How to Stop Your Young Cat from Chasing Your Old Cat

If you̵7;ve got an older cat and you introduce a new, younger cat into your household, you may notice certain behavioral problems emerging̵1;one of which is that the new member of your family might insist on chasing your older cat around. Understand that this is perfectly natural and that, with a little effort, you can stop this behavior. The key is to be consistent.

Things You'll Need

  • Remote-control car
  • Laser pointer
  • Water spray bottle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cats are predators and, because of that, nature gives them the instinct to chase things. In the wild, they would run something to ground and kill it but since they are domesticated, that is not an important part of their life. But the urge is still there. You need to understand that they are simply acting out on natural instincts.

    • 2

      In order to stop the chase cycle from continuing, you̵7;ll need to distract your younger cat when the chase is on. This is where consistency is important. If you decide that you want the chase to end, you must always perform the distraction and/or disciplinary behavior. First, make sure that your younger cat has something else that it can chase. A remote-control car is a great way to have the younger cat burn off energy and get some exercise, too. Or you can use a laser pointer and have the younger cat chase the red dot.

    • 3

      When the chase is on, try distracting your younger cat with a simple sound modification̵1;either calling for the cat or delivering a quick ̶0;snap̶1; of your fingers. This will sometimes cause the chase to be put on pause. You might also try making a loud ̶0;hiss̶1; sound during the chase. This sounds a lot like an alpha female putting the brakes on the bad behavior.

    • 4

      If sound doesn̵7;t work, try to modify the behavior with a quick spritz of plain water, delivered from a water spray bottle. Most cats really do not like being wet and when they find themselves being sprayed, it causes them to stop whatever they̵7;re doing and head off in the opposite direction from where the water is coming from.

    • 5

      In some instances, no matter what you try, you might find it impossible to stop the chase from taking place. In that case, the best thing that you can do is to separate the two cats. Sometimes, when the cats can̵7;t get to each other but they can still smell each other (such as through a door), this will cause the behavior to change, once each cat realizes that the other cat can share the same territory. When you separate the two, always put the younger cat into the separate room. This will reinforce the idea that when he chases the older cat, he will wind up separated from the rest of the family.