{"id":89635,"date":"2022-04-22T12:08:47","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T12:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/"},"modified":"2022-04-22T12:08:47","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T12:08:47","slug":"how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/","title":{"rendered":"How do male cats act around their kittens?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#How_do_male_cats_act_around_their_kittens\" title=\"How do male cats act around their kittens?\">How do male cats act around their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_recognize_their_dads\" title=\"Do cats recognize their dads?\">Do cats recognize their dads?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#How_do_cats_recognize_their_kittens\" title=\"How do cats recognize their kittens?\">How do cats recognize their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#How_do_male_cats_act_around_kittens\" title=\"How do male cats act around kittens?\">How do male cats act around kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Are_male_cats_involved_with_kittens\" title=\"Are male cats involved with kittens?\">Are male cats involved with kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_know_who_their_dad_is\" title=\"Do cats know who their dad is?\">Do cats know who their dad is?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_know_who_their_parents_are\" title=\"Do cats know who their parents are?\">Do cats know who their parents are?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_father_cats_care_about_their_kittens\" title=\"Do father cats care about their kittens?\">Do father cats care about their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Can_cats_tell_if_they_are_related\" title=\"Can cats tell if they are related?\">Can cats tell if they are related?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_mother_cats_remember_their_kittens\" title=\"Do mother cats remember their kittens?\">Do mother cats remember their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Are_cats_attached_to_their_kittens\" title=\"Are cats attached to their kittens?\">Are cats attached to their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_male_cats_get_along_with_their_kittens\" title=\"Do male cats get along with their kittens?\">Do male cats get along with their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#How_do_male_cats_act_towards_kittens\" title=\"How do male cats act towards kittens?\">How do male cats act towards kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Can_a_male_cat_be_around_newborn_kittens\" title=\"Can a male cat be around newborn kittens?\">Can a male cat be around newborn kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_male_cats_bond_with_their_kittens\" title=\"Do male cats bond with their kittens?\">Do male cats bond with their kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_male_cats_stimulate_kittens\" title=\"Do male cats stimulate kittens?\">Do male cats stimulate kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_male_cats_harm_kittens\" title=\"Do male cats harm kittens?\">Do male cats harm kittens?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Does_kitten_know_their_father\" title=\"Does kitten know their father?\">Does kitten know their father?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_have_father_instincts\" title=\"Do cats have father instincts?\">Do cats have father instincts?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_know_their_mom_and_dad\" title=\"Do cats know their mom and dad?\">Do cats know their mom and dad?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_know_who_their_fathers_are\" title=\"Do cats know who their fathers are?\">Do cats know who their fathers are?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_remember_parents\" title=\"Do cats remember parents?\">Do cats remember parents?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_know_if_they_are_related\" title=\"Do cats know if they are related?\">Do cats know if they are related?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-male-cats-act-around-their-kittens\/#Do_cats_Think_About_Their_parents\" title=\"Do cats Think About Their parents?\">Do cats Think About Their parents?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_male_cats_act_around_their_kittens\"><\/span>How do male cats act around their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dominant males have also been observed caring for kittens within their own colonies. They may share their food and groom young cats, and have even been witnessed <b>breaking up fights between kittens, separating them gently with one paw when a fight gets out of hand<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_recognize_their_dads\"><\/span>Do cats recognize their dads?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When kittens are first born, they recognize their mothers. They imprint on their mothers shortly after birth and recognize them primarily based on smell. Imprinting keeps the kittens safe. However, <b>kittens don&#8217;t recognize their fathers because they don&#8217;t feed or protect their young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_cats_recognize_their_kittens\"><\/span>How do cats recognize their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>They don&#8217;t remember their kittens when they are grown up! Since cats rely on scents to remember each other, mothers forget their kittens shortly after being separated. Once a kitten leaves and is no longer with their mother, they pick up new scents.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_male_cats_act_around_kittens\"><\/span>How do male cats act around kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dominant males have also been observed caring for kittens within their own colonies. They may share their food and groom young cats, and have even been witnessed <b>breaking up fights between kittens, separating them gently with one paw when a fight gets out of hand<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_male_cats_involved_with_kittens\"><\/span>Are male cats involved with kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As <b>male cats do not take part in raising their offspring, kitten calls and the urgency conveyed in them may not have the same relevance for them as for female cats. This may cause male and female cats to process what they hear differently.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_know_who_their_dad_is\"><\/span>Do cats know who their dad is?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When kittens are first born, they recognize their mothers. They imprint on their mothers shortly after birth and recognize them primarily based on smell. Imprinting keeps the kittens safe. However, <b>kittens don&#8217;t recognize their fathers because they don&#8217;t feed or protect their young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_know_who_their_parents_are\"><\/span>Do cats know who their parents are?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While <b>cats don&#8217;t remember their mothers, they tend to view their owners as their mom. They treat owners similar to the way they treat their birth mother. Even though cats don&#8217;t remember their mother, it doesn&#8217;t mean that they don&#8217;t feel upset when they are first separated.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_father_cats_care_about_their_kittens\"><\/span>Do father cats care about their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Anecdotally, <b>there are rare cases reported where domestic male cats have shown paternal care towards the young. Generally, rearing the kittens is primarily carried out by the queen so we don&#8217;t expect many kittens to be giving gifts today! Find out more about cats&#8217; needs and behaviour.