i’ve been caring for two feral cats, male and female approx 8 months (they live outside on our property). They’re brother and sister from a litter of kittens born near my home. I’m hoping because they’re brother and sister, the male won’t try to mate with his sister.
The male allows me to pet him but dashes when I try to pick him up, so until we reach that milestone, he’s not “fixed,” and the female is hyper cautious and only allows me to stroke her tail. Getting the male spayed could happen sooner than it would for the female. In the interim, I’m still worried they’ll mate with eachother or the female will attract other male cats. Sheeeesh! what should I do? What can I do???
They might mate when the female enters estrus (heat), and she will certainly attract other unfixed males in the area even if they don’t. Cats don’t have the same taboos that we have. You might try humane cage traps to catch one of them and get it to the vet. The male will be less expensive to have done, if money is a concern. Call around to various vets and animal shelters to see if they have a cage trap you can borrow or rent.
Even if you get the male fixed (which you should) the female will attract other males. If at all possible, please try to trap them and get them both fixed.
Also, if you’re in the US, you can get financial assistance with spaying/neutering through Friends of Animals. They’ll help you find a participating vet in your area, and sell you reduced-rate spay/neuter certificates at a considerable savings.
Cats are notorious for incestuous relationships. Rest assured that when the queen comes into season he will try to mate with her.
You will also have the benefit of being kept awake all night as every tom for 5 miles around fights over her in your front yard.
Oh yeah, and because they’re in her brother’s territory and he’s a tom he’ll be fighting them all as well. Which means vet bills, and ruptured absecess and all that fun stuff.
Trust me. It ain’t worth it. If at all possible get them both fixed. Live traps are easy to make and are available for hire, often for free fom local government, animal shelters etc.
I’m pretty sure my 25 toed cat is the product of mother-son interbreeding. He is a fantastic cat who is perfect in every way, but yeah, it’s pretty gross if you anthropomorphize it.
Definitely get that female cat spayed. She will attract every unneutered male cat for miles and they will mate, very loudly, right outside your window at 3am. In case you haven’t had the joy of experiencing this, is sounds like a baby is being dismembered. If she isn’t in agony, it sure sounds like it, and with good reason. From Wikipedia:
Avoiding the racket alone would be a good enough reason, but unwanted kittens are just tragic, and will lead short, sad lives. It’s great of you to help these kitties out. Good luck.
Have you ever seen one in heat? They sure *seem * unhappy. Plus from what I’ve read, the mating process is not all that pleasant for the females. The male has a barbed penis that hurts when removed, which somehow stimulates ovulation. Seems bizarre to me, but it’s what I’ve been told.
No one really knows for sure, and until some way is found to objectively measure pain, we never will. All the yowling and other activities might lead one to believe so. Most experts don’t believe the discomfort is very great–along the lines of a desperately horny human, perhaps. Outright agony is unlikely for several reasons. For one, severe pain causes stress, and stress is unhealthy. Since the point of estrus is breeding, and breeding takes good health and energy to be successful, it’s not likely that nature would have evolved a response which would sap an animal’s energy and health just at the time it’s most needed. For another, extreme pain is not conducive to lovin’–ask any woman with a headache.
That’s hilarious! Now I wish I had thought of it. Damn. No, his name is Maceo and he’s the best cat ever, extremely smart and affectionate, but he is definitely a mutant. Interbreeding brings out whatever traits are dominant, which polydactyly is. He’s lucky that his dominant genes were good ones.
Cats don’t care that they share a mother (and/or father). When it’s time to mate, it’s time to mate.
My uncle (the classic reclusive elderly gentleman from an era when depression and mental illness were shameful and hidden) was taking care of one outside queen when he was renting an apartment made out of the upper floor of a regular house. When he moved to an apartment building, he smuggled the queen into his new apartment. Turned out the queen was pregnant at that point already. She had a normal litter from which we got two of our cats (females, spayed long past). Because “she was sad and homesick” (which we eventually realized meant “in heat and noisy about it”), he took her back to the neighborhood he’d lived in when she was a half-feral stray and let her loose overnight, then came to pick her up in the morning. She eventually had another litter, of course. Only this one he didn’t get rid of. Two males, one female. Guess which cat had a litter of her own 8 months or so later? “I never thought they’d do that! They’re brother and sister!” At least one of the new litter was grossly deformed and died within hours of birth.
I wasn’t talking about the mating process. I’ve heard cats mating outside my window at night, and it definitely doesn’t sound like they’re having fun!
I was questioning the idea of being in heat itself being painful. Well, not questioning it so much as looking for verification, since I’ve never heard that claim before. I’ve only ever owned one “unfixed” female, and that’s because she was pregnant when we adopted her and we wanted to wait until the kittens were weaned before we had her spayed. As it turns out, she got outside and got pregnant again while she was still nursing the first litter.
At no point did she appear to be in pain (much less “agony,” as Guin stated). Her howls just didn’t sound that different from “I want to go out NOW” or “FEED ME” howls from our other cats.
And given the big differences in size/conformation/coloration between the kittens, I’d say we’re talking at least two tomcats here. My daughter (who took momma cat with her when she got married) still calls her Slutcat from time to time.
i’ll work really hard at getting them both fixed! I’ll get them trapped somehow… I know the male cat will be easier… it’s the female that’s not very trusting, but i fear i’m running out of time.
Good for you.
The male will be cheaper, but the female will just find another male when it’s time. And then you’ll have anywhere up to 10 new cats to feed, get fixed, repair wounds, etc. Like others have said, your local SPCA and vet clinics should have humane traps you can borrow for free or next to nothing (they may want a deposit so you don’t steal the thing). They are really easy to use. Put the food bowls you use inside the trap and cover it over with an old towel so it’s a really attractive hiding spot. It’s the rare cat who doesn’t fall for the humane trap at least once.
When you get to the vet, they may want to ear notch the cats. This is so that, if the cats move out of your area, another caring person will know that they are already fixed and won’t put them through the stress of going to the doctor again. Don’t freak out about the notching. They do it while they’re under for the surgery and the cats never give any indication that they miss the bit of ear. (sorry to preach, but I’ve met some strange cat folks, and now I’m paranoid)
That’s hilarious! Now I wish I had thought of it. Damn. No, his name is Maceo and he’s the best cat ever, extremely smart and affectionate, but he is definitely a mutant. Interbreeding brings out whatever traits are dominant, which polydactyly is. He’s lucky that his dominant genes were good ones.