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Introducing dad to kittens...

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adamcrssmn

Guest
Ok, So Karma had kittens 5 days ago and it's becoming plainly obvious that she REALLY misses King... These 2 have grown up together and have been the ONE constant in each others lives and they, King especially, seem miserable without the other... BUT, I've been told repeatedly to keep dad away from the kittens... Suggestions?!?! His whining is driving me crazy!!!o_O (not really, I just feel bad for him)
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
You definitely need to keep other cats away from the kittens for now. When they are a bit older mom may be willing to leave them for a short period of time to visit King, but then you need to worry about her carrying back unsavory things to the kittens - remember they are totally vulnerable right now until they are vaccinated and are able to build up their own immune system. It is true that mom passes on some immunity to them in her milk but I would not tempt the fates...

Try to spend time just with King playing with him and giving him special attention several times a day. Let him know that he is still loved and can live without Karma for a while longer...
 

Pam Flachs

Savannah Super Cat
Can you let Karma and King together alone for a few minutes each day? The babies are very young. I do allow my stud boy Simboya to interact with his kittens when they are older....about 6 weeks of age. He is very good with them, even the ones that are not his. I know not all male intact cats will be okay with babies...it could end in tragedy. Is King a gentle cat...easily handled and loving? Keep in mind Karma may come into heat soon as well...three weeks after kitten birth is what my girls are averaging...so keep an eye on that if you do decide to let them have time together as you do not want her getting pregnant again so soon. I would not introduce King to the babies until they are older, and then I would let him see them while you are in attendance, preferably holding one, with someone else in the room to help. Karma might not want King in with the babies as well, so that is another thing to consider.

I know there are breeders who will disagree and say that it is never a good idea....my stud boy's father was good with babies as well, and so is Simboya, who is very laid back and gentle always, so in my case it has worked out well. Simboya has played with my other stud's kittens as well...even before he became a father himself. It is my understanding that some males will hurt or kill kittens that are not their own. But because Simboya for the most part lives with us as a pet, sleeping with us etc, and I felt he would be fine...and he is, so far. I still keep a careful eye on playtime for any signs that I should reconsider allowing a stud cat to interact with the babies; rough play, biting, etc. My boy at two years old still thinks he is small kitten, and loves to run around the house with the babies and sleep with them. I do know that could change as he gets older, so am always alert to signs of that.....
 
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adamcrssmn

Guest
He's easily the most loving, cuddly, affectionate cat I have EVER met!!! We have let them have some alone time with each other (she chose to have the kittens in our pantry so it's easy to keep them separate.) and there is a lot of grooming each other and rubbing on each other. She is REALLY good at letting us know when it's time for her babies again (about as close to actually saying it with words that a cat can get;)). SHE is completely ok with him being in the pantry (on his leash with me watching CLOSELY) but he seems quite "uneasy" and the only sound he made was a "dismissive not-quite-a-growl-sound-but-you-know-what-i'm-talking-about" kind of noise and that was enough for me to say to just keep 'em apart for now... better safe than sorry.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
I think it is a risk to allow the dad in with the kittens just because the kittens are very vulnerable and it takes a split second for something to go wrong. Some do take the risk and sometimes it is fine.

My very first litter, we had the queen and babies in a room but when about 6 weeks old one ran out the door as I opened it and one of the others, a spayed female, was walking near. Within seconds she had that kitten by the neck and was shaking him! I physically dived on top and grabbed the kitten... I rushed him to the vet but he was fine just in shock from the scare, but ever since I've not trusted any other cat near a litter of kittens. I have baby gates on doors which don't prevent kittens escaping but do slow them down so I can enter and leave the room.

I do sometimes let the queen have breaks from their kittens and visit the other cats if they wish. I had one queen that would not poop in the room with the kittens so she would go out for an hour a day and use the litterbox etc before asking to go back to her babies. Maybe you could do that with Karma?
 
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adamcrssmn

Guest
That's pretty much exactly what we're doing with her. I'll be the first to admit that there are definitely things that I'm clueless about when it comes to the breeding aspect. When I encounter such things, I kinda just go with ole, "if you don't know, then error on the side of caution", way of thinking...
 
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