AboutTina Expertise I can answer questions on: cat nutrition and diet, behavior, behavior problems, training, general health, socialization/taming feral cats, TVAR, trapping feral cats, feline nutrition, and cat care. My favorite questions are on the topic of nutrition and I have special experience with hyperthyroidism in cats.
Please do NOT ask me if you should take your cat to the vet - if you have any reason to suspect your cat is ill or injured please call your vet immediately!
Experience 5 years as volunteer adoption co-ordinator for a nonprofit volunteer cat rescue group. Experience working in a veterinary clinic. Current occupation: Research Scientist.
Question My cat just had her first litter of kittens (she only had one though) and her and my male cat (hes fixed and not the father) are fighting constantly. I have been keeping them separated as best I can, however Im wondering when it will be ok to reintroduce them to each other along with the new kitten. Ive let them be around each other once or twice but have always had to either separate them or spray them with a water bottle in order to get them to stop. Also, he seems to be losing a bit of weight due to the stress. What should I do?
Answer Hi Leslie,
First PLEASE have your cats spayed and neutered, along with the kitten. There are thousands of healthy wonderful cats and kittens killed every day in shelters because there are not enough homes. There is simply no room for more. One male and one female and their offspring can produce 420,000 cats in 7 years - it is no joke. Here is a website with low cost spay and neuter resources in your area: http://www.spayusa.org
You should keep the male cat separate from the female and her kitten for a number of reasons:
1. the female can become pregnant again immediately after giving birth - she may already be
2. Some male cats will kill kittens, and the female may be trying to protect the kitten. Only allow supervised interaction until the cats are ALL spayed and neutered and the kitten is at least 6 months old.
3. The male cat may impregnate his own kitten if the kitten is female.
Using a spray bottle is not an effective way to stop cats from fighting other than causing them to stop at that time - it will not deter them from fighting again and in fact often makes the problem worse, because each cat associates the unpleasant experience with the other cat. Keep them separate and re-introduce them gradually after spay and neuter.
