Hey!
Got a kitten as a friend for my adult cat 3 weeks ago, because the adult cat is very interested in playing with the neighbor’s cat and the cats below the balcony.
For the first 2 days, they grinned at each other as soon as they met each other’s eyes.
Now they can run and chase each other at play, and bite / wrestle which turns into the adult cat licking the kitten, is that dominance?
The adult cat eats as he should, I feel like he eats more than before when I was worried that he was malnourished.
But he does not want to cuddle as much as before and often sits by himself.
Wherever he goes, the kitten wants to follow, and he tries to fool around with the adult cat.
Sometimes he hisses at the kitten because they become too much as he sometimes is not allowed to lie in peace and even rest.
As soon as I and the adult cat get a moment alone, the kitten comes and interrupts.
The adult cat has always adored me before and followed me wherever I go and always been super happy to see me.
Now it has stopped happening.
He used to hunt toy rats that I threw away, but the kitten always has time to pick it up so he no longer deals with it.
His mischief and play with toys and with me has practically stopped completely.
He goes out a lot on the balcony where he has time alone and rests.
I’m becoming worried he’s depressed?
Please let me know what you think!
Hey!
Cats are not herd animals and it can therefore be a bit difficult to keep several cats that are not related in a small area.
That he is licking the kitten is not a sign of dominance.
Your older cat probably thinks it’s both a little fun with a playmate but also a little hard.
Read our articles on cat behaviors to get tips on how to best manage to have 2 cats at home.