"floralswag" wrote:

I'll soon be moving to a new house with my two cats and am wondering
how this might shift the balance of power between them.
These are two neutered males, Max is 4.5 years old and Sketch is 1.5
years old.
....
Will this shift the balance of power between them, making Sketch the
top cat? And if it does, is it something I should worry about?

Preventing injury is job one.

I think there is a straightforward way of coping just in case. Clip
the aggressor's claws. It's about that simple (the clipping might not
be simple though). Backed into a corner, the defender probably will
inflict damage and help discourage the aggressor.

About 14 months ago I took in a stray male. I thought my resident
female would enjoy the company. Kiki puts up with him now and I'm not
clipping any claws. It's too bad they don't get along better but oh
well, I cannot imagine how to force one cat to like another.

Good luck.