Advice on male kitten ownership...:)

Corry · May 27, 2005

Ok...if y'all saw my thread about the new member of our family in the gallery, you'll know that we thought he was a she, but he isn't.

I don't have much experience in owning male kitties. Well..any male animals, really.

So..what tips can you give me? What age do they generally start in with behaviors like being territorial and spraying and such? He is staying inside, Erik is getting all his shots, and once he's old enough, he will be neutered. Also, I need to introduce him to my cat, Aliyah, a spayed female who is around 4ish...any tips on that? I don't think I've ever had more than one cat at a time, so that's new to me, too!

Thanks in advance!

Skipster · May 28, 2005

The female will take over as the Alpha female. Domesticated cats have hierarchy the same as wild cats. Introduce them as soon as possible. The female will put the kitten in it's place and the kitten will learn. The younger the kitten the better as the female may take on as the mother till it gets older. The male won't spray till it matures enough to mate. Soon as the vet says he's old enough, get him 'fixed'. That will stop the spraying. Good luck.

Corry · May 28, 2005

Thanks! We plan on introducing them very soon..the kitten is 8wks, my kitty is around 4 years (not sure of her age, so it's a guess). And we do plan on getting him fixed at 5-6 months..whenever the vet says he's ready. I'm kinda nervous though, cuz my cat hasn't been around any other animal in the entire time she's been with me, which has been two years this month.

Skipster · May 28, 2005

It's amazing how that 'motherly instinct' takes over. I have 4 cats. One male, the rest female. The oldest female keeps the other two in-line. While the male, the oldest of all, just ignores them. Because your female is still fairly young, hopefully she will play with the kitten. If not, and she gets irritated by him, it could be a long introduction. When the kitten gets out of line, she'll let him know. And he will learn to understand.

fadingaway1986 · May 28, 2005

Our female cat (1st one we had) and our male cat (followed a couple of years later) did not get on.

When the female one got to the end of her time - we went to the vet - and he told us she had been sick for quite some time and thats why she let the male push her around. So if the male starts taking over - take her to the vet!

Uhh at around 10 years - the male will start doing some... uh... interesting? things to your bed, legs, etc... Unless my cat is the only freak to do that. If/When he does - learn to make your bed - he wont do it to your bed... But as for your legs - I have no solution other than kicking him.

Artemis · May 28, 2005

My cats are different...the little one is evil, and my older one who is female is a bit mental, so he beats her up...but my dog doesnt like them fighting so she stops it by jumping at the and then staying between them.....I know...weird...

Andrea K · May 28, 2005

haha i have a situation similar to artemis. the baby (i guess he is like 2 or 3 but he is still the baby) is crazy and evil and he beats up the older male (we thing he is mental because he is afraid of doors and doesnt like to be held and runs into walls). the youngest tries to beat up everyone even though they are older than him except for the oldest male (Bobo). No one messes with Bobo, not even mom and dad.

Mitica100 · May 28, 2005

core_17 said:
Ok...if y'all saw my thread about the new member of our family in the gallery, you'll know that we thought he was a she, but he isn't.

I don't have much experience in owning male kitties. Well..any male animals, really.

So..what tips can you give me? What age do they generally start in with behaviors like being territorial and spraying and such? He is staying inside, Erik is getting all his shots, and once he's old enough, he will be neutered. Also, I need to introduce him to my cat, Aliyah, a spayed female who is around 4ish...any tips on that? I don't think I've ever had more than one cat at a time, so that's new to me, too!

Thanks in advance!

OK cory... You came to the right place. I have three male cats and the latest addition was slightly over a year ago. We brought (aka saved its @$$) him in from the streets and the older two males didn't like him in the beginning. Eventually one of them warmed up and they became best friends. The other one (the oldest) still didn't to this day.

Don't hesitate to introduce him to your older cat, the sooner the better. Do watch them while you do that, there might be a bit of hissing and fighting but eventually all that will go away. I don't think your new kitty will become territorial unless he is an outdoor kitty (I have all indoor cats). As for neutering, between 6 and 8 months is best, as per our Vet.

Overall, male cats behave just like cats, regardless of gender, so no extra worries needed here. :mrgreen:

Sorry I missed you post about the cat, what's his name?

Corry · May 28, 2005

We haven't re-named him yet..before we knew he was a he, his name was Sofia. Erik's thinking maybe Smokey, but I think that name is soooo overused! :lol:

EDIT:

Here's the link to the pictures:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22824

Mitica100 · May 28, 2005

core_17 said:
We haven't re-named him yet..before we knew he was a he, his name was Sofia. Erik's thinking maybe Smokey, but I think that name is soooo overused!

I know!... How'bout a TPF 'Name the Kitty' contest?