Why does my cat bite my new kitten?

by Hamira Hussain
(Charlotte, NC, UNITED STATES)

My resident cat who's 7 months old (male) has been attacking our 9 week old kitten. We got her almost three weeks ago, and for two weeks we slowly introduced them, keeping the kitten in her own room.

When they finally met eye to eye, my older cat kept hissing and growling. He finally stopped. But now that we let her roam around the house (only supervised), my older cat stares at her and pounces and bites her throat and back.

She keeps crying when he does that. But then he starts licking her, and every time he sees her he does this, non-stop.

He is a good cat, but I feel he is confused when she fights back, runs away or cries. Because he is a kitten himself, he only wants to play. What can I do to help them to get along and stop him from biting her?