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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Younger male house cat biting older male

11 replies

Bloozie · 21/11/2025 10:01

I have 2 house cats - one aged 14, the other just over 1. I've had them both since kittens, both neutered.

They get on really well 95% of the time. They hang out together, they sleep in the same bed, they happily share the same litter trays, they eat together. They get on.

Until they don't. They're both as likely to instigate hostility. One will start grooming the other, a prelude for a spat. It's not like the younger cat is bullying the older one - it's just as likely to be my old boy starting a ruck.

But the young one bites to hurt, not warn. My poor old boy is covered in scabby wounds. Not deep ones, at all (not full punctures), not infected, nothing to worry about - I've taken him to the vet, we have hibiscrub. but they're not infected.

However they're not healing either because the little shit of a younger cat will bite or grab him in exactly the same place and open them up again.

These altercations last seconds. They don't fight. They just have a ruck.

I have no idea how to stop it happening. I keep the young one's claws short but I can't very well file off his teeth. We play hunting games with toys and feather sticks, but it's not hunting behaviour he's exhibiting.

It's like he can't control his level of 'gerroff me!'. He stayed with his mum and littermates until he was 16 weeks old so it's not like he wasn't socialised in cat play.

Any bright ideas?

OP posts:
Susu49 · 21/11/2025 10:04

Until they don't. They're both as likely to instigate hostility. One will start grooming the other, a prelude for a spat. It's not like the younger cat is bullying the older one - it's just as likely to be my old boy starting a ruck

This is normal but I appreciate your older boy isn't getting a chance to heal which isn't good. He will probably calm down as he gets older, so time will definitely help.

Do you use feliway plug ins? They do make a difference, keep at least one on each floor but I'd also put an additional one in the room(s) they use the most.

Namechangefordaughterevasion · 21/11/2025 10:08

Cats are territorial animals. There can only be one alpha male in the territory and the younger cat is asserting his physical dominance. He's not cruel or unkind, he's just a young animal following his instincts.

Perhaps if you separated them a bit, gave them separate food, litter and sleeping areas it would reduce the competition between them.

I feel quite sad for the older cat having his space invaded during his old age.

bombastix · 21/11/2025 10:09

You need to separate these two animals. Can that be done?Aggressive biting to hurt is unusual but this is a proper territorial fight in your house, so the older cat will fight back.

Bloozie · 21/11/2025 15:17

It's definitely not territorial fighting. The older cat had a sister - I took them both on at the same time - and after a couple of years of them living together in bliss, she had to spend a week at the vets. When she came home, they were mortal enemies - largely at her instigation. The fights were absolutely horrific, and I did separate them, for about 18 months. Every time I tried to reintroduce them to each other - verrrrrry slowly, calmly, as per all the guidance - they attacked each other.

This gave me a horrific insight into what territorial cat behaviour looks like - both the immediate violence of it, and the slow burn months after they had finally been reintroduced, when they begrudgingly accepted that the other one lived here, but if he entered the room, she would leave and vice versa, they wouldn't eat in the same place, they chose different litter trays as 'theirs'.

It took years for them to love each other again - properly love each other, sleep together, move around as one unit again - and when she died, he was heartbroken and would call for her/hunt the house looking for her.

Hence the introduction of the new cat.

They hit it off straight away, after about 3 weeks of being kept separate and scent swapping/territory swapping. Once they were happy to settle in each other's halves of the house without sniffing every inch of it to try and find whoever made that smell - when I territory swapped and they just curled up and slept - I let them meet, and they were instant best buds. The younger cat was a kitten, and he just wanted to be with his old buddy, and the older cat started playing again, and settled at night without crying for his sister.

I thought I had won. And I had, for ages. Well over a year.

The younger cat is asserting his dominance, but not in an inappropriate way, other than he can't seem to moderate his strength. He does have a neurological muscle weakness and I'm starting to wonder if it's that - that he didn't learn how to do it as a kitten, because he had no strength as a kitten. He's only just learned how to jump and climb.

They don't fight all the time, or half the time, or even 5% of the time. And when they do, it's either playing or just a response to being groomed at the wrong time.

