hi cat anons, i recently got a 6 year old male from the shelter. he's a very, very big guy. tuxedo if it matters.
while extremely chill and friendly, he has been getting into it with our 1~ year old female tortie.
occasionally, sometimes with her provoking him, he'll chase her all around the house. it's not constant, but it has happened most every day. he gets laser-focused on it, and it often results in her screaming and screeching like she's being murdered.
the worst that's ever happened is, once or twice, a bit of fur was taken off of her. no blood.
now, the chasing is one-sided. he's much bigger than her, and her screams are literally bloodcurdling, but he doesn't show any outright aggression. we've never heard him hiss, growl, put up his haunches or bristle his fur. he just chases her until she finds a hiding spot, at which point, he'll often pull back.
lastly, there's the fact that outside of the sporadic chasing sessions, they coexist perfectly fine. they've slept right next to each other a few times, hang out in the same rooms without constant bickering, and the female seems perfectly relaxed. it's just when he gets riled up that he chases her, and she gets terrified.
what should i do to help this? i've been around to try and discourage him, by trying to distract him (or if that fails, gently petting him to calm him down, which often works)
i really, really don't want to have to get rid of this guy. i just adopted him from the shelter and i genuinely adore him (i volunteer and he was my favorite for weeks)
what are my options here? is it as much of a problem as i am making it out to be?
as i was typing this, they stopped staring at each other. he's now lying down with his paws crossed in front of him, and she's lying down in the window. perfectly relaxed, but i am concerned she's scared of him and just happy because she knows he can't reach her.
apologies for the text wall, i am frantic about this. i utterly adore him.
