Be sure to provide a male cat with plenty of sturdy scratching posts, preferably mounted near entrances and exits. More often than not, your tom will nonchalantly return home looking for his dinner, but that doesn't keep you from worrying in the meantime. 5 Domestic male cats as well as male cats in the wild aren't known for their fathering skills. Otherwise, consider neutering your pet to help curb some of these behaviors. Neutering may also help if the spraying is related to mating behaviors. Don’t let your cat eat her expelled vomit, even if she tries. Even so, the amount of daily cat food depends on several factors, such as age, size, physical activity or personality of the animal. 25 Creative Ways of Remembering Loved Ones at Christmas, Feline Diabetes Symptoms to Notice in Your Cat, Hunting behavior especially if you live in an area with lots of prey opportunities, Curiosity; the male wanders because he can if given the opportunity, Stiff legged at the rear end, with the back sloping down toward the head, Tail is held low or between the legs and may wag stiffly, Whiskers are held flat back against the face, Cat's hackles are raised (fur stands on end). The first tool in the tomcat's artillery is scent, hence all that spraying and scratching to claim ownership. Cats may not enjoy wearing a cone, but they can still do most of their regular activities, including eating and drinking. Not only did my male cat “accept” this male kitten, but they becam… They also can contribute to pet overpopulation if they're not neutered and encounter females. Once neutered, the spraying behavior typically stops. If you notice your cat’s eating behaviors change, you can get in touch with your veterinarian right away to figure out what the problem is. Factors that drive this behavior include: Although opinions will vary, it's safest to keep your pet indoors only and eliminate their ability to wander. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: "Feeding Your Cat." Dervish, our “big orange-and-white guy,” was about a year old when we were waylaid by the stray kitten with the Abyssinian-looking face and mottling. Help from Other Females Take a closer look at a few of the most problematic behaviors you're likely to encounter with this gender before adopting and decide whether this is something you can tolerate. Male cats rarely try to harm THEIR OWN kittens. Zorro was just what Dervish needed. Once neutered, the spraying behavior typically stops. In addition, they do not eat more than what they need. Do Male Cats Act Paternal and Fatherly Towards Kittens? Male cats do sometimes eat the kittens. The ASPCA explains what aggressive body language looks like: Never attempt to intervene physically with a tomcat in this highly aroused state. Vet Info: Cat Aggression: Male Cat Killing Kittens. But be ready to intervene if he shows the slightest bit of aggression and continue to keep him separated from mama and her babies. A new kitten is typically eager to make friends, but the older cats in the household may want nothing to do with the younger one. A clean litter box will encourage her to use that space to go potty and may reduce spraying around the home. Less than 10% of neutered cats continue to spray. Even the millennia of domestication does not mean companion cats do not retain some of this instinct. Male cats have been known to kill kittens, usually kittens that they didn't father. A large-scale feral cat study conducted by the University of Georgia in 2003 showed a great deal of male-female grooming between adult sons and their moms. Clean your female cat’s litter box regularly. The answer is a complex language of body postures, which signals the cat's intentions in the ultimate game of call my bluff. European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF): "Nutritional Guidelines For Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs." Some female cats act as midwives, attending a birthing and helping to clean the newborn kittens. A clean litter box will encourage her to use that space to go potty and may reduce spraying around the home. If your mama cat has a new litter of kittens, you've probably been counseled by well-meaning friends and family to keep them safe from male cats. There are many illnesses that may affect a cat’s eating and diet. Once the litter is born, the mom cat hides her kittens well. Male cats can be surprisingly tender toward their colony's kittens, whether they're their own children, nieces and nephews, or babies of random cat friends. Sometimes these fights are more about posturing, but on many occasions, these boys will do some significant damage to each other. However, and it's a big BUT, this also depends on how much his actions are down to ingrained habit. This is a video of our cat, Moxie, giving birth to her kittens. If it's essential to distract the cat to keep injuries from occurring, then throwing a bowl of water over him usually diffuses the immediate situation (but does little to endear you to him). This is mainly due to a desire to defend or gain territory, but breeding behavior also drives males to spar with each other. While cats can eat fish, it’s not the ideal basis for their diet. 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