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Why is my kitten attacking my older cat? How to stop cat fights?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 4 lbs

I adopted a kitten a year ago she has not stopped attacking our 11 year old cat who was once and feral, she is spayed and our kitten is not. I am not sure how to help them, please help me stop the fighting or figure out why this happens?:)

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1 Answer

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Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 1st, 2019

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!

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