My older kitten attacks my younger kitten. How to stop the aggression?

Poor cats! It's possible there is stress being caused over dispute of territory, especially if you have quite a few cats in a small home or apartment. A good first step is making sure each cat has their own access to food, water, litter, and perches they can get away from each other so that the cats can establish their areas without having to compete for resources. A good second step is to add in a pheromone collar or diffuser, which can help reduce inter-cat aggression and make things less stressful. In some cases, a younger cat may bully an older cat if there is an underlying health problem going on. A vet visit to rule out any pain or illness that could be making Mr. Winkle the target of this attention may help reduce the problem as well. If the changes to the home don't help, speaking with a veterinary behaviorist in your area may also be a good option: https://www.dacvb.org/page/about

Sudden aggression and behavioral changes in cats can indicate pain or illness, so if you haven't already, a veterinary check up is best. If your cat checks out healthy, it may be there is a lot of stress causing your cat's behavioral issues. Making sure she has her own access to food, water, toys, treats, hiding spots etc from other pets or people is best. She is also still very young, and may just have a lot of energy/is still learning what appropriate behavior is. Ignoring bad behavior, increasing play and activity times, and rewarding calm, quiet behavior is best to teach her the right way to interact and to get out that excess energy. If the behavior continues even with this, speaking with a veterinary behaviorist is the best next step.

Hi, your cat is very young still so being playful it is not unexpected however if she is being aggressive too there are lots of things to consider. You can try to offer her as many occasions to display normal predatory behaviour, such as toys and feeding puzzles. If she does not have any access to outdoors, would it be possible to have a Catio arranged for her to experience some kind of sensory stimulation/observe outside etc ? Does she have places at home where she can be left undisturbed and rest ? A book I really found useful is https://www.amazon.com/Trainable-Cat-Practical-Making-Happier/dp/0465050905 And please see https://icatcare.org/advice/problem-behaviour/aggression-humans

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.

Cats are notoriously apathetic to our wishes, aren't they? :) Young cats often have a ton of energy that can sometimes be displaced as aggression. Make sure there are lots of places/things for the cats to explore. Elevated areas like cat trees or cat shelves on the wall are great; window perches, scratching posts, toys, etc. Its also important to make sure that the cats aren't "competing" for resources-- make sure there are multiple food and water bowls and at least 3 litter boxes (if you have 2 cats.... the recommended number of litter boxes is the number of cats +1). Here is an article I think you will find helpful. The website this article is from is a great resource for cat behavior. Thank you for asking PetCoach! https://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/why-your-cats-may-not-be-getting-along/

You may need to make some adjustments so you can help keep your home a low stress and comfortable place for your cats and get Piper and your other cat to get along. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit veterinarypartner.com and healthcareforpets.com for tips on stress reduction. The following link has information on introducing a cat to your home: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/felinelifestressors/new-pets Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com , and feliway friends, which is a pheromone that can help cats get along with each other better https://www.feliway.com/ca_en/Products/FELIWAY-FRIENDS-Diffuser I highly recommend you have Piper spayed, as sometimes the hormones associated with not being spayed can worsen behavioural issues. Spaying also stops the heat cycle, eliminates the risk and cost of unwanted breeding, and can reduce the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, as well as reduce the risk of potentially fatal uterine infections and breast cancer. Good luck, and I hope your kitties start to be friends soon!

Playful kitten behavior would be more common in a cat this age than true aggression, but it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference! :) In general, there are a few guidelines that can help. Play behavior in cats is virtually always silent, whereas growling and hissing are common with aggressive behavior. Cats who are playing will often crouch down and flatten themselves against the floor before leaping at you (or your other cat). They may also put their ears back and arch their backs, and walk sideways towards you. If it's play, the cats may wrestle, grab each other and chase each other, but there should be no injuries. If you're still unsure, you can request a one-on-one consultation and upload a video of the behavior for me to look at - I would be happy to try and help.