# Tips for teaching a kitten to be nice to old kitties



## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

We will be getting a kitten soon we are approved to adopt one from a rescue. He looks promising he shows no fear of dogs and didn't hiss at a large cat in the Petco store, he has a calm demeanor but is still playful. He is intended to keep our younger cat occupied who does little things to try to annoy the older cats in house, like sniff them excessively, swat at them when they are resting, he tries to get them to play. He is annoying but not aggressive.
If you have had a multi-cat household with cats of all ages how did you teach the kitten to respect his or her elders? I've had kittens before but the cats were close in age.


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## Beezu (Mar 9, 2013)

my younger kitty - Ida, 2 yrs old, adopted from a shelter when she was a wee kitten, is a real brat to my older kitty Beatrice, who is 14. 

Ida still chases Bea around but what i found really helps is the Feliway plugin diffuser. 

I can always tell when it runs out cause Ida starts being a spaz again. 

its a pheromone diffuser, its the same kind of pheromones like when cats rub their cheeks or head on things.


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## thisismydesign (Jun 22, 2013)

1) they're kittens, they're little shits and are going to act out no matter what

2) have you tried playing with them multiple times a day? You could also have supervised 'play sessions' when the kitten is in the same room as the older cat. It will help them get along, reaffirm the "other cat equals fun" behavior, and will drain the tiny thing's energy. My older cat was aggressive towards my kitten and this worked well when done every day for a while.


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## Riverotter (May 15, 2013)

Make the kitten focus on you for play and companionship and let the 2 cars sort it out.

I have older cats and kittens. I've found if you have a slightly older cat, one about a year old or so, and a kitten, the 2 youngsters will focus on each other other and let the old-timer be.
It sounds like that's what you have going on so it should be fine.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

thisismydesign said:


> 1) they're kittens, they're little shits and are going to act out no matter what


 I snorted milk out of my nose at this. +1, that totally describes a kitten.


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## jag14 (Sep 23, 2012)

I have an adult cat and 6 wk old kitten. So far the adult Princess, actually thinks she is queen of the house, just hisses at the baby and hides in the tallest place she can find. Princess has discovered one benefit of the arrangement- lots of canned food being served more often. She also decided she likes the kitten replacement milk. The worst reaction she had was when she saw Shadow, the little fuzzball, on my shoulder. Her eyes went wide and evil and I swear she gave me a "Screw You" look. Wouldn't come down from her hiding place till breakfast the next day. They will get along eventually one day, I hope...


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