One kitten bullying his sibling - can it be trained out ?

Have they been neutered yet? I wonder if that would help.

Yes, they were both neutered during the week after we got them and I thought that might calm things down but not at all I'm afraid.

Have you tried the plug in cat calmers? I don't know what they're called, but they may help a bit.
When I had 2 cats they didn't get on, but it must be awful watching one getting beaten up.

It may not be very politically correct these days, but a squirt of water will stop a cat in its tracks, usually. If you could manage that without squirting both it might help?

our cats now over a year old and he still bites me ,not often but I dont like it and cant get him to stop .He's never been a cuddly cat and he was neutered at 12 weeks ,the cat calming plug ins didn't work for him either.I'm at a loss.We got him for our GD ,my OH is allergic to cats but said he's OK with taking antihistamines daily and his doctor says they wont be a problem with his heart medication.I'm sort of reaching the stage if the "beast" as we jokingly call hi,doesn't start behaving I'll need to part with him.We've not had a cat for 30 years ..our last one died when she was 13 and we didn't think she could be replaced ..seems we might have been right..or are all male cats more aggressive?

NOT had a cat for 30 years

I always preferred male cats as more easy going, and more reliable in the toilet training department. I found that she cats seemed more neurotic.

We have two neutered male cats who are daft as brushes so I don't think males are necessarily more aggressive. In fact, looking back, the two most aggressive cats we've ever had were both female, one Tortie and one tabby.

The Feliway is worth trying, we used it when our boys were settling in with us (adult rescue cats) but they do say it isn't 100% guaranteed to work.

Ask your vet for help, too, or maybe he/she can refer you on to a behaviour specialist.

The cat charity lady trained them with the water squirt and it certainly makes them pause and in fact I only have to shake the bottle for them to note that I am watching them. I am a good shot too! She also suggested that I bop him on the nose! I find I am not quick enough to do that and in fact I am getting very tired by it all. I have tried Feliway but it seems to make the little one dopey and more susceptible and has no effect on bully boy at all.
Paddyann I don't think I have the stamina for much more and crtainly not for a year as you have done! I suppose it is an impossibility to expect their character to change so completely and is pie in the sky. We have in the main had females before this and never more than one male at a time and I suppose it is quite likely that the aggression is a male thing. I think I am going to have to let him go and just hope he finds a home as a one and only. I am not generally a quitter so this goes against the grain - but hey ho!

I hate the idea of giving up on him as otherwise he's a lovely wee soul ,playful with the wee one an dnever bites anyone else.My daughter thinks it could hormonal...me ..not him and I'm giving off pheromones that make him aggressive .I did speak to the vet too and have tried the water spray and the nose rap.All advice gratefully recieved .he just jumps on me out of the blue and takes a chunk out of me

I am afraid the answer is almost certainly “no”
Cats have their own pecking order order and nothing another species tries to do will change that, nor should it really!!

You may have to bite the bullet if it gets too bad and re-Home one of them.

Sometimes you have to admit defeat and if you think he needs to be rehomed then it's better to do it now while he's still kittenish. It sounds like he'd be better off as an only cat. It's a hard decision, though.

Yes Whitewave nature in the raw is not pretty but there are reasons for hierarchy and I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet as you say.

Thank you one and all for your input!

Shame really, but my hairdressers has a couple of brothers and they are 9 now and one has bullied the other the whole of his life and the underdog (sorry) has a hell of a life. Angela tries so hard to defend the poor little thing but it has never worked.

By the time she realised exactly what is going on she felt they were too old to re-Home.

There was a television programme examining just that and the outcome was that cats are better off on their own in a home.

We've pretty much always had more than one cat and there's always been a dominant cat, but not to the extent of bullying. Of the two brothers we have now, the bigger one is the boss but it's the little one who tries it on. The big one can always sit on his brother if he's being too troublesome - he weighs 16lb!

I don't know why some kittens are like this; we encountered one not long ago, loving and sweet one moment then would suddenly lash out with teeth or claws. He's not mine and I haven't met him since he has been neutered but I will suggest the water pistol method of controlling him, or at least arm myself with one next time I visit. He's the only cat in the household and gets on well with the dogs - it's just humans he attacks.

Not the same problem, but my cat won`t go outside these days unless she can see that the coast is clear, as she gets bullied by another, smaller, cat that has recently come to live around here. To me he`s a little darling, but not to my Mia, she`s petrified of him.

Honestly I think both kittens would be happier as only cats, so if you can bring yourself to part with bully boy , do so.

Otherwise, go on feeding them apart for a while, and when you try feeding them together, growl or hiss like a cat at your little bully, when he tries to bully his brother.

BUT make time to play and cuddle with your little bully alone - simply shut his brother in somewhere else, so bully boy knows you love him too. Don't let him claw or bite you, cats can learn to understand the word NO spoken calmly every time they do something wrong. Taking him by the scruff of his neck and shaking him gently is what any grown cat would do to him, if he or she was gentle, otherwise they would slap him soundly across the face so the summersaults across the floor, which I don't advise you to do.

Same here- one of them has got to go- the newest arrival. Not fair otherwise- hope you find a good home for him.

Our new Minou 3 legs is a bully too- but as Pudding is 25, she has her own boudoir of 2 rooms + bathroom- and is very happy there, so it works. she used to be an outdoor cat, but as the venerable old lady she is- very content in her suite.

The dogs I mentioned in my post are very large and were part of the family first but they have learned quite quickly that the little cat is in charge.

Can you try and find the programme on TV called "Cats from Hell" it is very informative and offers some good solutions like trying to distract the bully with cat toys etc ,it may be worth a try.

Get rid of bully boy.

What sort of toys have you got for them?

Bully boy left two days ago and I can hardly believe the difference in the bullied one, he has come into his own and has found his voice and a huge purr. He comes on my lap for cuddles, allows me to comb him and is the most gentle boy you could imagine. No more messes and he is eating when he wants to, he must have been so very miserable and hungry. I felt dreadful spending the other one away but I have absolutely done the best thing for the kitten who is still here. What a relief!