Teazer is really starting to bug Maya!

What do you expect from a kitten named "Teazer"???  :-D  Yeah, sorry, no help.  I know a big fat nothing about cats.  Only thing I can think of is to relate it to when I had my old dog Indy and got Lucas as a puppy...Ind and baby Lucas got along fine and enjoyed playing with each other during their play times, but there were times when Ind did not want to be bugged by baby, one of which was when he had got all comfy in his bed.  He was 9 when I got Lucas so I just tried to make sure he had lots of "puppy free" time as well where he could relax and did not have to deal with Lucas pestering him.  It was not Lucas bugging him so I stepped in, it was Lucas was confined so he could not bug Indy in the first place.  But  guessing that is probably a lot easier to do with a puppy (crate, xpens) than kittens....

I think the principle is probably the same.  Unfortunately, it would mean locking up the kittens behind a closed door for part of the day.  Not what I would rather do, but perhaps necessary for a few months.  I've read that 3 - 4 months old is the period of the most activity for kittens and that is where we're at right now, so things are pretty chaotic around here right now.  Add to that the fact that we are having two or three coyote sightings at our gate a DAY right now, and Maya is a little bit stressed. Hopefully in the long run some confinement will make them better friends.
Sigh!

If you don't want to shut the kitten off in another room, another way to prevent unwanted bugging of Maya is to crate the kitten nearby. I have had cats who adapted quite happily to some crate time as needed.
 
I used my big dog crate...it was handy and the cat was going in it anyway from time to time. Added a small litter box, along with food, water and toys if I needed to crate for any length of time.

Head of household (animal-wise) can go where they want when they want.

Can you silently water-spray Teazer for approaching the sleeping Maya without concerning Maya?

Kitten confinement a very good idea,

I've changed a few thing around this week trying to support Maya's position of head of household.  She now get's fed first and gets attention first.  I don't know how much it means to any of them, but I thought I'd try.  I can't see Maya not waking up with the water bottle, but it's worth a try.  And yes, I'll institute some kittenless time on the weekends.

I wonder if you could get, or maybe borrow, an exercise pen, put a screen or something on top so the kittens can't go over the top, and set that up in the room.  Guess it depends how much space you have.  Then the kittens could be "with" everyone still if that is where everybody else is spending their time, have a bit more room than a crate, but not be able to bug Maya.

Umm... cats don't read those "head of household" signs the way dogs do, so I would not be emphasizing that with her. May bend the stick farther in a direction you don't want. I'd be giving her breaks (kitten confinement) and helping the kittens learn dog-language (ala water bottle) and teaching her to walk away with Go when necessary. Eagle eye helps as well, but I know you always have that. ;)

Sarah, which 'her' should I be teaching Go to?  Do you think I could teach it to Teazer?  That would be very helpful.  She is an extremely smart cat; the first to learn her name, and the principle that my words are worth paying attention to because they sometimes mean treats.  Jerry is only now able to find treats if I toss them, I had to put them right up under his nose originally.  Teazer got that from day one.

I **think** the her Sarah is talking about is Maya not the cat. Earlier in the sentence 'giving her breaks (kitty confinement)' to me means her = Maya.
 
Do the cats have a safe place away from Maya? And reverse - does Maya have a place she can go to get away from the cats?
 
We have a space for the cat's litter box and food that is dog free. Kitty can retreat to that room whenever Cooper is being a PITA. There are no cat and dog interactions at meal time - they are feed on separate schedules and in different rooms. Kitty also has a 'sleeping spot' in the living room - it is elevated - so she can hang with the whole family but the dog and cat are not on top of each other. We are sure to play with kitty in the dog free zone so she gets personal attention.
 
In the reverse, it is obvious that Cooper doesn't want the cat curdled up next to him on his dog bed, he has corrected her for trying to snuggle up with him in this context. She has always gotten the point but if she didn't I wouldn't hesitate to physically remove her and confine her. You don't want the dog to have the make the point more obvious. Maybe you can tell Maya 'go' while confining Teezer and then bring Maya back in the room calmly.
 
Are they loose together all day while you are at work? Or for part of the day? Then there might be a whole bunch more interactions going on that you don't know about. . . . . Just a thought.
 
 

The cats have places to go where Maya can't get to them, but we have to physically lock up the cats for Maya to be undisturbed.  This is happening whenever Maya has a bone and during Maya's afternoon nap on the weekends.  Maya can also go outside where the cats can't go.  Mealtimes here happen at the same time, but on opposite sides of the house.  I have to supervise because while Maya has learned that she can't go near the cats while they're eating, Jerry still tries to horn in on Teazer's food dish which is not acceptable for me.  The only time they're all loose together is at night, and while the cats primarily sleep with me, they may be getting up to bug Maya once in a while.  Occasionally I find Maya downstairs in the morning, but she likes to do her guard dog thing sleeping by the back door too, so I'm not sure whether or not the cats are the cause of her move.