Question
My six months cat has been recently introduced to a new one month kitten in my apartment. Since the apartment is small, I was unable to go through the process of putting them into different rooms. It's been 4 days now, and my older cat is no longer constantly hissing at the new kitten. However, it frequently interacts with the kitten by bunny kicking and biting the neck. I can't really tell if this is playing or fighting because they make no sounds when they're doing it. Should I allow this kind of thing to happen?
Answer
Bunny kicks eviscerate the prey; the jaws hold the prey in place for kicking while also choking it. If your adult cat actually saw the kitten as prey, it would be dead within seconds.
Cats instinctively practice these hunting tactics, though at a non-lethal intensity, for play or for establishing dominance. Assuming your kitten is still alive, that is what is happening here.
Once the adult is satisfied that the kitten knows its place, it will begin letting the kitten do the same in return on occasion. That is part of how kittens learn to hunt from their parents. If the kitten gets too aggressive, the adult will pin the kitten until it calms down, or reverse the hold. That is how kittens learn the appropriate level of roughness with family and friends.
Trust me, you’ll know if it’s really a fight: it will be loud and violent and bloody. Anything less, though, do not interfere with; it will just slow down their natural social processes.
Answered By - StephenS