old cat vs young cat

[mandimoo]

the cat thats been with me for 14 years, accepted my adoption of a year old stray. quite happily considering they are both male cats. initially the young cat was subservient to my longstanding familiar. a few months later the young cat is now at least equal in size to the old cat, and hassles him constantly. the old cat, well, i just cant help thinking he is too old for the stress of all the harrassment. the young one totally disrespects the old one now. and where old cat used to have the last word, this is no longer the case. i know this would happen in the big cat world, and the old cat would be outcast. but i love my old cat, so i want to restore the old order. can i do anything to help my old cat still feel he is number 1?

[boxtops]

YOu can spend a lot of time with him and firmly say no to your young cat if he tries to monopolise your time, or bully the old one. As you say this is the law of the jungle but it is a different set-up in the house. Don't let the young cat sleep in the old cat's bed or push him out of the way - you are the pack leader and you have to make the young accept this. Give the old cat treats so he feels special, but also share with the other one so they see their is no favouritism. My three cats really don't like each other at all but it works (after a fashion) because they know we are in charge! Good luck!

[karenmac60]

I had an old cat and a young cat and like you, I felt the older one was being bullied and getting a bit stressed by it all. I ended up getting another kitten and it worked perfectly. The 2 youngsters became best pals, playing and fighting together, while my old cat got peace and quiet and cuddles. She would snuggle up with one of the others when they were asleep so she still liked the company but she didn't get all the grief she'd been getting before. She passed away a few months ago and the added bebefit of having 2 youngsters is that they had each other once Shelley was gone.