My male cat is around his kittens. Is this safe or should I separate?

It is most probable that the male cat is the father of the kittens. As long as your mother cat and kitten are safe and the male cat is not harming them I would not be too concerned. However, keep in mind, that the Mother cat cat can become pregnant again within just a few weeks of giving birth. If you do not want her having any more kittens then you should have her spayed as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the interactions between the male and the mother cat and as long as they are not hurting one another it should be fine. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

No, the male cannot be anywhere near the kittens or the mother. Queens can be extremely protective of her kittens, and could attack him. He could also hurt the kittens. I'd have the males neutered asap to stop this behavior.

If the male cat is irritating your pregnant female the best thing you can do is to keep them separated until after the kittens are born. It should not affect the kittens if they are around each other but it may lead to undue stress for your female cat. If you are unable to safely separate them at home you may want to consider boarding the male cat or having him stay with a friend or family member until the kittens are born. It may also be beneficial to have the male neutered as soon as possible. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

No, that would not be a good idea. Cats are not like people. The males do not "know" that those are his kittens. He may see them as a threat and kill them. Male cats typically have nothing to do with rearing the kittens and it is just not a good idea. Not to mention that sometimes the female cats will come right back into heat after giving birth so she could potentially get pregnant again and it can be harmful for her to become pregnant again so soon. Please keep them separated from each other. There is no reason for the male to have access to the kittens at all. Hope this helps. Good question!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Pregnancy can be a very stressful time for animals, and it may be hard for your cat to be separate from her previous offspring. However, my recommendation would be to separate him from her so that he cannot suckle/breastfeed from her before her kittens are born. The milk produced at the beginning of lactation is very antibody-rich and important for the brand new kittens to ingest. There is also the possibility that the previous offspring could out-compete the brand new kittens for nipples if they are left together. The new kittens will need the most care and nutrition from the very beginning, and if he is allowed to suckle from the mom, the newest kittens may not get all of the nutrition they need. I hope this is helpful!

If you are concerned that the male cat may injure the kittens then I would recommend you keep them separated at all times. However, I will say that it is normal for older cats (usually the momma cat) to teach the young kittens discipline and proper behavior by mewing at them, bopping them and nipping at them. This may be all your male cat is trying to accomplish. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lisa. No, the male does not need to be present. He may make Lisa uncomfortable and could actually harm the new kittens. I recommend keeping the male cats separate from her during delivery and afterwards while the kittens are with her. I hope this information helps!