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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / April 2006Are male cats good parents?
I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations where they are around when a mate produces a litter of kittens. Do they take an active role in raising the "kids", hunting for their supper, training them to hunt, etc. or do they leave the female to do all the work? I've never personally seen a situation where the father of a litter of kittens was around to help with the kittens but it must happen sometimes, right? For example, maybe some cat breeders let their males interact with the females they've impregnated after the litter is born. I have a male and a female that I got as kittens; both were fixed when they were six months old. They are both indoor cats and I sometimes wonder what kind of father the male would have been if they'd managed to have a litter before they were fixed.  SignatureRhino > I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations where > they are around when a mate produces a litter of kittens. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > kind of father the male would have been if they'd managed to have a litter > before they were fixed. I can't speak to how Mr. Clark, adopted as an adult with 2 kittens, would have been with his own offspring. He remains devoted to them, with Rhonda's 4th birthday tomorrow. Grooming and disciplining them came naturally. He did have something of a martyred expression when he'd lie on his side and let them nurse. It didn't seem to bother him when Ding would ride "horsie" on him, and Ding still idolizes him and tends to follow him around. > I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations where > they are around when a mate produces a litter of kittens. > > Do they take an active role in raising the "kids", hunting for their supper, > training them to hunt, etc. or do they leave the female to do all the work? I once had a foster cat family here which comprised the mother (Jasmine), the father (Jessie - who was possibly also their uncle) and their kittens, who were newborn when they came here. Jasmine did most of the work looking after the kittens when they were small, and Jessie would often sit at a slight distance or lie on his side and reach out a long arm to tap a kitten curiously. As soon as they got legs and became playful, Jessie had a whale of a time playing with them endlessly and allowing them to climb over him, etc, taking the pressure off Jasmine (who still acted as disciplinarian). So certainly he was a good parent. Don't know about hunting as the foster cats are not allowed out. I wouldn't be so confident if an uncastrated male cat was around kittens that weren't his own, though. Deb. Signaturehttp://www.scientific-art.com "He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would; He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield >> I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations >> where [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I wouldn't be so confident if an uncastrated male cat was around kittens > that weren't his own, though. What are you saying an uncastrated male cat might do around kittens that weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex with them? -- Rhino >>> I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations >>> where [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >What are you saying an uncastrated male cat might do around kittens that >weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex with them? No. He may kill them, in order to have the female go back into heat, and he could mate with her. That way the male assures his genes will pass on, and none of his competitors. Lions are notorious for this. :( > What are you saying an uncastrated male cat might do around kittens that > weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex with them? Possibly attack them and kill them. It doesn't always happen, but it is documented, in the same way that male lions that take over a pride will kill cubs that are not their own offspring. See here: http://messybeast.com/kill_kit.htm Deb. Signaturehttp://www.scientific-art.com "He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would; He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield > What are you saying an uncastrated male cat might do around kittens > that weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex > with them? With young kittens, his instinct would be to kill them. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk >>> I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations >>> where [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex with > them? Male lions will kill cubs that are not his own given the chance. Insures his bloodline and causes the female to be able to mate sooner. So male lions aren't trustworthy around cubs. Jo >>> I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations >>> where [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >What are you saying an uncastrated male cat might do around kittens that >weren't his own? Are you implying that he'd fight them? Have sex with them? Kill them. When the kittens are killed, the mother comes into heat. The male cat will try to mate with her and replace those kittens with his own. There is a vast range of reported behavior of male cats with kittens-- I would say your default position should be not to trust them. In general male cats are a lot more interested in generating kittens than raising them, and sometimes have even killed their own kittens on occasions. There have been cases of course, where male cats have been loving adjuncts to their families, but raising kittens is really the female's job, and they usually don't particularly want the males around anyway. We on this board have seen numerous cases of neutered male cats "adopting" kittens, nurturing them and protecting them, but those are individual cases. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War > I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations where > they are around when a mate produces a litter of kittens. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > kind of father the male would have been if they'd managed to have a litter > before they were fixed. In feral groups it has been known for male cats to protect their kittens from other male interlopers but as their sons matured, the fathers would start to drive them out as they would consider them rivals. Alison >I am curious to know if male cats are good parents in the situations where >they are around when a mate produces a litter of kittens. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > what kind of father the male would have been if they'd managed to have a > litter before they were fixed. We had a male Siamese cat that mothered and raised a toy poodle puppy. The mother had a C-section and did not acknowledge the pup. When pup got hungry, cat would come get me to fix him a bottle. If it was during the night the mom would steal the warm spot in the bed while I was gone. I will concede the cat may have only done this initially to shut up the incessant crying. Jo |
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