Kitten is obsessed with older cat. Older cat isn’t happy about it. Help?

Hey, guys. I have a 10 month old kitten (or I think he’s still a kitten) and a 12-13 year old cat that I love very much. When the kitten is just laying around or minding his own business, all is well in the home. Both cats can be in the same room together asleep, be on my bed, eat out of the same bowls (even though they have their own), use the same litter-box, share toys, have treats, etc. So I know they don’t totally hate each other.

The biggest problem I’m having is the kitten’s weird obsession with the older cat. I know he just wants to play with her but the older cat wants nothing to do with him. She’ll hiss, growl, and slap him if he gets too close but he isn’t really getting the hint that she doesn’t want him around. He also has a habit of chasing/stalking her around the house and trying to swat at her when she’s in the litter box. She has an area that the kitten can’t get to (aka her throne) and occasionally I’ll step in and separate the two if it’s been awhile and I’m still hearing the growling.

The kitten doesn’t hiss/growl back and neither of them have their fur sticking up so I feel like she’s just annoyed with him. He’s kind of like that one kid that keeps following you around wanting to play. I’ll play with him when I can to give the older cat a break but there are times where he has no interest in the toys I have and he would rather bother the older cat.

The kitten is my ESA and will be going to university with me in the fall when I transfer so she won’t always have to deal with him since he’ll be with me majority of the year. But is there anything else I could be doing? He’ll play with our dog (older cat doesn’t like the dog either) and the dog doesn’t mind. But I wonder if he’s maybe viewing the older cat as a toy? Any advice/tips on how to get the kitten to leave her alone?

Not sure if this helps but I got the kitten back in October. Only real difference that instead of backing down, the older cat will sometimes take a few steps towards him if he’s annoying her too much.

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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ba7dbs/kitten_is_obsessed_with_older_cat_older_cat_isnt/