Why is my ferret grabbing my kitten? Is it dominance or play?

Unfortunately it is impossible for us to know if this is a type of play behavior or if this is related to prey drive since we cannot observe the behavior. Certainly an adult cat can seriously wound or even kill a nine week old kitten. I recommend to keep them separated until you are sure they get along and the kitten is bigger. You may do some research about cat behavior. You will need to look at the position of the head, mouth, ears, spine and how the fur is laying. That will give you a better idea of your adult cats intentions. You should also make sure to spend at least 30 minutes a day exercising the adult cat. This will help to make it more tired and less likely to exhibit bad behavior. Best of luck.

From your description of your cat's behavior, it does sound like play behavior rather than aggression. When Mini is playing with you, he likely wants to join in on the play behavior as well. As long as he isn't hurting her or showing signs of aggression, I would not worry about it. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may in fact be a display or aggressive or dominant behavior. I would recommend that you keep him away from other cats that trigger this aggressive behavior in him. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach. I would recommend giving them time to adjust to each other. This may be Cheech trying to establish dominance over the kitten. I would recommend gradually introducing them to each other over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. I would also recommend incorporating Feliway products to see if this helps. Feliway products can be found online quite easily or at your local pet store. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It is OK behavior but not great. I am worried that this could escalate into a serious fight. I suggest you try using some Feliway diffusers in the house and do some environmental enrichment for them. Those two things should help. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-MultiCat-Diffuser ) ( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AejmrLa_Cs4 )

This is an excellent question, and I love that you're being proactive about their relationship. It's hard to tell just looking at pictures, the first and last one look like good play and the middle looks a bit less playful. Meowing is not necessarily a problem, but if Loki sounds distressed or unhappy - he probably is. Signs of good play: Taking turns chasing/being chased Relaxed body posture Taking turns initiating No hissing Ears mostly up, not flattened on to the head Breaks in play occasionally You could ask your vet if you could email them a little video to get their input, since we don't have the video capacity here. Have fun with the new kitty!

Hi there. I don't think the cat is being overprotective of the kitten. If she is not letting her out from under the bed is because she is asserting dominance and is basically bullying the kitten. This is aggressive behavior. When inserting a new kitten or cat to a household you need to introduce them slowly. Here is an article on how to do this. Cats are not like dogs where you can just throw them in together and they usually get along. http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/how-to-introduce-a-second-cat/ So, I would go back and start over basically using the article's techniques. Next I would get Feliway diffusers and put them in your house. These release "happy cat pheromones" which helps to calm the cats. These things work amazing!!! Please, if you do anything at all, do this. You can usually buy this in most large pet stores and even some vet offices carry it. I hope this helps. You really need to go back to introduce them the right way or you are going to have MAJOR issues in your house with the cats. Best wishes. If you have any additional questions you are welcome to ask!