We have three litter trays and they both use the same one. They have separate feeding stations but migrate between the two of them as a pair. They are happy to share, and share space, but the little one is a dick with his teeth.

I haven't used Feliway for ages, so that's a good shout. I've also ordered a surgical jumper for the older cat just to give him time to heal - hopefully the two in combination will mean things calm down.

OP posts:
Susu49 · 21/11/2025 15:23

Surgical jumper is a good idea. Honestly, what you describe is normal. I've had brothers who were just the same but without the wounds. They tussle to be top cat.

Manual intervention will help and maybe keeping them separate for periods of time. The younger one will burn off more energy when spring comes too

CatAsstrophe · 21/11/2025 15:42

Have you tried 'play distraction' when the biting starts? The younger one will have more excess energy than your older cat and being house cats, play time is important to burn off some of that energy. Using a wand toy is a great distraction from unwanted behaviour.

I second Feliway.

Would you consider getting another young cat/kitten as a playmate for your youngest, and they should leave your older cat in peace (no guarantees as cats can be little shits, but it worked for me)?

Bloozie · 21/11/2025 16:18

CatAsstrophe · 21/11/2025 15:42

Have you tried 'play distraction' when the biting starts? The younger one will have more excess energy than your older cat and being house cats, play time is important to burn off some of that energy. Using a wand toy is a great distraction from unwanted behaviour.

I second Feliway.

Would you consider getting another young cat/kitten as a playmate for your youngest, and they should leave your older cat in peace (no guarantees as cats can be little shits, but it worked for me)?

A third young cat? Yes, I'd do that in a heartbeat, but my husband thinks two cats is fine, but three cats is crazy. PLUS we have two dogs too, so it does run the risk of becoming a zoo. (Which again, I have no problem with, but apparently he has a say too...).

I haven't distracted with play - I normally just consistently remove whoever instigated the nonsense - but that's a good idea for the younger one, who obviously has more zoom to zoom off.

OP posts:
CatAsstrophe · 21/11/2025 16:35

Bloozie · 21/11/2025 16:18

A third young cat? Yes, I'd do that in a heartbeat, but my husband thinks two cats is fine, but three cats is crazy. PLUS we have two dogs too, so it does run the risk of becoming a zoo. (Which again, I have no problem with, but apparently he has a say too...).

I haven't distracted with play - I normally just consistently remove whoever instigated the nonsense - but that's a good idea for the younger one, who obviously has more zoom to zoom off.

Edited

Oops, I didn't realise you had two dogs as well 😁

A cat breeder acquaintance informed me ages ago that three cats was the best number in a multi cat household and with the age dynamic you have, a similar aged playmate for your younger cat could be a solution, but I hear you about it being a joint decision.

Check out Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He has loads of videos about cat behaviour and play distraction, about not intervening, but using distraction instead.

Susu49 · 21/11/2025 16:47

3 cats doesn't make you a crazy cat lady.

Someone on x claimed to have got a second cat identical to their first and didn't tell their husband, apparently it took him ages to notice 😂 probably not true but crafty!

Bloozie · 21/11/2025 17:01

Susu49 · 21/11/2025 16:47

3 cats doesn't make you a crazy cat lady.

Someone on x claimed to have got a second cat identical to their first and didn't tell their husband, apparently it took him ages to notice 😂 probably not true but crafty!

I think my behaviour towards the cats we have qualifies me as a crazy cat lady already, and my husband is possibly justifiably worried about where it would all end if he doesn't impose a limit.

I call the older cat my Very Best Boy, and the younger my Soulmate. You can understand why my husband might legitimately feel he should be called either one of those things.

I do reckon if I got another identical young ginger tom, he might not notice for a few days. He's not wildly observant.

OP posts:
Susu49 · 21/11/2025 17:07

I call the older cat my Very Best Boy, and the younger my Soulmate. You can understand why my husband might legitimately feel he should be called either one of those things.

I'm afraid I don't understand...this is normal surely? Your husband must surely know that he cannot hope to hold a candle to the perfections that are your cats and dogs...

I do reckon if I got another identical young ginger tom, he might not notice for a few days. He's not wildly observant

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