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_cats_tell_if_they_are_related\"><\/span>Can cats tell if they are related?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Cats are aware of their kinship. As previously mentioned, cats can scent their father and mum, as well as siblings. That&#8217;s why, even though adult cats aren&#8217;t pack animals, they can live in a group with their siblings and mother when they&#8217;re young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_mother_cats_remember_their_kittens\"><\/span>Do mother cats remember their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>How Long Does a Mother Cat Remember Her Kittens? The length of time a mother cat remembers her kittens depends on their communal or familial status. <b>If the group continues to live together, the female cat will always remember her offspring and will usually continue to treat them like a mother.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_cats_attached_to_their_kittens\"><\/span>Are cats attached to their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>It&#8217;s the goal of the mother cat to teach the kittens to become independent, at which point her bond to them will weaken. In fact, it&#8217;s not uncommon for the mother cat to become uncomfortable with the presence of her kittens after they are weaned and growl at them if they remain for too long.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_male_cats_get_along_with_their_kittens\"><\/span>Do male cats get along with their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>However, <b>there isn&#8217;t any evidence that male kittens get along better than female kittens or vice versa. Sex doesn&#8217;t really seem to matter much in the long run. If there is an effect, it is too small to be noticeable. Most littermates get along well simply because they have been around each other their whole lives.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_male_cats_act_towards_kittens\"><\/span>How do male cats act towards kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dominant males have also been observed caring for kittens within their own colonies. They may share their food and groom young cats, and have even been witnessed <b>breaking up fights between kittens, separating them gently with one paw when a fight gets out of hand<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_male_cat_be_around_newborn_kittens\"><\/span>Can a male cat be around newborn kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Most often male cats are the biggest threat to kittens as they are very territorial and become aggressive with new mothers and their babies. But sometimes other female cats in multi-cat households can act aggressively toward the new kittens. Most likely this also has to do with feeling threatened in some way.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_male_cats_bond_with_their_kittens\"><\/span>Do male cats bond with their kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dominant males have also been observed caring for kittens within their own colonies. <b>They may share their food and groom young cats, and have even been witnessed breaking up fights between kittens, separating them gently with one paw when a fight gets out of hand.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_male_cats_stimulate_kittens\"><\/span>Do male cats stimulate kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Paternal Behavior Although <b>most males do not show interest in newborn kittens, there are a few that do. This paternal behavior is probably seen more in the Siamese breed, where the tomcats will lay with and groom the young. At the other extreme are tomcats that indiscriminately kill the kittens.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_male_cats_harm_kittens\"><\/span>Do male cats harm kittens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Typically, the most they&#8217;ll do is father as many litters as possible, then leave everything to the mother cat. In fact, <b>it isn&#8217;t rare that feral male cats will kill kittens, especially if they aren&#8217;t the father. While there isn&#8217;t much reason for such behavior today, killing kittens is in male&#8217;s instincts.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_kitten_know_their_father\"><\/span>Does kitten know their father?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So basically, <b>a kitten can only recognize their father if they&#8217;re female or if the tomcat was involved, otherwise, they might simply sense that their scent is somewhat familiar or completely unfamiliar.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_have_father_instincts\"><\/span>Do cats have father instincts?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Overall, <b>cats are not known for their fatherly skills as male cats do not tend to be involved in raising offspring, especially in the wild. Anecdotally, there are rare cases reported where domestic male cats have shown paternal care towards the young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_know_their_mom_and_dad\"><\/span>Do cats know their mom and dad?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While <b>cats don&#8217;t remember their mothers, they tend to view their owners as their mom. They treat owners similar to the way they treat their birth mother. Even though cats don&#8217;t remember their mother, it doesn&#8217;t mean that they don&#8217;t feel upset when they are first separated.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_know_who_their_fathers_are\"><\/span>Do cats know who their fathers are?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When kittens are first born, they recognize their mothers. They imprint on their mothers shortly after birth and recognize them primarily based on smell. Imprinting keeps the kittens safe. However, <b>kittens don&#8217;t recognize their fathers because they don&#8217;t feed or protect their young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_remember_parents\"><\/span>Do cats remember parents?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Cats remember their mothers as long as they remain in the same house or community. However, evidence suggests that within a few weeks of being removed from one another, a cat and its mum will no longer be able to recognize the smell of the other.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_know_if_they_are_related\"><\/span>Do cats know if they are related?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Cats are aware of their kinship. As previously mentioned, cats can scent their father and mum, as well as siblings. That&#8217;s why, even though adult cats aren&#8217;t pack animals, they can live in a group with their siblings and mother when they&#8217;re young.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cats_Think_About_Their_parents\"><\/span>Do cats Think About Their parents?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A new study finds that <b>cats form attachment styles to their caregivers similar to human babies and dogs.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents How do male cats act around their kittens?Do cats recognize their dads?How do cats recognize their kittens?How do male cats act around kittens?Are male cats involved with kittens?Do cats know who their dad is?Do cats know who their parents are?Do father cats care about their kittens?Can cats tell if they are related?Do&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89635\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}