right training tools: toys, toys, toys, and a water pistol.

If you are concerned that the male cat may injure the kittens then I would recommend you keep them separated at all times. However, I will say that it is normal for older cats (usually the momma cat) to teach the young kittens discipline and proper behavior by mewing at them, bopping them and nipping at them. This may be all your male cat is trying to accomplish. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It is OK behavior but not great. I am worried that this could escalate into a serious fight. I suggest you try using some Feliway diffusers in the house and do some environmental enrichment for them. Those two things should help. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-MultiCat-Diffuser ) ( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AejmrLa_Cs4 )

From your description of your cat's behavior, it does sound like play behavior rather than aggression. When Mini is playing with you, he likely wants to join in on the play behavior as well. As long as he isn't hurting her or showing signs of aggression, I would not worry about it. I hope this helps.